Have you ever tried to introduce a dog into a house full of cats? We've had more fun in the past three weeks doing this than seems fair. We're finally at the point where we think Parker will leave the cats alone just long enough for them to flee. The terrier and beagle bits take over on occasion and he has gotten uncomfortably close to the cats more than once—which explains why we've kept him tethered to the desk where I can get to him immediately.
Being untethered has huge benefits, though. For example, Parker can find a sunbeam and relax:
But meet Nick, 10 kg of mean orange spite. He looks so peaceful:
Deceptive cat. Stupid cat. Cat with a death-wish. While the other cats have tentatively and demurely tried to sniff Parker before being scared witless when he's jumped up, Nick actually has pressed his attacks against the dog, not understanding Parker's 4-to-1...er, 3-to-1 size advantage.
So, as a temporary measure, we got a baby gate, and installed it high enough off the ground that the cats can slip under it if they need to. Parker could probably knock it down with some effort, but as we never leave him unattended around the cats, it would slow him down enough for one of us to intervene. But oh, Parker really wants to get under it:
Or from Parker's perspective:
We spent about half an hour coaxing the cats out of the bedroom and praising Parker's calm and non-threatening behavior. We'll see. Parker will probably have to get smacked a few times before he decides the cats aren't just big squirrels.
As a reward, and to let him burn off some energy before we let him off leash in the house tonight, we took him to Oakwood Park.
Poor dog. Poor cats. (Except Nick.) They really can't help it. All we humans can do is prevent bloodshed.