There are two rival gangs in my house. The “Furs” are led by an eight year old beagle mix named Buddy, and the “Skins” are led by a seven month old boy named Ace. These two gangs are forced to share the same territory, the floor, and have been doing so for the past seven months.

The Skins have been known to be very quiet and almost invisible to their rival gang the Furs. In the past few months though, the Skins have become more mobile and agile. The Skins are testing their boundaries with the Furs and the tension between the gangs is rising.

Sharing turf is not easy on anyone. The Furs think the house is their territory. It has been for the past eight years. The Skins are new to the scene and think they can go wherever and do whatever whenever they want. The Furs and the Skins tend to butt heads every once in a while.

For the most part they share their turf. Momma and I are the Gang Squad, the keepers of peace. The Gang Squad intervenes when the tension between the Furs and Skins heightens. However, the Gang Squad has limited resources and also is in charge of other duties such as being the Accountant, the Lawn Crew, the Cook, and the Maid. There have been a few drive-by lickings and ear pullings when the Gang Squad was off doing one if it’s other duties, but luckily these were only minor incidents with no bloodshed.

The Gang Squad has noticed the tension between the two rival gangs rising. The Furs have started vocalizing their frustrations with subtle growls, and the Skins are starting to become more violent. The Skins are now tormenting the Furs by pulling tails, biting ears, and poking eyes. The Skins are scared of nothing and seem to not understand, or are totally ignoring specific instructions from the Gang Squad to leave the Furs alone. The Furs are a very resilient gang and can take a lot of torture, but the question is how much can they take before they snap?

The Gang Squad has been working overtime to praise the Furs for being calm and submissive during these stressful times, as well as working with the Skins to be less violent and give the Furs some space.

The Gang Squad has been successful at separating these two gangs during tense confrontations. It seems that the both gangs have their weaknesses and the Gang Squad can easily distract one gang or the other to get the rivalry under control. The Furs seem to be distracted by food and dog treats, while the Skins can be distracted by funny faces or noisy toys.

While these distractions are not a permanent solution they are working until the Gang Squad can figure out a way to get these two gangs to live in peace.

The rivalry continues…

Gang Squad Out!