F&FFF: Tug of War.

For Feline and Furball with Feathers Friday:

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Last time I checked, Pepper only had one vote on my cute dog photo poll, which says to me that either everyone really likes Cayenne better or I just haven't taken a good enough photo of Pepper yet. Here are two more attempts, before we get to the other topic of the morning. I still haven't really captured her at her best, but I'll keep trying.

I should be able to come up with a clever metaphorical subtext for the next couple of photos, something about rivalry between the dogs or being pulled in different directions in how I spend my days. But let's skip all that, and just look at the pictures!

After several recent unpleasant incidents, a grand time was had by all at the dog park on Friday evening. The "regulars" chatted and watched their dogs romp, without a single skirmish. The highlight came when this boxer and this white dog got into a tug of war with the half-destroyed inner core of a soccer ball. They were obviously enjoying the game, and all the humans stood and watched, even joking about placing bets on the winner.

I was rooting for the bulldog, but the white dog won every time!

A couple of times, this brindle mastiff puppy managed to get hold of the prize as well, so that it was a three-way tug. Cayenne, Pepper and other dogs surrounded the contestants, barking.

It's funny how different people observe the same canine behaviors and draw different conclusions. One of my friend at the dog park, Steph, calls Cayenne a "regulator" because of the way she hovers near play-fights and barks. Her theory is that Cayenne is playing cop, telling the other dogs to behave. I think she's merely excited by what's going on and wants to be part of it.

Karen