When Good Dogs Do Bad

Every once in awhile dogs remind us that they are well...dogs. Seems simplistic, no? For me it's a good dose of realism, I think I humanize my dogs and their emotions so much so often, that I forget sometimes. It's easy to do, we make our pups family members, our "fur children" so to speak and when they exhibit some canine behaviors it can be disturbing even though quite natural to them.
Last evening I was walking our eldest rescue setter Dugan and our sweet Fiona. Coming around a corner we were charged by a little bullet of a min-pin that had broken loose out of it's yard. The dog's guardian quickly retrieved the min-pin who had backed off of Dugan but Dugan was still in a state of "fight or flight" with no intention on flight. Hence he displaced his aggression on the next closest thing which was unfortunately Fiona, who had just been standing by watching the melee. In a period of 5 seconds which seemed like hours he pounced on Fiona and I was tearing apart a dog scuffle that sounded way worse than it was. For those of you with dogs that have fought, you know the sounds I speak of, they make your heart leap in your throat. Sounds that are part Cujo, part King Kong with a little Godzilla mixed in. As quickly as Dugan snapped into the monster routine he snapped right out of it and stood calmly wagging his tail as his Dogmom attempted to put her heart back in her chest it was pounding so hard. Fiona likewise was fine, licking my hand as if to say "it's over Mom!" We walked home without any further incident and the two of them drank out of the same water bowl simultaneously and sprawled out in the same room to relax. I of coarse sat in the room on the floor distraught - asking Dugan to apologize to his sister for his behavior and for her to please forgive him for being such a mean boy. Then I blamed myself for walking them at the same time when I typically walk Caelan and Fiona at the same time if I am solo as I can't walk all 3 dogs by myself. Then I blamed my husband for working late and not being able to be there to stop the fight. Finally I blamed the National Weather service for predicting storms which is why I took the shorter walk route past the min-pins house in case rain started. On the scale of Dogmomhood I felt like a failure.
Then I looked at my dogs and realized how silly I am. They were over it 3 seconds after it happened. They don't need to apologize or forgive. They were being dogs. They are dogs. Unlike us humans, they don't hold a grudge. They were not traumatized, if anything all my anxious energy was more traumatic than the 3 second incident.
So I think I'll not walk them together again if I am alone, but I will also try to remember that they are dogs. Spoiled, loved and pampered, but dogs that sometimes do dog-like things. Come to think of it I got in a few scraps with my human brother when we were younger and we love each other none-the-less too.