We volunteered to watch our friend’s dog, Sophie, for three days over the holidays.  Sophie and Ava have not been great friends, historically.  They both like to lie in the same places, chase the same bugs, and play with the same toys.  All this can lead to the occasional disagreement involving some barking and snapping.

While we did deal with several of those episodes during our three days together, it was also exciting to see them briefly play together and hike side-by-side through Eno State Park.  Going outside and giving them some space really seemed to help diffuse any tense moments.

For the past couple of months, we have been considering fostering with a local border collie rescue organization.  Mike found days one and two with Sophie to be quite stressful, so we’re not sure if we’re up for fostering just yet, but we hope that more and more positive interactions will help Ava to be more welcoming, and that we will see Ava and Sophie’s friendship to grow.