BODYGUARD

We have four dogs. Three are Bassets. One is a Belgian Sheepdog, Cooper.
Of the Bassets, two are brothers. That is, actual littermates: Nigel and Llewis.
Conley, as usual, is the odd-man out, from another line altogether.

Llewis was born with major orthopedic and neurological deficits. I'm not going into detail but he has one leg that doesn't work (a rear tire) and is frozen in an awkward position, and he has slow conscious propreoception in the other back tire as well. So, one rear tire is flat and the other has lost some air.Consequently, he cannot climb, jump up, run correctly or even walk right. He moves like Chester, from the old Gunsmoke if any of you remember. Nevertheless, he runs (as best he can) and plays hard, and of all the dogs is the most willing to play long and hard. He has no idea he is disabled.

Nigel and he were buds for many years. Well ok, they're only six now. Not tight, but they kind of hung together. But despite what people seem to think, Nigel is not the sweetie pie they would believe. He has a temper. He has aspirations to top dog. He has testicles. He likes to cuddle now and then but he does not give kisses and his is not a warm and cuddly personality. He growls a lot.

Occasionally, but not often, all three share limited space.

Somewhere along the line, way back, Cooper must have noticed that Llewis was different, if dogs are capable of that, and I think they must be. He became a little intense about Llewis. If Llewis went out, Cooper went out. If Llewis came in, Cooper came in. God help the snarly bastard that went for Llewis, because that dog was going to have Cooper to contend with. Aspirations notwithstanding (both Nigel and Conley want to be topdog but as long as Cooper is alive, they are not.)

A bit ago, maybe a year ago, I noticed that if Cooper and the others came in, and Llewis took too long to respond, Cooper wanted out again. So I let him out and he went to the corner of the sidewalk and looked, quite pointedly, both ways and not seeing what he wanted, went on out into the yard, found Llewis, and came back with him, a little behind, making sure his whole flock, flat tires and all, were in. Particularly THIS one.

Even now, with a missing wheel, Cooper continues to play Bodyguard to Llewis.
The favor is not reciprocated. I do not even know if Llewis realises that he has a
powerful agent watching him. I don't think he does. I think he just believes this is the way things are.

But three-legged and sick, Cooper is right there with Llewis. A little advice:
Don't smack Llewis in front of his Bodyguard. I think it might be risky.

(Llewis never gets smacked: none of them do.)