A common question potential adopters ask is, “Does this dog do well with cats?” Some say a good way to gauge this is whether the dog lunges after squirrels and birds. An even better way is to see how the dogs tolerate the orange tom cat that hangs out under the animal control trucks and livestock trailer in the shelter’s backyard area. Nessa and Cricket appear ideal in their cat comportment (i.e. both were eager to leave the kitty alone). When Ricky encountered the cat, he was curious but didn’t lunge at him despite me having the leash totally loose. His fascination with the feline didn’t seem like “prey drive” at all – just interest and respect for the cat’s boundaries (which he made clear by occassionally hissing at Ricky).

[post courtesy of Chantelle]