Brotherly Love

Sometimes I wonder if my dogs actually like each other.

I know Brooklyn likes Mop.  But Brooklyn likes everything, including blowing leaves and beetles.

Mop, on the other hand, is a bit more, ummmm, of an asshole.  He is constantly biting Brooklyn's head and stealing any toys that Brooklyn wants to play with.

I do often catch them bathing each other.  Mop licks Brooklyn for hours.  Brooklyn lays back with his eyes closed and paws around Mop's neck in pure ecstasy.  When I say their names, the two break apart like guilty teenage lovers.

Therefore I suspect they really do care for each other.

My suspicions were confirmed a few weeks ago when I decided to take Brooklyn to Manhattan.  When I got a dog, I wanted to be able to take the dog with me everywhere.  Then I got two dogs and that plan went to crap.  I could possibly take my dogs everywhere if Mop wasn't such a freak.  He can't handle being in shops.  He panics and goes nuts.  It's embarrassing.  But seeing as the Engineer was home, and I wanted company, I tucked Brooklyn into my purse and we went for an 'F' train ride.

New York is a very dog friendly city.  You can take your dogs practically everywhere.  Unfortunately, Manhattan is so busy, bustling and TALL, my little 9-lb borkie had a wee problem.  In that he is wee.  I had to carry him most of the time for fear he would be trampled.  He looked around in wonderment around him as cars went honking by and people rushed past us.  On the plus side, he has never received so much attention.  Without Mop to bite his head, he was finally able to enjoy little old ladies cooing over him.

When we got back home, I wanted to play the equal parent by spending alone time with Mop.  The Engineer and I set out with Mop to go pick up dinner, leaving Brooklyn alone in the house.  He has never been left before.  He isn't the brightest of bulbs in the pack, I thought he might not notice.

The moment we left, he went barking mad at the door.  Barking and shrieking and crying.  I should have known he would do this.  Once when my mum and I were walking the dogs, I crossed the street with Mop and didn't notice that my mum was still on the other side.  People thought she was stabbing Brooklyn with the way he was carrying on.  Crying, yelping, barking - she kept getting evil eyes.  Mop didn't seem to care.

But not this time.  Mop did care.  He refused to budge an inch. I got him out of the house, but as we could still hear Brooklyn going nuts from the street, Mop planted his bum down and wouldn't move.  I tried to drag him down the street but it wasn't happening.  The Engineer went back to get Brooklyn and Mop pulled on his leash to follow.

With each cry, Mop was on his hind legs as if trying to reach Brooklyn himself.  When the Engineer and Brooklyn walked out the door, Mop flew at him and covered him in kisses.  Both the Engineer and I were so happy to see this brotherly love.  We had no idea Mop cared so much about Brooklyn.

But five minutes into our walk, Mop resumed biting Brooklyn's head and Brooklyn resumed peeing on Mop.