Who's The Boss; Dog..Cat..Human????

This is not really a simple question.At one time I was possessed by no less than three greyhounds and a GOAD (Good Ole American Dog). As far as the dogs went, pack leadership was clear; ME, Toppie (THE GOAD) and then everyone else. Why was Toppie higher than everyone else, because they knew that if they crossed over what he considered "The Line", he would beat the tar out of every one of them. Why was I higher than Toppie, because all good things came from me, namely FOOD, shelter, unconditional love (that's a two way street you know) and protection. (Toppie's story is the first in the line of blogs below). Why was Toppie NOT the boss, because he used force and intimidation to control. Believe me, the others never came when Toppie called. They never looked up to nor respected him: they feared him. In short they had no personal relationship with Toppie. They simply stayed out of his way.

After Toppie left us, pack hierarchy became a little less clear. When it came right down to it,
I was still pack leader, however the rest of the hierarchy depended on the circumstances. Kitt thought he was leader because he thought he had stepped into Toppie's place as the pushy one. But in reality, when I wasn't around. Mudder was the boss. (Mudder also has an interesting story, but that is for another time).

So now the question of dominance and force comes in. Why was I the undisputed leader of my pack? I did not "alpha roll"! I did not use choke chains or force! I did not take my meals first ! I did not hit them! I seldom yelled at them and then only in an emergency to get their attention. So why then, was I, and why am I still, the undisputed leader of my pack. Because from me, "all good things come". I provide food, love, shelter and protection. For a dog, it's really that simple.

So the answer to the question is really very simple. Who's the boss?


THE CAT!

It should be noted: I do not own nor am I owned by a cat. Maybe because I want to be BOSS.