Riley Comes Around

Well, I think it's finally happening. Riley has given up hoping that Ellie will magically disappear one day, and has begun to accept her as a pack member.

We made a quick trip down to West Virginia to see Josh's parents this weekend and spent a gorgeous Saturday lounging about in the backyard. Ellie and I were on a big blanket and Riley was running deranged loops around the yard, trying desperately to catch bumblebees in his teeth (wish I could have gotten that on video -- he would leap into the air, all four paws off the ground, snapping wildly as they buzzed around him). Once he tired of playing a game that he never won, he trotted over and flopped down on the blanket with us.

As usual, I sat Ellie up near him and encouraged her to pet the doggie. Amazingly, Riley didn't immediately head for the hills. He lolled patiently as Ellie explored his fur. Even when "pet the doggie" turned into "try to pull the doggie's hair out with both hands" he stayed put and showed no signs of plans to eat the small creature attempting to de-fur him.

When she grabbed his tail and started gnawing, I finally pulled her off him, but that was more because I was concerned about her ingesting large quantities of dog fur than because I was worried he'd had enough. That was really The Moment I'd been waiting for. When Riley would let her man-handle him (much as we do) without appearing either irritated or frightened.

Good dog, Riley.