BFFs

Do you have a BFF, a best friend that you can say anything to? One who always knows what to say and when to say nothing at all?

My brother still has his best friend from pre-school. When I was little we moved several times so I had a best friend in elementary school named Donna, in high school my best friend was Nancy and when I was working my best friend was Joyce. Now leaving spouses out of this, my BFF is Sue. You've all read about her in my earlier posts. Sue is from England, she's a breast cancer survivor and we used to live next door to each other. Sue and I talk on the phone at least once a week and we can say anything to each other. If one of us needs to rant, we just dial the other. If we're sad or angry or find something hilarious, we call the other and share.

Recently Chan and I have been discussing dog training classes. Today the discussion was about a class situation versus an in home trainer. My experience is that my dogs need a class for several reasons. It gets them away from home and the rest of the pack so they have to experience unfamiliar surrounding, people and dogs. I think it's good for them. You see, in my pack there are pairs of BFFs.

Morgan and Samba are like long time girlfriends. They do most things together. They have little spats but seem to enjoy making up and grooming each other.

Fudge and Sky are best buds. Although they occasionally have a spat, mainly due to Fudge shoving Sky or being bossy in general, they play well together.

One of the signs of being best friends is eating together. Fudge and Sky can share a snack.

Lola and Bailey have been best friends since they were young pups.

One of the nice things about keeping a whole litter together is that I can observe how the early alliances hold up. These two have always gotten along well.

Best friends almost since birth are Tess and Norma Jean, the oldest and the youngest of the litter. They compliment each other because Tess is shy and  unsure of herself in new situations and Norma Jean has enough confidence for both of them.

Tess was becoming so dependent on Norma Jean, that I separated them at night. Now Lola sleeps with Tess. Tess doesn't like to sleep alone and howls to make me aware of that fact. Lola has accepted the change well and was gracious about giving up her private crate to keep Tess company.

In the morning Tess is happy to escape her crate and greet Norma Jean with a big kiss.


Noah plays well with all his sisters and with Sky. He also gets along with Morgan and he was always the favorite of his mom, Samba. Fudge delights in pushing Noah around and Noah is always tense in Fudge's presence. Noah doesn't really have a best friend. He prefers to hang with Rob and me and to be a lap dog when we allow it.

Last, but certainly not least is Tsar. He's a loner by choice. He likes his space and quiet times. The others usually respect that, but the girls will sometimes coax him into chasing them.

It's fun for me to watch the interactions and see the pairings, but I also think it's good for them to have time away for concentrating on lessons. Then they can come home and tell their BFFs all about their adventures.