Shyla Saturday - Growing up into a Big Sister

When Hachi joined our pack, I never could have imagined the direction of this journey. I especially would not have imagined that Shyla would become his main playmate and guiding paw. Our most important criterion when we considered adding a puppy was that the puppy not be too domineering or pushy for Shyla. Shyla is still afraid of many dogs who have those characteristics.

Now, although Hachi is a strong-willed dog, Shyla is Hachi's best dog friend. She revels in playing with him.

I feel as if she keeps Hachi's stress levels down with their amazing play.

Tongue flicks, like they did in synchrony in this photo, are usually a sign of stress. Perhaps these two are so close because the world scares both of them to some extent.

But, they can both forget about their worries through play.

If you had told me this story seven years ago when Shyla was wracked with fear, I would not have believed it. But she is a different dog - one who has grown into being a big sister.

Life is so unpredictable. In this case, it has been unpredictable in a great way!