Hi, I’m Allison! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my three mixed-breed dogs from Thailand, Jelly, Lorraina, and Manic.

Trigger warning: Discussions of dogs fighting

One of my favorite things to see is Lorraina basking in the sun. If she were a human, she would hit the beach and slather on tanning lotion as soon as summer starts. While I love seeing all Manic and Jelly lounge in the sun, it means more to me that Lorraina is entirely at peace.

You see, back in Thailand, Lorraina liked to cause trouble. But, like many small dogs with their “big dog complex”, trouble was always three times her size.

The Little Fighter (Literally)

In Thailand, Lorraina weighed about 25 pounds. Since moving abroad, she has become slightly rotund, weighing 29 pounds (‘Murica). While she was slightly over the traditional small dog weight, Lorraina was still the smallest dog in our area. Well, there was Jackie, an ancient partially blind toy Poodle who lived a few houses down, but he knew better than to start any trouble at his age.

Since she was a bit smaller, Lorraina might have felt she had to step up and prove that she could stand her own if needed.

However, Lorraina felt she could take on the world mainly because of Bob. Bob was another large dog in the neighborhood. When she was a puppy, she and Jelly were best friends. Unfortunately, they went from BBFs to sworn enemies. They have gotten into physical fights, leaving a few cuts. But these were uncommon, maybe happening twice. Despite Bob and Jelly disliking each other, Lorraina could not decide whom to remain loyal to. She loved them both.

New Neighbors, Huge Problems

Before the pandemic, a new couple moved into a vacant house higher up the hill from us. And along with the couple came two dogs. Now, I like dogs. I love dogs! But I could never get a read on these dogs. They would tear around the neighborhood, just the two of them. I never saw them playing with the other dogs. Jelly seemed wary of them. Bob despised them. But Lorraina, who had the fighting spirit in her, wanted to kick some butts and take some names.

The issue was that each dog was at least three times her size. And there were two of them! This fact did not seem to bother Lorraina. She had to let them know that this was her neighborhood, and they had to respect that.

Spoiler alert: they did not care.

Lorraina got ripped to shreds by those two before we could break up the fight. She was in so much pain that my husband could not carry her back home. She cried when touched. The best we could do was walk with her slowly back to the house. A journey of 40 feet took 25 minutes.

I took photos of the wounds and called our local vet. Lorraina was prescribed painkillers and antibiotics. While the doctor could have stitched her up, she wanted us to try medication first. That is the thing about island dogs: they heal incredibly quickly. I am thankful for that.

Because of the pain and feeling of defeat, Lorraina spent the next three days in a corner under a table.

Little did I know that she was plotting revenge.

And the Bigger Issues Started

After the fight, we thought Lorraina would have learned her lesson and not play with fire again. Nope. The fight only fueled her hatred toward them. And she got Bob involved.

Bob weighed about 80 pounds and had zero fear. And, like Lorraina, Bob did not mind stirring trouble. The issues would start in the morning. Lorraina would sit at the top of the steps to our house, staring at the house where those new dogs lived. She would not move a muscle—until Bob emerged from her house.

Bob would give the signal. She glanced over to see if Lorraina was ready and raced over to the new dog’s house. Lorraina would leap off the steps and run towards the house. They would bark and bark, almost goading the dogs to come out of the house to fight. My husband and I would run out of the house to shoo Bob away and lead Lorraina back to the house. We ordered an anti-bark collar online for Lorraina, and it worked…for a while.

But one day, Lorraina ignored the beeping and vibrating of the collar and barked incessantly at the house. The barking drove the dogs to attack her again. Bob came racing to Lorraina’s side so she could run away. And once again, Lorraina was back on antibiotics and painkillers and retreating to her corner for a few days.

Lorraina Retires From the Ring

That last fight Lorraina was in was a few weeks before we left for the States. I was vigilant in ensuring she did not even look in those other dogs’ directions. I was looking forward to letting Lorraina finally have some peace. For over two years, she was on edge. She still has the scars from those fights. I just wanted her to feel completely at peace and safe in her older years. And now she finally is.

That is why seeing her in the sun, completely relaxed, is absolutely joyful to me.