Prince's Sister - Part 2

When Liesel was approximately 4 years old, and Prince was 5, my sister and I decided to give their introduction one more try.  By this time, Prince had turned into a gentlemanly sort of fellow (for the most part) and rarely reacted strongly to dogs anymore, especially if they were in their own yards or homes.  Therefore, I walked him over on a lovely summer day, and after fussing over him at the front door, my sister let him inside.

The first thing that happened was that her Schnoodle, Samara, greeted him in a more than enthusiastic manner, even jumping up on him and chewing on his face.  Prince responded to all of this graciously, wagging his tail and gently sniffling her back.  Then I walked him over to the kitchen, where Liesel was.

The fact that we had made a mistake of epic proportions was immediately apparent.  Liesel flew toward him barking at the top of her lungs, slid away, then returned, barking and snarling as if she intended to attack him.  Prince merely stood in the hallway, watching her except when she got close to him.  At those moments, he politely looked away or paid attention to Samara.  None of this helped to calm her down, unfortunately.  The longer we stayed, the angrier she became, until the only one who didn't feel uncomfortable was Prince himself.

After agreeing that it wasn't working out as we had hoped, my sister said a long and loving goodbye to Prince, and we left.  Unfortunately, Liesel was convinced he was still hiding in the house somewhere and continued to bark...and bark...and bark...for hours on end.  Every time she heard a noise, she erupted into a fit of barking...for the next 3 DAYS.

"Why is she barking?" I asked my sister each time I talked to her on the phone, hearing Liesel in the background.

"Because she thinks he's still here!" my sister said, angrily, and went to correct Liesel for what seemed like the hundredth time.

I wish I could say that Liesel calmed down completely after the 3 days were done, but she never did.  For months thereafter, a noise at the front door was enough to convince her that Prince had returned, and she would erupt into a fresh spate of barking that would last for hours.  My sister said we were never going to try it again...and I had to agree.

Oddly enough, my sister now lives next door to a couple with two German Shepherds, one of which is a male who is almost the same size as Prince.  Liesel doesn't seem fazed by him in the least.  I guess it's just Prince who brings out the best in her.