Jessica Talley got her dog Ernie from Fur Baby Rescue in Blaine, Washington and when she and her boyfriend James brought him home, he was top dog. Ernie is a Shih Tzu and not large (though Jessica describes him as "chunky") but he knew he was in charge in the house. At least at first. "When we first got him he walked in there like I am top dog. End of story (...) and he was for a really long time," Jessica said.

Ernie has a move that Jessica calls his "bullfighter" in which he puffs out his chest, holds up his head, growls and paws the ground. This came as a surprise to the dog they already had, Oscar who is a Bichon/Maltese mix.

"Oscar doesn't have the social skills that Ernie does, with his puppy mill history. He didn't understand what was going on other than this little dog is growling at me and I better do what he says," Jessica explained.

But that changed.

"At some point, Oscar being about six times smarter than Ernie, learned 'Oh! This is how you assert dominance' and now, Oscar has taken over as top dog. He's the big dude on campus. He's smarter, faster and stronger," Jessica recounted.

Both dogs eat a special diet of Natural Balance from VCA Animal Hospital and a few vegetables here and there.
They are now good friends and don't fight much except over one thing. "Mommy Time" as Jessica described it is a source of occasional conflict. It comes down to who sits closer to her face. "I've had a couple of small dog fights right by my face, " Jessica said laughing.

When she goes out of town she takes the dogs to Muttley's in the Admiral District and she was told that they could not get Oscar to do anything they wanted. Until the got Ernie to do it. Go in a cage? If Ernie did it first, Oscar was fine with it. Apparently these two adopted dogs have made each other a trusted member of each other's family too.

How to nominate your pet for Pet of the Week:

Want to nominate your pet for Pet of the Week? Stop by the VCA West Seattle Animal Hospital at 5261 California Ave. S.W. and just ask for a form. A nomination is not a guarantee of appearance and your name and photo may appear in our newspaper and online.

Photos may or may not be used and our "Pet Reporter" may be in touch with you to arrange to take a photo. Pets nominated will be chosen on the basis of uniqueness of the pet and the quality of the story and information submitted.