Poodles and other small, fluffy things

"I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult." ~ Rita Rudner

Titan loves all dogs, but he has a particular fascination for playing with the small, fluffy variety.

This could be because in his mind he is only as big as they are. Alternatively, it could be because his favourite toy as a puppy was a small, fluffy squeaky toy, which I named Squeaky.

Titan and Squeaky

Unfortunately, it doesn't help that when he goes to play with the small, fluffy dog, it usually starts squeaking out of fright - his size scares everyone, dog or human.

This is particularly the case with poodles - maltese or the miniature french versions. These dogs can make the most hideous noises when they feel threatened, as if they are in the throes of death.

This doesn't bode well, particularly when said dog disappears as Titan puts his mouth over it.

It's just that he doesn't realise the dog is scared. All the noise and hyperactivity makes him think the dog actually wants to play.

The owner of course thinks he is harming the dog, but that's not the case. He is very gentle, as always, and as he was with Squeaky. He never punctured a hole in Squeaky and has never punctured a hole in a dog. (Rather it was Asha that eventually tore Squeaky to pieces.)

Luckily he listens to me and will immediately leave the dog alone when I tell him to.

However, because the situation is never pleasant I now try to stop it before it starts, calling him away from the small dogs and sometimes even walking in a different direction to avoid our paths crossing.

Unfortunately, this isn't always possible. Like this weekend. Some people with pugs decided to walk into our pathway, and before I knew it Titan had run up to one of them and had his mouth around it, trying to play.

He stopped and came to me as soon as I called, but the owners got a fright. Another group of people recognised that he was only playing, but if looks and words could kill, I would have been dead thanks to those owners.

Oh well, guess I can keep expecting those moments.