A few weeks ago, a gust of wind knocked over the fence between our yard and the attaching duplex. Our landlord was contacted, and he started making calls to fix it, but in the meantime we had a problem. Both us and our neighbors have dogs that we let run free in our respective backyards. Now that it was temporarily the same backyard, the dogs who have been sniffing each other through the fence for months were going to be meeting in person. We spoke with our neighbors and agreed to try to see if the dogs would get along, because it would be easiest on all of us if they did. We let them out at the same time, and sure enough, the pair started playing and chasing each other over the downed section of fence.
Zelda had made her first friend since moving to the Pacific North West; a fuzzy shepard mix named Max!
Two and a half weeks went by before our landlord was able to get someone out here to fix the fence. In the meantime, Zelda and Max played together nearly every day, and spent time sniffing all the un-sniffed places in the other dog's yard. One would chase the other, they would both both bark at the same squirrels, and they would take rests together in the rare patches of sunlight in the grass.
But last week, a man finally came to fix the fence.
For days, Zelda would walk along the fence line, sniffing at the base while seeing the shadow of another dog doing likewise on the other side. Although it was nice to have the fence repaired, the only two who were really make use of the two yards were not pleased.
We talked to our neighbors again, asking if they would be willing to leave their side of the double-gated area between the houses open, and we would do the same. They said that they were going to ask us the same thing.
Today, Zelda and Max were re-united, and have been happily running between the two yards!
