Misunderstandings

I wanted to write about this now because there is a good chance I'll wake up tomorrow morning and forget what I wanted to write about. So.....................

Misunderstanding - failure to understand correctly; mistake as to meaning or intent.

This afternoon I decided to bathe the girls; it near kills my back so I only do two in one afternoon. Someday I will be able to install a raised stainless tub but for now it is into the small shower where I kill my back. After Jessie was done I brought her outside; dried her off and let her lay in the sun. She wandered over to the grass area to relieve herself when Tilley caught sight of me. This is not a big deal except that she knew that she was probably next. In a split second there was a huge misunderstanding.

Upon seeing me Tilley slung her head low and put her ears back. "Ahhhhhh here she comes to get me for my bath." Jessie sees this body display and stops dead in her tracks; Tilley looks very much like she has just assumed a stalking position. Jessie does not know that Tilley is looking at me; behind her. She is puzzled by this behavior and if it was as Jessie thought and directed at her, it would indeed be an odd behavior from Tilley.

Tilley and Jessie have an understanding; Jessie is the boss and Tilley is fine with that. She let's the little munchkin rule the roost. At this point Jessie had to pee; so she slowly and very methodically turned her entire body sideways and tiptoed to the grass; did her thing without even glancing at Tilley and left turning the opposite way from where Tilley was standing.

Jessie was walking off the grass very slowly which caught Tilley's eye and she decided to go check her out. As Tilley approached just to smell Jessie; Jessie got nervous. But Tilley smelled her and went on her way. The tension was diffused and all was well again. But it got me thinking that it is not only humans that get messages crossed; but our dogs as well. For us it can be an emphasis put on the wrong word, a fluctuation in our voice or a body posture that was misread. We are more alike than it seems aren't we?