George Demands To Show Proof Of Life.

 George is a reactive dog.

She will growl and snarl if she is on her leash and you try to approach me. Off leash, she is pretty good. She plays. She is friendly. But on leash or while she sits perched on her bench in the front window of the house?

You are a threat.

Unless she knows you and has decided she likes you.

Her "pack" is tight. And if I am around, I am the top one she must protect. I am her favorite. But she does have others she loves. And a few of those are my neighbors and their dog, Willy.

George and Willy, chatting through the gate.

At least once a - if not three times per - day she will see the neighbors outside... And she demands to go out and greet them.

Even if I am in a room in the back of the house, she will come running up to me squeaking her bark and wagging her tail.

"Okay," I'll say. "Let's go show them proof of life that you are still alive and care about them."

They are always sweet to her as she demands to be petted and rubs up against their legs. 

It's always just a few seconds. Then she wants back in the house. 

Quick and simple.

She loves them. And if they don't see her for a few days, they will text and ask if we are in town.

Usually it's because we aren't.

She looks like a friendly dog and people try to approach her like she is. But. she very much wants to decide who pets her and when. There are people and animals she absolutely does not trust...

The mailman.

Any Amazon delivery person.

Any food delivery person.

The bitch from down the street who likes to walk her two yappy dogs across my front yard and has occasionally let them crap there without picking it up. 

(I opened the door once on her letting her dog do it. She claimed she didn't have a bag. I grabbed her a whole roll and gave it to her. This is the same lady who had an issue when I was adding on to my house four years ago. She didn't like the workers' vehicles parked in my driveway. If we had an HOA in this neighborhood, this would be the bitch who has a problem with everyone and everything.)

Anyway...

George is happy being an introvert with me and tucked away from others as long as she gets about an hour's worth of a walk outside each day.

But she understands how important it is to continuously show proof of life.

I usually rely on my Instagram feed to do that for me.

Different strokes, I. guess.