Members of the "pack"

Threemuch · 02-14-2008, 07:56 AM

I have been bragging up the new additions to our family and last night something that I thought was very cool happened.

I was walking the dog with my 7 year old son. A bit of background on the dog...Lucy is a small Lab, about 55 pounds soaking wet, built more like a greyhound than a "traditional" lab. She is very young, 18 months or so. She is sweet, and a great pet as well as a great hunting dog. She has always been a little "soft" or "timid" in my opinion, but she is so easy to have around the house, I thought this was a good trade-off. We have a blast together and she loves the kids. Last night I found out how much.

As we walked, we passed a house with the front door wide open. A big dog came out the front door and ran straight at us, barking, teeth exposed. A yellow lab, much like Lucy, but close to twice her size. I have seen this dog around, pulling it's owners down the street. I didn't have much faith that someone would come out and be able to stop it. I began to move between my son and the dog trying to decide where I would most like to be bitten.

Lucy cut me off. She stepped between my son and this dog, hackles up, teeth exposed and growling. Now make no mistake, there is no fight in Lucy, and if it would have come to it, she would have gotten hurt badly in a fight with this other dog. But she recognized a weaker pack member was present, and stepped right up to her duty. It was incredible. The dog stopped about 3' short of us. It looked at Lucy, and looked at me. I sensed it's indecision, and so did Lucy. I took a step towards it and it turned and ran straight back inside.

I turned to my son and said, "Did you see that?" He said, "Yep, Lucy was not going to let that dog get at me."

"That's right, she really loves you." We high tailed it out of there. I went back and had a word with the owner, who swears his dog would never hurt a fly. Maybe, but it sure seemed like it would.

I have no doubt that if it was just Lucy and I, she would have gotten behind me, and I might have been bitten. But the kids are definitely members of the pack, smaller and weaker than her and she has taken their protection as her duty.

Very cool stuff. Thanks, Lucy. Good girl.

CATCH AND EAT · 02-14-2008, 08:03 AM

Kurt, you are having way to much fun with this fatherhood stuff. Good for you. Well done Dad, oh and Lucy too. neat story.

Reel_Big_Fish · 02-14-2008, 08:07 AM

Good story. I have no doubt that our lab who wouldn't hurt a fly. Wait I take that back, he caught a fly a few weeks ago and ate it. But he wouldn't hurt anything much bigger than a fly, unless he felt someone in our house or he was threatened.

JustCallMeDave · 02-14-2008, 08:09 AM

Don't be so sure that Lucy wouldn't have kicked some serious doggie butt if it came to that. Mother dogs will fight ferociously to save their pups. I'm glad that it didn't come down to that, though, and that your son was able to experience the love, protection, and safety that a good family provides.