Very cute, Deb! I thought that was pretty funny.
I do think the breeds make a difference with the alpha business. I think some breeds tend to produce more alphas than others and really female dogs can be the biggest fight causers. I rarely have seen big fights between a male dog and a female dog, I actually can't think of a single time.
We had an amazing day! Ellie and Hanna are adopted and on their way to Montana, their people were trying to get as far as Couer D' Alene today. It was really hard to say good bye but we loved the new owners just as I thought we would. Hubby was chuckling because they reminded us of ourselves. She was dressed exactly the same as me and is about my height. He wasn't the same height as Hubby, but he said to my husband, "Ridgebacks are not really dogs" and Hubby almost fell over, because that is his pet phrase when he talks to people about these dogs. They really do show characteristics of the feral dogs that originally made up the breed (for instance, I've never seen a flea or a tick on any of them). They drink like camels and can go long periods of time without it like one, too. And they can understand s-p-e-l-l-i-n-g!
But anyhow they went off down the road with hubby and I geting consiled by AB. Then we went off to a short but wonderful visit with our daughter and grandchild, who is getting so dang cute that she cheered us up. What a pistol that kid is! But that was a good antidote to our glum spirits at that point. And then a little later we got the call it was time to go meet the people for Henry, and we went and picked him up.
He is a very nice dog and is NOT really that fat. We won't call him Foie Grois this week, but a diet will be in order, but mostly I think he just needs more exercise. He is a calm, stroller, regal type, not a bouncy ball of fire like Hanna. He is the brightest shade of flaming red I've ever seen on a ridgeback,and he is a "ridgeless" meaning he does not show the characteristic trait so prized, so he was essentially a cull. But his breeder let him live so they weren't so bad. 20 percent or so of purebred ridgebacks don't have ridges, so we believe that finding them all pet homes is the proper choice, not euthanasia. This guy lost his home due to a housing situation and we have no idea why no one in Salt Lake City adopted him, I can see no reason. Someone around here is going to LOVE him. Without a ridge, a ridgeback looks like a huge Vizla with a full length tail pretty much, especially a "liver". So people might think I have a Vizla on steroids.
In any event, he came from the farthest on the day that we sent dogs adopted the farthest away, it felt like we came full circle. On the day that was so hard, to give up Ellie and Hanna, we got another ridgie, to remind us of why we give them away. But five different volunteers contributed to Henry being brought to us, plus our coordinator, so we feel pretty special. And glad that we were "open" when Henry needed us.