A Preference For Pink?

One of the first things my best friend said when I told her I was getting a girl puppy was that she hopes the puppy likes pink. Pink is my absolute favorite color. If it comes in pink, I probably have it or want it. So it was easy to imagine that everything I’d buy for a new puppy would be pink whenever possible. And it’s true. All of Sadie’s leashes are pink, her harnesses are pink, her dog bowls, dog beds, and ever her poop baggies are pink. And something Sadie did recently makes me wonder if I’ve passed my preference for pink along to her.

I have two decorative stuffed toys way up on a shelf to be out of reach for Sadie. One is Minnie Mouse, wearing a pink dress, and the other is Mickey Mouse, wearing his red shorts. Last night I heard Sadie crying from the other room, and I went in to find her staring up at the stuffed toys. I understand her interest, because stuffed animals don’t really look any different than stuffed dog toys. So after telling her no and “not for Sadie” a few times, only to find her crying beneath the shelf over and over again, I finally gave in. I handed her the Mickey doll. She took it and sat down. She sniffed it for a minute and then got up and began whining under the shelf again. So I put Mickey back and handed her Minnie. Sadie’s reaction was instantly different. She grabbed Minnie and started running away, shaking the toy, and generally being an excited dog with a new toy. I let Sadie enjoy her playtime for a few minutes, and then when she settled down to start chewing, I had to take Minnie away.

I just think it’s so crazy that Sadie specifically wanted Minnie and not Mickey. The toys are absolutely identical in every way, except for their clothing. Did giving Sadie so many pink belongings and toys make her think that anything pink belongs to her? But she doesn’t try to claim my pink pillows or shoes or other random pink items around the house. So did she recognize that those were toys she should play with and then like the Minnie one better because it was pink?

This post is part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

    This post is also part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and Love is Being Owned By a Husky.