I wonder if their relationship was ever quite the same again.
I don't know the woman, and didn't ask what kind of dog it was. It may depend on the breed. Some do feel that they have a job they must carry out.
Back in the '70s I had an old English sheepdog. Normal messy dog, but good with people. Kind of weird; he could do things with his hands most dogs can't. But he wasn't...strange.
And then once when he was about four, my boyfriend and I took him to a party at somebody's country cottage in Connecticut. They had a pool, so chairs had been set out around it, and people gathered there. Great. We were having fun. Piggy, my dog, was also having fun. I thought.
Our hostess had a pretty old beagle. As more guests arrived, I suppose Piggy had a talk with him. Literally. All of a sudden BOTH of them had established a perimeter. They trotted around it, keeping guests inside. God forbid anyone had to go to the bathroom. Piggy took the lead then, herding them back to the group.
I finally had to put him in the car. The poor old beagle was exhausted.
He had NEVER done that when I'd had indoor parties.
