09/20/2025
What a surprise, I'm still barely on social media!
A few weeks ago, my partner was out walking Bacon when I got a phone call from him asking for advice.
This border collie, no collar and no tag, had been shadowing them on their walk. Eventually he joined them. I told him that if he's still willing to follow, we can put him in the yard and take the next steps.
Given the dog's stress and dehydration, I asked my partner to put our dog inside before I provided water. I wasn't sure if that resource would be guarded.
We took Oliver to and placed posters around the neighborhood. I'm so grateful that his people found him quickly!
In other interesting dog behavior news, Bacon and I were at the other day. The bears in the zoo were extremely active, and the wind was blowing hard from the west.
He got one sniff of those predators and told me emphatically that he didn't want to go toward the zoo. He's been close to apex predators at close range when he was young, and he's consistent: wary, silent, and avoidant, but not frantic or aggressive.
We walked in the woods instead.
The third photo is of him enjoying a pinecone at a comfortable distance from the bears.
What's the through line? Perhaps it's just two anecdotes of dogs making good decisions to keep themselves feeling safe.
