Grayson- Greatest Impact to Aidan’s Loss of Leadership

While it is difficult to watch Aidan’s lack of confidence, it is even more challenging for staff to observe the impact of Aidan’s loss of leadership on one of his #1 allies, Grayson.  Since the 2016 introduction, Grayson has been more timid and his lack of confidence was a target for Denali and Boltz to assert their dominance.  But, Aidan was always there to intervene or to give Grayson a social greeting in the most tense of circumstances.  This helped Grayson form some strong social bonds and gain the confidence to mature into adulthood. But, without Aidan, life has changed for Grayson.  The impact is broader than not having an advocate or allie during a pack focus; In Aidan’s reduced leadership role, Axel’s has received less dominance and has less consequences to his behavioral testing.  Without boundaries, he is asserting himself with more intensity and as you can see from this photo, Grayson is responding with threat displays that match that intensity.