By color-blind, I'm not talking about the ability to distinguish red from green. Rather, what I wonder is whether they're aware of being in the presence of another dog who looks just like them. Or are they clueless about such matters -- i.e. color-blind in the sense that we sometimes talk of human beings who don't notice racial differences?
The question has arisen because Kenzie has been staying with us for the past 6 days. Kenzie's eyes are a beautiful dark amber, whereas Dionne's are closer to bittersweet chocolate. Kenzie's nose is a bit longer. And some of her chin hairs have begun to turn white. But otherwise, she could be Dionne's mom. The two look so much alike that Steve and I have confused them on occasion.
What makes me wonder whether their similar appearance has engendered some feeling of kinship is that for many reasons, they should dislike each other. Kenzie's around 7 or 8 years old, and being tackled by a hyperactive youngster is something she's clearly skeptical about. On top of that, this youngster is a female, and females often are reputed to bristle at each other.
But I'm seeing them spend more and more time doing what Dionne loves best. It looks something like this:
It gets noisy as well as rambunctious at times, but Kenzie is the vocal one.
Still, I can't tell if they feel any sisterly bond. They only thing that's crystal clear is that they like each other. Thank tails for that.
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