Once a day I give the dogs a special treat – a bully stick or cow’s ear. Bud and Zinnia get their treats and rush off to the dog bed near the fireplace to chew on them. It takes a lot of trust for a dog to do that, Fate takes her treat and rushes off to a far corner of the dining room to eat it alone.

If another dog comes near, she moves, which is pretty standard dog behavior.

Bud and Zinnia are great pals, and I see this demonstrated in the way they trust one another. In fact, I see now, that they trade treats. Each will chew on their treat for a few minutes, then switch.

Bud and Zinnia will drop their treats in front of each other and chew on the other one. Then, in a few minutes, they switch again. They do this until both treats are gone.

I think each dog has eased and enriched the life of the other. Bud loves to play, and Fate is a serious dog, not prone to playing a lot. Zinnia is a play whore, she’ll go all day, like Bud.

It’s a lovely friendship to see.