Leader of the pack

We are dog-sitting for our friend's dog until Sunday. The dog, Ginger, is a wonderful dog. She is a pit bull mix and a very sweet dog. She arrived last night and we began the slow process of acclimating her to our dog. It became apparent very quickly that both of these dogs are alpha females. Uh oh. We had a small fight last night, but nothing major. This morning, however, was a different story.

I imagine having two dogs is similar to having children. I got up, put one dog outside while I fed the other, then switched them (I don't mean that you need to put your kids outside to eat, but stay with me here). With our single dog, I know that I can get up and make coffee, feed Millie and then go out for a walk. With two, the whole situation changes and becomes twice as complicated.

After both had eaten it was time for a walk. Steven got up and volunteered to help with the walks. Millie, our dog, had her leash on and was near the front door and Ginger came over and bowed to Millie (according to Steven, I looked away for a split second). Well, Millie got pissed and barked and Ginger. Ginger barked back. Before I knew it, both dogs were on each other, snarling and causing a big ruckus, with me standing in the middle. I grabbed Millie's collar and pulled her back, but that bitch is strong. She continued to fight! Steven took control and calmed the dogs down. I think all our hearts were racing and it was only 7 am. Ugh.

When we returned from the uneventful walk (except that no dog would poop), we noticed that Ginger had a bite on her ear from earlier. Not a bad bite, but a bite nonetheless. Millie is in her crate during the day and Ginger, who doesn't have a crate, is in our guest room, sleeping on the bed. She is a little whiny. We hope she cuts that out. She could sleep in our room, but that doesn't seem fair to Millie. Should I be worried about "fair" with dogs?

We have almost 5 days left. Steven thinks they will become friends. I'm not so sure. Giant bitches don't become friends overnight. If we have to separate them we will, but, boy, this could be a long week if things don't change!