… where you take over! Send anything about anything to peter.b.abrahams@gmail.com. And now over to Maury M (WTAFP), with many thanks.

Franklin and Abby – A Modern Love Story

Franklin, as you know, is our 4 year old Golden Retriever and Miss Abby is a 12 year old black Labrador Retriever who lives next door. Over the last couple of years or so they have developed a unique bond that may be unparalleled in all of dogdom. I generally play ball (fetch) with Franklin virtually every morning as part of his morning feeding routine (a story in itself, but one saved for another occasion). There is a hole of sorts under the fence that separates our yard from Miss Abby’s, large enough for Abby to stick her head through to watch us play ball, but no bigger. Also, because Abby is so sweet and really loves treats, I had started giving her a few treats while she has her head through the hole.

Needless to say this has developed into a regular routine. So almost every morning Abby will appear when we go out to play ball (often times she is already there) or shortly after we go out. As to the treat routine, a very specific practice has evolved. Franklin and I will go over to the fence to greet her, and I will give her some treats, sharing them with Franklin as well, but for the most part for her, as Franklin would much rather she get them that he takes them. Also, before we start, Franklin will drop the ball in my hand. This is significant because we play with a very special blue ball and Franklin is otherwise quite possessive of that ball. Abby gets some treats and then we resume playing ball, with Abby continuing to watch. Abby is also very vocal in letting know she is still there and would not mind some more treats, so we often go over a second time (and on rare occasion a third – that girl can be persistent) to repeat the process.

Franklin is very attentive to Abby and sometimes, if she is not there in the morning (i.e. if workers have come to mow the back yard lawn), she will appear later in the day. If Franklin is out and she appears, he will bark to let us know that she is there and would like some treats. The affection between the two dogs is clearly mutual, because every few weeks Abby will now push a ball or other dog toy through the hole as a gift for Franklin – basically a sign of true affection. And those balls and toys become very special prizes for him. Indeed, as this story was being written, Abby actually delivered another present to Franklin – this time a chew toy in the shape of a carrot, and needless to say, it is now a prized possession. The amazing thing is that, while they live next door, they have actually only met in person (dog-son?) once. Franklin really likes to play hard with his friends and Abby is a little old these days for that (although she often did play with Teddy), which is why they do not meet in person normally. It is the most beautiful relationship to watch, and Franklin is very devoted to her, even though the friendship is limited to contact through the hole at the bottom of the fence.

Two additional things to consider.

First, I have often wondered from the perspective of a dog’s brain, how this must all seem to Abby, particularly to have discovered relatively late in her life that if you stick your head through this hole under the fence, you get treats. It must be of a wonderful revelation and discovery with potentially profound psychological dog significance in one fashion or another. Also, there is a second dog that periodically comes to visit next door (belonging to the adult son of the people who live next door) and Miss Abby is very protective of that hole. There is only one time that I recall when a saw a different nose peering through that hole, and when that happened there was a commotion on the other side of the fence, and that other nose disappeared very quickly to be replaced by Miss Abby’s nose once more, and that other nose never to be seen again.

Second, Franklin does have another friend, Miss Tilly, who comes over about once a week for an extended play date in our back yard, and they run and wrestle and chase balls and run some more and get chicken treats and it is always the Best Day Ever. However, there is clearly some strong jealousy between Tilly and Abby, and if Abby has the temerity to put her head through the hole while Tilly is there, Tilly will let her know in no uncertain terms that she is not happy. In that regard though, I must say that Abby gives as good as she gets in terms of expressing her own unhappiness about Tilly being there and playing with Franklin. And poor Franklin, whenever this happens, does not know what to do, he just backs away with an expression that would translate into “can’t we all just get along.” Indeed, to avoid any conflagration when Tilly arrives these days, I have resorted to placing a plank across the hole and peace prevails.