Beware of a BBQ!!

When you go over to a friends house for a BBQ, you'll never know what you'll come home with. We came home with a Chihuahua.  Yep, Eugene the Dog is now being not so seamlessly integrated with the likes of Pickles the Dog and Snowchief the Cat.  Not to mention Mr. & Mrs. Valdese Blogger.

It was not planned.  The offer was made & we accepted - we've known Eugene since shortly after he was born.  He's just over a year old now.

So it was after dark when we got home.   Pickles & Eugene were introduced on the front porch. It was a very loud introduction - and set dogs off for blocks, at least.   Old Black, a neighbor's dog, just added to the confusion by waddling over from his house to see what was going on, barking his 2 cents worth.

Eugene spent the night in his little crate up in our bed room, Pickles spent the night in her usual location.   Snowchief the cat, who usually insists on his 1/3rd of the bed, did not come up stairs last night.    It was a confusing and unsettling time for all the animals and humans in the house.

Eugene is T-I-N-Y!!!!!  With a capital "T".  He's even small for a Chihuahua.  Pickles weighs in the neighborhood of 60 lbs.  

So, they've spent a lot of time standing not too far from each other and barking.  I finally began remembering some of my dog whisperer shows I watched, and began letting both of them know that neither of them were in charge of this "pack".  Eugene responds very well to a little hiss and a tap on the shoulder.   Pickles sits and lays down on command, and that really helps. 

The problem is Pickles wants to check Eugene out.   Eugene, tho very small, is surprisingly "persuasive" - he's backed Pickles up more than once.  Pickles is rough and tumble, wants to play, and this scares Eugene.   Eugene finds a good place to defend, like a chair, and defends it quite convincingly.  And he's such a little guy.  Pickles, part hound that she is, howls.  It gets very loud.

As the day has gone on there has been some improvement, hopefully over time they will sort things out and things will settle down.  If anyone has any suggestions on how to speed this along, I'd welcome it.