The Brave One

Now that everyone is out of heat life has returned to normal - as normal as it ever is around here anyway. As I typed the previous sentence Cora was looking out the window and when that got boring she turned away and her bum and tail got caught up in the curtain. I watched as she realized there was 'something' holding her and she grabbed the curtain and started to 'kill' it. I halted that little game in a hurry. Cora likes to 'kill' things - she believes she is very brave for a 7 month old puppy.

I saw a poster once of some Ridgeback puppies which said 'When your job is hunting lions you have to be tough'. And it's true, I'd wager anything that the second Raimi or Leeloo saw a lion (bear, cougar, bobcat, coyote, etc,) they'd be after it with no thought to their own safety. This is not an easy breed to own and anyone thinking of getting one should keep that quote in mind. That said, they are not a 'macho' breed, not in my opinion anyway. They are more elegant than 'macho' breeds like Rotties, pitbulls, mastiffs, etc - they are intended to be that perfect balance between power and elegance and it sets them apart from the stereotypical 'tough guys'. If you've ever seen a Ridgeback in action you'll know what I mean.

However, they are not always brave. There are some things that send them scurrying to hide in the darkest corners, to cling to each other, to tuck their tails and run. One is nail trimming time (although they do tough it out for a cookie reward), another is bath time and the last? The vacuum. I'm not sure where the fear of the vacuum came from except it might have been inherited from Halo. Halo was always scared of the vacuum although nothing bad ever happened to her at its hand. She taught Raimi to be afraid of the vacuum, Raimi taught Leeloo, and they both taught Esme and Cora. Where can you find the Big Brave Ridgebacks and one Puli when I'm busy sucking up all the hair they've distributed throughout my house? Why, hiding on the bed of course.