A Tale of Two Tails

Pie wags her tail more than any dog I know. It is always going and it is frequently noisy and commonly comical. It bangs on wood floors and walls, it bongs on metal railings, and thumps on carpet. It wags while she is chewing on a bone, when she is anticipating a ball throw, and as goofy as this is, while she is laying in the shade doing nothing. It hits Fancy in the face, spins in circles, goes swish, side to side fast and side to side slow. In the line up in Working Sweeps at the 2009 Mal Nationals, it is the only tail moving.

When I got Dottie at 10 weeks her tail did not wag. That is not to say it did not move. You can see it flopping around (above her back- gag) as she investigates the yard. The next pictures of Dottie did not come out until three months later, after her quarantine for "distemper" (aka- kennel cough) was done, but I was mildly disappointed to see it still not wag. Not that Dottie was ever a sulky or moody dog, her tail just didn't reflect the happiness she was feeling.

Recently, much to my enjoyment, that has changed! I can't say exactly when it started, but Dottie now wags her tail. When I got Bacon around Mother's Day, Dottie was not wagging then, since I remember his tail thumping against the side of his crate like Pie's does, and I said to myself he gets extra points for having a happy tail.

Dottie now wags when I look at her, and when I talk to her. She wags as she is coming up for pets and as she is getting pet. Overall, it is much more normal, and I love it! Pie is still the top wagger in the house. Even if Dottie wagged as much as Pie, Pie would still be top since her tail is bigger and more substantial so it makes a very satisfying whack as it hits things. Also, even though it no longer curves over her back, the break in her tail does cause it to bend off to the side and up a bit. The arc of the wag is not as pleasing to the eye as it is in Pie's case, and the strange shape means it hit many less objects, such as the walls, and also causes it to miss even the floor. And I have NEVER seen it go in a circle. Maybe that is next. Or maybe the calibration is out of alignment due to the break and it is physically impossible for her tail to complete such aerobatics.

Still, she now gets points for effort. She also gets points for being cuddly and snuggling on the couch with me with her chin on my forearm as I type.

Even though this is the Tale of Two Tails, I should mention Fancy. Since she has a curly tail, it is in a completely different category when it comes to wagging. She shakes the base back and forth and that causes the fluff draped over her back to move. Fancy wags when I come home, when we are going to go on a walk, or if she things she is going to get something yummy. Other than that, wagging is not really her forte. Fancy is surprisingly dignified and reserved. She leaves the tail wagging shenanigans up to Pie. Who is now also contracting out to Dottie.