the ancient emnity
Rascal was freaking out much of this afternoon due to the presence of our neighbor's cat, newly promoted to outdoor-cat status, in and around our yard. At a point at which I interpreted his energy as a need to go out for reasons other than feline pursuit, I opened the door that he was pressing his nose against, only to see him dash into the woods. Luckily for everyone involved, cats are strictly territorial, so rather than running straight away this one doubled back, followed shortly by an excited Rascal. Despite his superior speed, however, he was unable to effect the capture—due I am sure to some doubts on his part as to what exactly would be his next step were he to actually do so.
So naturally the cat soon made its escape, under the porch or into the bushes or something, but Rascal kept dashing around trying desperately to pick up the scent. He would not be interested in a ball, or anything else I could offer. I felt for the poor cat, no doubt crouching somewhere feeling, if not abject terror, then at least some mild concern, so I told Rascal, "If you don't stop bothering that cat you'll have to go inside!"
Of all that, the only words he heard and appreciated were "cat" and "inside", and he was up the steps and at the door with some alacrity; once inside, his behavior demonstrated clearly that he was surprised not to find his prey there, perhaps under the couch. Sorry to mislead you, pups.
He's a good dog, but we wish he would get along better with cats. As it is, though, I'm happy enough that he can't catch them. Same with deers, I suppose.