On our way home form a walk around the neighborhood, i pondered the peculiar duality in my dog which seems to peak whenever she leaves the familiar abode and ventures out into the real world. I turned to my book in seek of answers. Upon further reading of "The Ultimate Birthday Book" the text revealed that perhaps the social butterfly qualities in Frankie may not be those of extroversion at all but something of a different nature. Apparently, the June 29 people (and perhaps dogs) "generally hold back the essence of their real selves." and also, "This propensity is the result of their great sensitivity, which may cause them to become beset with feelings of insecurity, and they typically hide their emotional vulnerability behind a misleading facade of bravado." Whoa, this hit me like a brick. That's, Frankie. She is so sweet around strangers. She will squat low on the ground, hold back her ears while they quiver in excitement, wiggle her chubby little bottom, and wait to be touched-- what a sweet little angel (this must be the sensitive side). Let another dog approach and angel turns Tasmanian devil. She begins to attack her scowling, barking, pulling, drooling, panting, squealing, kicking, but otherwise well behaved older brother Boudreaux. Now, it is worth mentioning that Boudreaux weighs 109 pounds and Frankie is a whopping 15 lb (if that). She proceeds to jump on him, biting and growling, determined to get him to get him to behave. In anticipation of this behavior on Boudreaux's part, Frankie will let him know who is in charge by attacking him in advance as soon as we leave the house, making sure her lesson is memorable she will even attack her older brother Bruce, who is not prone to any undesirable behavior when out in public. Frankie will also attack unsuspecting dogs at Petsmart by first pretending to like them and then unleashing her temper when the poor creature (including her embarrassed and equally unsuspecting parent) expects it least. I used to think that perhaps Frankie was just a bit quirky or had some hormonal issue (like many girls i know), but now i know the answer lies in the stars. There is one other thing the book mentions: "those born on June 29 usually display enormous commitment, affection and loyalty." Now, i know it speaks of qualities attributed to people but i think this could apply to a dog?...
