Bailey is our neighbor’s dog. She is best described as a ball of bouncy energy. Rascal and Jackson are enamored with this little white fluffy dog. She bounds into our yard every so often, bright yellow tennis ball in her mouth. She bounces up to the door of our three season porch, happily wagging her tail. The three animals sit nose-to-nose, separated by screen and sniff each other for a bit.
Then suddenly, without any warning, Bailey shoots like a rocket to the back yard. The cats run to the back of the porch so that they can continue watching this lively gal. Bailey bounces back to the front; the cats follow. This game continues until Bailey is beckoned home for dinner.
Bailey’s mom Sarah, suggested that I let Bailey inside to play with the cats. “Bailey wouldn’t hurt a fly!”, she exclaimed. So the next time Bailey arrived, after the usual sniffing, I opened the screen and she bounced inside….
Jackson, terrified, headed for cover underneath the couch. Rascal gave a loud territorial hiss and sprang, claws fully extended onto Bailey’s back. Poor Bailey dropped into a crouch and with paws covering her eyes, let out a whimper.
I lifted Rascal off her back, quickly set him inside of the house and closed the slider trapping Bailey and I together on the porch. The little dog was shaking uncontrollably and crying. I called my husband to the rescue! He and Bailey headed out to the backyard to play a bit of “catch” with the tennis balls laying abandoned and scattered in our yard from previous “Bailey visits”.
After a few minutes of play, Bailey had “forgotten” the incident and returned to her happy, bouncy, tail wagging self. I was worried that Bailey would stop the visits that my cats love so much. The poor little dog almost died last fall when a black lab jumped out of a van in front of J-Town Deli and attacked an unsuspecting Bailey, taking out a chunk of her rear quarter while Sarah watched in horror. She’s still a bit afraid of other animals – Rascal didn’t help the situation much.
But alas no worries. All is back to normal. Bailey continues to visit a few times a week, and has resumed her usual interaction with my boys.
My Devon Rex Kittens 