Mollie's Has a House Guest

This week, Rabbi Heyn brought his ten-year old golden retriever, Bayla, to stay at our house for a few weeks. We've had many discussions about Mollie's supposed need for another dog and thought this would be a good test.

As expected, Mollie is very protective. She constantly barks at Bayla and basically drives Bayla to find a quiet space downstairs. Whenever we pet Bayla, Mollie comes over to be petted too. In fact, if we show any attention to Bayla, Mollie immediately starts begging for attention.

For me the challenge is adjusting to a larger dog. For example, it seems as if Mollie could take a bath in Bayla's water dish. As you can see from the photo, Bayla's tail completely blots out Mollie!

I took Mollie and Bayla on my daily 3-mile walk. Having Mollie pull me on my right side and Bayla pull me on my left gave me a really good idea about what it was like to be stage coach driver.

However, by the time we got to the end of the road, the two of them were walking in step. In fact, it was the best walking I've seen Mollie do. Mollie kept trying to engage Bayla but Bayla seemed only interested in walking.

Of course, Vermont living is quite an adjustment for Bayla. After all, she just arrived from Ohio and her master, Rabbi Heyn, wasn't around. She's smelling everything and stares at the horses and cows. But, she seems to be unaffected.

I am hoping that tomorrow Mollie will realize that Bayla will be around for awhile. So far, it's fun having them both around.