The Mouth of the South

A rare quiet moment 

Nearly two years ago when Vega had her puppies, one of the things that surprised me most was the  noise eight little black fur balls could generate. It was as if she birthed a chorus! I am convinced Panzer was the lead singer.

He is the most vocal dog I've ever encountered. His repertoire goes way beyond the typical barking, growling and whining most dogs do. Panzer also squeals, whimpers, yelps, howls and shrieks, depending on his mood and the circumstance.

He launches into a full blown growling, barking frenzy whenever man and/or beast walks past the house. As for wildlife in the backyard, yelping and shrieking are his sounds of choice. Deer, squirrels, chipmunks and birds: Beware!

He squeals like a stuck pig when he believes he's being unfairly detained in his crate. And if he's happy to see you, there's plenty of whining, with a little whimpering thrown in for good measure.

He's also been heard howling in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. It seems Panzer even talks in his sleep.

 

Partners In Crime

Reacher and Panzer are definitely not best buds. That's because Panzer takes every opportunity to show Reacher who's boss. This involves the evil eye, the threatening growl and occasionally the full-on attack. Needless to say, much of Reacher's day is spent trying to live under the radar. 

Recently however, the two of them have found common ground: crime. While Reacher is known for snatching muffins, tomatoes and anything else on the kitchen counter that strikes his fancy, Panzer is self-restrained. At least in that regard.

Reacher started things off earlier this summer when he snagged the butter container from the kitchen counter. There's something about the sound of a plastic container slapping on the tile floor that got my attention so I headed downstairs.

When I rounded the corner to the living room, I caught not only Reacher, but Panzer enjoying the spoils. Together! Neither was too happy when I broke up their puppy party and took the empty butter dish.

A couple of weeks ago, the two of them teamed up for something completely different. Digging a hole under the deck. Together! If two hands are better than one, four paws are definitely better than two. The hole was amazingly deep.

Since then, I've caught the two of them sharing the crumbs at the bottom of a nearly empty cereal box and eyeing - but not eating - a jar of peanut butter.

Friends? I doubt that will ever happen.

Partners in crime? Now you're talkin'! 

Assigned Seats

Vega's favorite office spot.

Maybe I should have said unassigned seats. You know what I mean. In college lecture halls, the same students always sit up front, while you can count on others to be perpetually in the back, or on the aisle or smack dab in the middle of the row. Ditto for church pews on Sundays and bleachers at summer Little League games.

It's pretty much the same in the dog world. At least at my house.

Find Panzer here in the evening.

Of course, with dogs it's mostly spots on the floor that I'm talking about. In my office, Vega's got my back. She lies against the wall behind my desk chair. Reacher is either under the desk or under the table because he must believe it offers some protection in case Panzer decides to launch an attack. As for the wild man himself, Panzer always choose the spot near the door so he can be the first one out each time he hears something (or thinks he does) that requires his frenzied attention.

The three of them have worked out similar arrangements in the kitchen. Vega is in the corner behind the table; Reacher is just outside the kitchen proper in the living room; Panzer is closest to the door. Of course.

In the evening, the dogs go in different directions, but always to the same spots. Vega keeps watch at the top of the stairs and Panzer lies outside my son's room. As you can see, Reacher prefers my bed at the end of a hard day, which is definitely not the spot I have assigned  him.

He thinks he deserves to be here.