Fight or FIGHT

She paced around the backseat, restless from the middle of the drive. And then I looked in the rear-view mirror. And her ear and half of her face were pressed into Matt's cheek as Matt held her in a bear hug. She stayed there for five minutes and stopped whining. - Instant buddies.-

"Let me go in first, " we strategized, "and that way the first meeting isn't a husky running through the front door." I crept in to find my feline, purring and rubbing my legs.
"Oh buddy... how you're going to be horrified."
After a trip to the potty, I went back out to retrieve my husband and Dakota. Matt had found a neighbor to chat with and handed off Dakota to me. Since I consider myself to be of sound mind in most occasions, I decided to wait for the expertise of my husband before attempting the first meeting. With expectation of a hissing brawl followed by taring through the house and a dive under the box-spring, in we went. Matt had Dakota outside and I went inside first to find Cheddar wandering in the back of the house. With the normal routine of petting, he ran alongside of me as I walked from our room. "Buddy... you may want to go slower." He ran under the table for a second, doing the regular rounds, as I stepped outside. Then we all came in. And when Cheddar caught sight of Dakota the hair began to rise, the back hunched high, and the pupils got HUGE. He wouldn't take his eyes off of her as she pranced about the house on the leash. When she left the room with Matt, Cheddar followed, occasionally returning to me for reassurance through petting. But that brave little booger just kept right on following her down the hallway. But once we got to the hallway and she got too close.... HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
From then on, Cheddar backed himself into places (like under the table) and hissed at Dakota (which she interpreted as playing and bounced about) and Cheddar lunged at the dog 3 times his size. Flight was never an option in Cheddar's book. It was fight or FIGHT!

So now, nearing Monica's bedtime, Dakota finds herself "in bed" (her crate) and Cheddar is laying 3 feet away from her... in plain view.... just watching. With preparation to hunch up, hiss, and attack with little provoking.

Well, thus far no bloodshed. Now all we have to do is teach Cheddar not to lunge at Dakota and Dakota not to view Cheddar as a cheese-it. But as for today's work... Cheddar remains loving towards Matt and I. And Dakota hasn't outright attacked my kitty, so I'd consider it a success thus far.

We'll see about tomorrow...