My lovely friend Kate was coming up to spend time here over the weekend, just for an afternoon. The issue, of course, was what to do with my terrible teen Rufus. Since he’d been making progress with others who bribed him with food, we did the same thing. The only difference was now we were in the house, not out on the street.
I knew that outside had more unknown elements to make him nervous but I didn’t know if being in the house was going to set off more protective instincts in the Doodle Bug. Fortunately Sophie stayed cool when Kate showed up. She knows Kate and loves her but sometimes Rufus’ barking can inspire her to bark as well. Way to pick up bad behavior at age 6, lady.
Rufus barked at her but she handed him treats. Of course he slobbered on her hand. He also jumped on her leg which was a little painful. He didn’t snap or do anything awful like that. He was scared and curious. Once he realized that treats were a part of the package, he was all in. I fed him lots which made Sophie want some too. They grew more comfortable with Kate there. I sent them outside to work off some of their energy, which they needed. They wrestled for a bit while Kate and I stayed in the kitchen.
About ten minutes later I let them in. They were mostly well-behaved but 100% into Kate. Rufus even ignored me a bit so Kate could play with him. When she went into the bathroom he wanted to follow her.
I was now chopped liver. This new person was awesome in his book.
The Rufus Files 