When dogs appear to attack

So I've had this picture up all week and I figure I better explain it.



The big dog belongs to my parents. His name is Wizard. My dog Shadow inspired them to get Wizard. When I was growing up, we had a beagle named Sugar. That was not a good experience, but Shadow made them realize that some dogs are good pets. So far, this has worked out for them as Wizard is a really good dog. I have become a big fan of adopting adult dogs because if you find one that is well trained, you don't have to go through all the puppy insanity. I know we would not be able to adequately care for and train a puppy because I have my hands full with the two girls, but Shadow is no trouble at all. Anyway, the smaller dog in the picture is Sunni and she belongs to my sister. Apparently, Sunni, who is just a puppy, likes to play with Wizard, who is not so interested in playing. He is a mature, serious dog who needs no playful romping. Bark.

Wizard stayed at Sunni's house for a few days while my parents were out of town. Apparently, Wizard got a little fed up with his... niece? (Did I get that strange family connection right?) So they both went for each other and someone snapped this impressive action shot. Neither Wizard nor Sunni were hurt. Sunni was just playing and Wizard was attempting to let Sunni know that he wasn't interested in foolish puppy games. I don't think the message sunk in, however. When we visited, all three dogs got to run around together in my parents' huge backyard. That was fun to see and both older dogs actually forgot they weren't puppies for a while. Not that it takes much for Shadow to forget. He's got a lot of puppy in him. Here's a picture of him snoozing with friend after a lot of playful romping: