Jenny

Three years ago we had just settled into the routine of two Samoyeds in our family when our breeders approached us with a question: would we like to take Jenny? We jumped at the chance.

Jenny is Tally’s mother and we had never made any secret of how much we loved her. Tally’s movement is gorgeous, strong, and athletic. But Jenny’s movement is a miracle. She floats. I’ve never seen anything else quite like it.

It’s not too unusual for breeders to place a brood bitch who’s reached the end of her breeding career. And our breeders loved Jenny so much that they wanted to be sure that she went to just the right home, one where she would be loved and taken care of and, especially, one in which there already other dogs so that Jenny—the alpha female—would feel at home. We were flattered that they chose us.

When Jenny came to our home, she walked in as though she owned the place which, of course, she does. She immediately assumed the rule of alpha female in our little pack. For we had become a pack.

When you take a dog into your home, the dog becomes a member of your family. When you take a second dog into your home, both dogs are members of your family. But when you take three (or more) dogs into your home, you have become a member of a dog pack. Living in a dog pack is fun and exciting. I’ve written about it before. Just search for “dog pack”.

As Tally’s mother and Qila’s aunt there was never any question that Jenny was a member of the pack. Her quietly dominant demeanor has brought peace, stability, and order to our pack. When Qila and Tally squabbled, as siblings will do, Jenny—frequently asking our permission beforehand—typically resolves the situation just before it gets out-of-hand. It may be with a bark, or a gentle nip, or sometimes just a look. No one questions Jenny’s authority.

And she’s always recruiting. Whenever we walk by a yard that has a dog—or even a yard in which Jenny just knows that there is a dog—Jenny immediately begins to sparkle. She’ll call out “What are you doing alone here? Dogs should be in a pack. Come join mine!”

I’m proud and happy to be a member of Jenny’s pack.