Leadership Breeds Loyalty

Maybe these are related; maybe not.

But, The Kid found himself relaxing from the after-effects of a minor concussion a while back. In addition to resting his aching noggin, an ice pack provided some relief to his sore back. He took nourishment against a backdrop of Cartoon Network cacaphony.

Baby, the family pooch, who is highly protective of The Kid in all circumstances, sat constantly at his side. That is, until lunchtime. As The Kid slurped his soup, the dog darted to the next room, scored a mouthful of kibble, and returned, to snarf up her Acana and keep a weather eye on The Kid.

I was transported back in time to a rough moment when Fierce Betty, The Kid's aunt, was cooling her head against a healing commode after conquering a transient influenza. After one more retching attempt at recovery, she discovered that Harley, her Jack Russell BFF, was at her side, making a weak stab at a retch of her own.

Solidarity, however ineffective, made the day.

So, how much of these actions is pack behavior modeling? And, how much is a capacity for caring and sympathy that we humans hesitate to ascribe to other species? Whichever, it does seem likely that leadership DOES inspire loyalty, that a follower has his/her leader's six, confident of reciprocity in the relationship.

Trust me on this one. Every genuine leader quietly treasures such evidences that the relationships he or she has built have strong foundations and mutually supportive interactions.

Good breeding delivers good outcomes, whether dogs enter the equation or not.