Puppy Middle-Age

So, my little girl is growing up. Yeah, I know, this February she'll be 35 in dog years, but still. She's starting to act like a real dog.

-she has begun treeing squirrels at the park, which is pretty hilarious because with their tails fluffed out they're as big as she is. And what with all the leaves fallen from the trees, it's a feat for her to run in fallen leaves almost as tall as she is. Very laughable, but mature and dog-like.

-she has also begun marking, which I've never seen her do before. By that I mean sqeezing out a few drops of pee near where some other dog's smells are, to assert her presence when that or other dogs pass by. I wanted to say assert her authority, but who the fuck am I kidding? If she met other big dogs she would just turn over on her back. The only creature over which she has authority is me.

-she's gotten territorial about her Zoe-blanket (so called because it's made of fleece picturing Zoe from Sesame Street, thank you KatieB). It's pretty cute when she growls at her sister-dog, a pit bull-boxer mix, who has no interest in the blanket but just wants to say hi, for coming too close to the blanket. And goofy when the other dog backs away, because she's not fucking with that shit, even though she could eat Lily in two bites if she wanted to. She knows Lily means business.

-she's kind of humpy now, which I never knew her to be before her move to the big city. Before she would hump her cousin-dog (but only the girl cousin) a little bit, but it was just kind of part of their play. Now she wants to hump on my leg fairly regularly. What is this about? Did my hormones change in the year we were apart? Is there something in the air in Brooklyn? It's irritating, as she's persistent.

-she has these tiny intermittent groups of 3 or 4 or 5 grey hairs on her back and her head, and her little chin is frosting. It's really goddamned cute. My favorite is a lone grey hair on the nape of her neck, right below where her collar sits. Absurd.

I don't know. I realize I'm preoccupied with a canine but I don't have all that much human contact right now. Also she may be sassy but she's the sweetest dog ever.