Do our pets understand size relationships the way we do? I think not
Do cats and dogs in particular understand when they're "outsized" by other cats and dogs?
I ask that because I've seen large dogs run from small dogs, small dogs run from large dogs, and the same with cats -- in most cases I've seen little relationship between size and "bravery" or willingness to stand their ground.
We had a wonderful little house dog named Mitzi. We actually "inherited" Mitzi from my stepmother when she died (along with my younger brother, but that's another story). Mitzi was a cross between a toy Boston bulldog and a toy Pomeranian. She looked like a tiny Pomeranian with slightly shorter hair and the black-and-white coloration of a Boston bulldog.
She was a sweet little dog -- unless you were a dog and you came within yards of her house. In fact, she was absolutely fearless about running off other dogs. Any dogs. Any sized dogs. She once went charging off the front steps before we could stop her and took after a Great Dane. She was such a fierce flurry of noise that the Great Dane simply turned around and ran off. Mitzi had the sense not to chase the big dog into the street and came prancing back to the porch, very proud of herself.
I miss Mitzi. That was years ago, but I've never forgotten that tiny dog with the heart of a lion.
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