Zen is my cat. I think she used to think of herself as just another dog. She slept with the dogs, wrestled and played with the dogs, and went for walks with us. When I first started boarding dogs, she would saunter out onto the driveway when dogs were arriving to say hi, assuming that everyone was going to treat her like the cavaliers do. New dogs were always on leash initially, but there were occasions when I found myself holding my breath, wishing she would consider that a little caution might be in order. But over time she has learned to assess each situation individually. She figures out which ones just want to be friends, which ones will chase her, and which ones might want to eat her. She has, thankfully, discovered that teasing is not just a bit of fun, but might be life threatening. She would tell you she is older and wiser now. Maybe she would tell you that she is, well, a cat.
Lilly and Gizmo are practically family members here. Zen knows exactly who they are. Since their very first visit, over a year ago, they have been fascinated by Zen. They don’t seem to know quite what to do with her. I think they’d like to chase her, but she doesn’t run from them. Occasionally, if other questionable (in her view) dogs are not in the room, Zen will place herself just out of their reach and sit and watch. And they watch back. They get very quiet during their moment of Zen.