It's All About Attitude: Pasja and the Boxer

I've heard it said many times that dogs don't really pay attention to the size of other dogs.  My own personal experience is that they really do notice when a dog is very large (like Prince) but not necessarily as much when a dog is small, especially if the small dog has an attitude.

A perfect example of this would be Pasja.

Pasja (left) and his friend Hector

Pasja liked almost all other dogs (and they all liked him) but if any dog tried to be too assertive with him, Pasja immediately evinced a "big dog" attitude.  This was especially apparent one day when I was walking him through the woods by our home, when I was a teenager.

The people who lived by the woods (who possibly owned part of them) had two dogs, a Boxer and a German Shepherd.  The German Shepherd was pretty laid back, but the Boxer would aggressively pursue anyone he saw passing through the woods when his owners were not present.  On the day I happened to be walking Pasja through the woods, this exact set of circumstances occurred.

Being young and foolish, as soon as he began to chase us, I ran.  Pasja seemed reluctant to follow me, but did because he was on the leash (even though he fretted the entire time).  Unfortunately, this only aggravated the Boxer even more, and I could hear him gaining on us, with low growls and excited panting noises, until he was almost immediately behind us.  At this point, unsure of what to do but out of breath, I stopped...and he came charging toward us.

That was when Pasja took over.

Pasja was still fairly young at the time, and I had never yet seen him get really angry with anyone or anything.  He began to bark and then to growl so menacingly that the Boxer actually stopped and stared at him with what I can only describe as astonishment.  The angrier Pasja became, the more uncertain the Boxer grew, until he eventually began to back away and finally turned for home, wearing an almost sheepish expression, even as he continued to growl under his breath.  Pasja continued to bark and snarl at him until he was a good ways off, at which point we resumed our walk in peace and quiet.

I never worried again when I was walking Pasja about any kind of threat, whether it was four-legged or two-legged.  In spite of his being less than 50 pounds, Pasja was absolutely certain that he could deal with anything or anyone...and his certainty made it true.  He protected me in many instances throughout the time I had him, provoking a great many reactions, but always inspiring a healthy respect.