Rolling Dog Farm Blog

Beth took this photo today of Travis, our dog with a fused jaw, playing with blind Pepper the German Shepherd.  Because Travis can’t open his mouth, he’s at a bite I mean a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to roughhousing.  He makes up for it, though, with creative use of his lips.  He’ll grab the other dog with his lips, then he runs his front teeth back and forth rapidly against their skin, cutting like a saw.  He’s done this to me when I’ve roughhoused with him, and it really gets my attention!

This is what he’s doing to Pepper, one his best friends at Widget’s House.  If this doesn’t succeed, his next tactic is what we calling "chinning" — he’ll use his chin as a combination hammer and crowbar to subdue his opponent.  You’d be surprised how much force he can exert with one scrawny chin!

(Click on photo for larger image.)