Toffee The Akita Dog's Friends - Sultan: A Life in Pictures

I met Sultan the Irish Blue Staffordshire Bull Terrier in early 2015 and we immediately became the best of friends. We would often be seen out together in the pubs of Wallasey and New Brighton sharing food, water and treats, or just cuddling up together. Sometimes we even let our owners come with us.

This is me and Sultan side-by-side.

This is me and Sultan top-to-tail.

This is me and Sultan face-to-face.¹

¹Dogs often find that meeting face-to-face is uncomfortable and confrontational when they approach another dog. This is one of the reasons why they often greet one another with lots of bottom sniffing first. They can also learn a lot about the other dog through smell in this way. You could call it doggie etiquette to take the trouble to get to know another dog like this. This is why when one dog approaches another face first this might not be regarded as friendly behaviour and could even result in a falling out. Toffee and Sultan knew each other so well though that they were largely beyond such formalities. Nonetheless, a well-socialised dog is almost always one that takes the trouble to say hello from behind first before greeting another dog face-to-face.