Declan, one of our Shelties, has shown what I initially thought to be an affectionate side to his mannerisms; you might want to read on to see why this may not actually be the case.

As I've alluded to in a prior post or two, there's an on-going rivalry between Declan, pictures below:

...and his mother, Lyric:

...as to whom the alpha dog is in the Presto Dog pack. Lyric was the boss for a short period of time but one fateful day about a month later, we contacted our breeded and added Declan to our household. (Lyric came to us 'cause she showed no interest being a show dog and had recently given birth to a small litter, Declan being one of same. After realizing the little guy wasn't show quality Declan was re-united with his mother at the Presto Dog household where an uneasy truce has reigned ever since.)

For some reason, I've always been an "person of interest" to these two dogs. When I'm sitting down, one or the other is always at my feet; if one gets up, the other moves in to take the vacated place as their own. I'm certain it has something to do with their strong alpha dog tendencies.

So, in a classic case of "one-upsmanship," Declan decided that if he crawled up into my lap, he'd be that much higher up in the alpha-dog ratings, at least in his own mind. He'll lick my face and pretend that he's happy where he is, but in reality I feel he's saying to Lyric: "Ha! I'm in his lap and am therefore proving, without a doubt, that I'm alpha in this outfit!"

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