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Recently, everything had been changing far too quickly for Lady. Her humans had suddenly had a baby, which she adored, but it took up a lot of their time. She found that a baby was just a very small human, and that they weren't very polite, but they still smelled nice and were very sweet when they wanted to be. The problem is, they usually didn't want to be. Usually they wanted to tug on your ears or use their tiny hands to pull at your mouth.
So while Lady adored the little baby, she also valued her time outside of the house. It was then that her family got a new neighbor, and like hers, there was a dog.
Unlike Jock and Trusty, though, this new neighbor had another lady dog.
At first, Lady wasn't sure what to think of the stranger. She was much taller and was pure white aside from the black spots all over her body, and her deep brown eyes and dark blue collar made her head turn. She felt almost angry around her, and she couldn't really understand why.
But as the new neighbor dog introduced herself as Perdita and did a playful and polite bow, she found herself drawn in, and found her confusing emotions bubbling up to pure playfulness.
The two dogs raced around Lady's yard one day and around Perdita's yard the next. Even their humans were getting along, as Perdita's owner came to see the little baby and brought Jim Dear and Darling a small gift; a basket of bread and fruit. She was even given a small bite of the sweet, home-baked bread, and she couldn't be happier.
Soon, Lady came to see Perdita as her best friend. While she loved spending time with Jock and Trusty, she could only handle so much of Jock's advice and Trusty's stories of Old Reliable -- having another lady to talk to was amazing.
Perdita would tell her about the evil-smelling human that sometimes came over and was mean to her human, so together one day they chased her own the street, scratching at the doors of her car as she climbed into it. They laughed all the way home, even though Perdita's human seemed upset.
When a grey-colored mutt showed up and tried flirting with Lady, she felt lost and unsure of what to do. When Perdita spotted the strange male dog, she put herself between Lady and him, growling softly.
"Lady is my mate, not yours." She said it simply, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, and Lady tilted her head, making her collar jump up enthusiastically.
"Yes, Perdita's right! I don't want to be your mate, I'm her mate!" She stated just as strongly, puffing her chest out further.
The grey dog rolled his head around and gave a small smile, stepping back slightly. "Alright, alright, I can take a hint."
And with that he left the yard, and Lady let out a soft laugh, getting into a prancing position. "That really worked! You're so amazing, Perdita! Being your mate would be much easier than being a mate with a strange dog like him!"
Perdita's tail wagged gently and she leaned down, licking the other dog's cheek affectionately. "I want to be your mate. Anita's been so happy since she met your humans, and I've been happier, too."
Lady's stubby tail wagged quickly and she gave Perdita a small lick back on the edge of her chin. "Then we'll be mates. Let's go tell Jim Dear and Darling!" She suggested; while the humans stared down at their dogs and their neighbor's dog in confusion as they excitedly barked, they gave them both a loving scratch behind the ears and watched them trot off, shaking their heads and laughing.
Whatever the dogs were excited about must have been special.