So far, I think the humans are losing their struggle. At the moment, the dogs clearly have run of the house. The Dogs, presented as a single unit, have the Leader and the Enforcer. Odie serves as Leader, Piper is the Enforcer. Odie is the one who comes up with grand schemes that result in things like rugs being pulled into different rooms then they were originally placed in. Piper is the one who then sits on it and looks at you like "what? this was here the entire time!" and then jumps up and punches you in the gut. This is how many shoes, a couple of bags, and a heating pad have all ended up in places that I just can not figure out how they got there, until I see teeth marks in them.
We, as humans, only keep in the fight with our thumbs, and our continual enforcement of dogs being in crates when we leave the house. If it weren't for that, I swear we'd both be spending our days finding birds to be chased, and cooking meats for our canine rulers. As it is, every day is a bit of a struggle. Odie is smart, and uses his Cute powers to get us to let our guards down. Next thing we know there's some sort of chaos happening. Piper is a good physical distracter- she's every where all the time, blocking the view of something untoward happening until it's too late.
Whats even more interesting though, if when the attention gets diverted from the interspecies struggle. When the dogs turn on each other- THAT'S when it gets good.
Odie is a bully. A 13 lb bully.
I never in a million years would have figured that.
Piper is a big solid lump of mass who won't move unless she really wants to- then, watch out. She will barrel thru just about any obstacle as if its not even there. If if the obstacle is another living creature.
She is a pushover.
Who is ruled by a bully.
Watching the 2 of them interact is kind of like watching a circus. Or an action film. Depending on the day.
Inevitably, Piper is sitting quietly, chewing on her feet, or just staring into space, or watching one of us do something. Suddenly- POW- a tiny ball of thunder has struck her, and is now chewing on some part of her. This is her training. She must decide what to do- Does she retaliate, or endure? It can go both ways, but either way, her leader has shown her yet again to always be on the alert, ready for action, because you never know where the attack is going to come from.
If she retaliates, the war has begun- the power struggle continues, and a LOT of faux growling, and body flipping will ensue. This battle royale can go from 2 minutes to 20, depending on how energetic the fighters, and if the humans are impressed by their fighting prowess. Because what is the point of fighting and gaining power, if no one sees you do it?
If she endures, then she must sit there, and take the attacks, which will not stop until she is provoked into some form of action. The Ghandi approach is to get up and walk away- a very effective method as she is twice the size of her attacker. The Big Dummy approach is to just sit there and get chewed on with the occasional mouthing in return. This is less wise because it prolongs the experience.
One way or the other, The Leader is re-establishing that he has the power to attack, and all she can do is react. It's true gang warfare in our living room. Or the backyard. Or the front patio. Or where ever we happen to have gone. So far, Odie continually wins these battles, as he is more determined to do so. I wait for the day when Piper gets fed up and finally wins. That'll be interesting, to be sure.
But I can't let my guard down, because the moment I do, they will once again join forces and do something like pull my shoe into the kitchen for no apparent reason. Then the balance of warfare will have shifted back to Dogs vs Humans, and I absolutely refuse to lose that one.
Mainly.
I mean, to a point I don't really care.
After all, I have thumbs, and all the food.
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