By all indications 7-year-old Co-Co has had a good life. She appears well fed, has an engaging disposition absent in most that have suffered abuse or neglect. Why her caretakers chose to give Co-Co and the rest of her four-legged housemates to an animal shelter is something of a mystery.
People tend to see human qualities in animals, but science is pretty sure one thing Co-Co didn’t do when she found herself in new surroundings is wonder, “Why?”
Nor did Co-Co ask how it came to be that the human couple, along with their canine companion, showed up at her new home and after some talking, and petting and sniffing of butts took her in their car and made her their own. She simply settled in and accepted her new circumstances as if it were her abiding reality.
But Walt, Co-Co’s new canine companion, was perplexed.
Rescued a few years earlier from what by all indications was a decidedly unhappy reality, Walt was ruled by fear. When that fear manifested and Walt’s instinct forced a choice between fight or flight, Walt would choose fight every time. But after those years with the new companions, the drama of abuse and neglect receded into the realm of dreams and waking life was notable for lacking such things. It was a blissfully boring retirement from tension and anger. Walt is now a friendly, happy creature who loves life rather than fears it. Structure conquered his feral qualities and the flashes of anger and fear became rare and rarer still.
And now this strange intruder invades the rhythm of life.
“Who is this little sausage of energy that jumps on my back and gets in my face?” Walt seemed to ask. “Don’t you know I’m the top dog here you little runt?”
The two share a common Teutonic ancestry, but their similarities end there. Co-Co, is a dachshund whose ancestors’ small size and lack of fear made them ideal hunters of badgers. Walt is a German shepard, a breed is valued for its ability to enforce order and discipline in people.
Co-Co and all her 14 pounds immediately saw a friend, playmate and maybe boyfriend in the 60-plus pound Walt. But in that first week, Walt feared her energy, because he fears his own energy and what comes of it.
From the outset Walt has shared his home if not with eagerness then at least with tolerance. Mealtime has presented no problems and he seems only mildly annoyed that his walks now involve having to oblige someone else’s businesses. Walt never lashed out at Co-Co unprovoked, but he would get nervous when she invaded his personal space – jumping off the couch when Co-Co jumped on; giving a low growl when he looked down to see Co-Co licking his belly and once snapping in her general direction when Co-Co tried to jump on his back as he passed by.
On walks, the pair makes an unlikely sight as Walt’s easy gait clashes with Co-Co’s frenetic dashing to, fro and underfoot. Leashes get tangled as they go about their own business often oblivious to each other’s presence until one finds an interesting smell and alerts the other that they ought to investigate.
The humorous juxtaposition of the tiny wiener dog and the lupine shepherd has a disarming effect on passers-by. Co-Co’s silliness both in form and function and Walt’s tolerance of his companion makes him more approachable for strangers whose own fear and instincts would otherwise tell them to cross the street.
It took less than a week for Walt to relax around Co-Co. The two now share furniture and seem to be closing in on a genuine snuggle. Walt’s hostility toward Co-Co’s public displays of affection has decreased. It is not hard to imagine the two will soon become true companions and not merely two dogs living in the same house.
It was a bad day for Co-Co when her owners dropped her off at the animal shelter, but we’re hoping that was the last bad day in her life.