No matter, I was lucky to find her. She is the most intelligent of my three dogs and her loyalty is uncanny. For instance; she is fine with me talking to someone as long as they stay their distance - get closer than 3 feet and the barking starts.
Touch me or make any kind of aggressive behavior and you'll have 10 pounds of psycho dog attacking you.
A few weeks ago the girlfriend and I were play fighting, when she pulled her leg back to kick at me, the dog attacked, biting her inside the right thigh, leaving teeth marks that pierced the skin. Needless to say, my girlfriend wasn't very happy.
So what can my pint sized bodyguard teach us about survival?
Like most survivalists, she is a hoarder. Most dogs have a natural instinct to hide food, but this one is the most proliferate hoarder that I've seen. She manages to hide at least 25% of food that I put in her bowl.
She has dozens of food caches scattered around the area and she is smart enough to find hiding places that the bigger dogs can't get into it. I mean this dog can fit through a 5 inch opening, places where the other dogs can't start.
We survivalists would be wise to do the same. Having several caches of food and gear hidden around our area is a good idea and cheap insurance, if we get cut off from our main food storage supplies for some reason. Things happen - remember Murphy's Law
Another thing we can learn from this little dog is to always be on alert for potential threats. She is always scanning the area, looking for intruders. Her detectors seem to always be turned on - anything out of the ordinary and she is alerted.
It seems humans have lost their alertness. Most people are so preoccupied with themselves that they have no idea of what is going on around them. They make themselves easy targets.
I'm not saying you should be in a state of constant red alert, the stress of such a lifestyle would probably kill you before an aggressor. What I am saying is, be more attuned to your surroundings, don't get into the habit of walking around blind to what is going on around you.
Pay attention. Sometimes, something small can alert you to potential danger. For example, let's say it's been raining most of the day, you get home from work and notice the pattern of moister on the doorknob has been disturbed by someone turning the knob. Be like this little dog - pay attention. It could save your life.
Another thing I've noticed is that she isn't afraid to run if the situation necessitates it. She will go after the biggest, meanest dog that wanders into her territory. But the thing is, she knows when to run. If the fight is too much and she has no chance of winning, she isn't above running to me for help or hiding.
To many of us the idea of running or hiding from danger is unthinkable. But sometimes it does make sense. No matter how well armed we are we can not win every battle. When it's your family one casualty is to many.
Sometimes the best way to win a battle is to avoid the fight altogether. Other times it may be necessary to retreat to a better location offering a tactical advantage.
Take a lesson from this little Chihuahua - don't be too brave - avoid a fight that you know you can't win.









