Flynn

I just added links to the side bar, and I’m sure the list will grow….

I want to talk about Flynnie and how miraculous she is. Her story is written elsewhere (not on this blog), but how she has chosen to relate to Maudie from the very beginning has really astonished me.

That very first time we all went down to KV with the papillons to meet Maude, I was mostly worried about Flynn. She has not had a lot of experience with large dogs except in class, whereas Sonny and Gus both grew up with a Golden and a sheltie mix.

So she was not fond of them. In fact when we would go visit the Bairds, and one of the big dogs was out on the stoop, she wouldn’t even go past her. I’d have to pick her up. The times she would go by, she ‘d go with her best “big dog what big dog?” face. They frightened and puzzled her.

So her reaction to this full-grown collie was key. Flynnie would tell me if she was safe or not, if I listened carefully.

And damn if she didn’t surprise me once again. Flynn was the least worried of the 3 papillons. At one point, I was sitting on the floor and Maude was lying next to me and Flynnie just marched right up next to her head to remind me not to forget her. She was not at all frightened, not even concerned. She didn’t appreciate Maudie’s lack of manners…trailing along with her needle nose up Flynn’s butt…but otherwise she was OK.

Now Flynn is no dummy. IN fact I’m still not convinced Flynn is even a dog, but an alien who hopped into a silky cute suit and came on down to earth to find me. She had to know that this giant hairy girl dog had claimed a piece of my heart, and she stood the very real proposition of having to share a little more of the house with her. Besides I had talked about it with her. So its not like she didn’t know what was going on.

Flynn is my first papillon, my familiar; she is my magic dog, the one who chose me, and claimed me for her own. Our devotion to each other is unwavering. But she has never, not once, showed the slightest resentment, jealousy or peevishness about Maudie. In fact, she’s the only papillon who tries to play with her. (Wisely, she will only interact in any active way at all with her when she is on a chair that puts her at Maudie’s head level.)

And frankly she’s always been like that. She is the unquestioned queen of the household, and she rules with such benevolence and generosity. She is always the first to warm up to visiting dogs…I believe she just has excellent hostess skills. This is her house after all.

The only part she does not like at all…is the part where she has to share me in training. At Ellie’s she pitches a monkey fit when she’s in her crate and I’m working with Sonny or Maudie. And I think it unnerves her to point of distraction.

As a result, I’m changing my schedule so that I take only Maudie one week and Flynn and Sonny the next. I WANT to only take one at a time…but then each has to wait so long to go next.
They all are in the midst of an important process too. Maudie and I are learning to communicate;
Sonny has another leg to earn for his CD and
Flynn just got a new set of articles…really cute tiny articles….Her first, my first.

It’s a full life…and it is just galloping by…