On any given day I usually have a sandwich and an apple for lunch. Somehow and somewhere along the way I got in the habit of giving the dogs a small bite of my sandwich and a small bite of my apple.
Today was no different. I made lunch, and ate it, with Houdini, Major Tom and Sirocco sitting at my feet watching me consume the meal, eagerly waiting for their bite. I know Magdalena has some food issues, especially around the other dogs, so she was outside on the back porch as I ate.
I dutifully finished and gave a bite of sandwich and apple to the dogs at my feet. So far, so good, nothing out of the ordinary.
I went to let Magdalena inside so she could have her bit. The wife was sitting in a chair in the dining room, Houdini was under her. What I didn’t know was Houdini had not eaten his bit of apple. Magdalena came in, I gave her the bite of sandwich and apple I saved for her, and she ate them.
I turned away to go to the other room to get ready to leave to take the wife to her doctor’s appointment. I got two steps and I heard snarling, growling and Houdini screaming like a little girl. I turned around and Magdalena and Major were going at it. I got them separated by dumping half a gallon of water on them, then knocked each on the head.
Jeanette said Magdalena went after Houdini and Major Tom jumped to Houdini’s defense. I feel bad about knocking Major Tom on the head for doing the right thing but it is important to let all parties involved know that this is not acceptable behavior.
We got Magdalena cornered in another room as we finished preparing to leave. I checked Houdini over. No obvious signs of blood or wounds, but I think Magdalena may have bit him on the shoulder.
This was my fault. I know Magdalena has food issues when it comes to being around the other dogs. I know Houdini has a tendency to not finish his apple bits immediately (often Sirocco will steal Houdini’s leftover apple bits). I should have fed her her bits outside, then let her in, or even kept her outside until we left. I should have known better.
Magdalena continues to be a sweet, loving dog around Jeanette and I. It’s just interacting with the rest of our pack that brings the trouble. I’m still hoping we can get her integrated into the pack, but things are looking grim at this point.
If you’d like to support my efforts, why not buy me a chocolate chip cookie through my Ko-Fi page? https://ko-fi.com/jhusum