On YouTube, I watched a video that must’ve been filmed on the grounds of a doggy day care facility, possibly somewhere in Latin America. Two dark-skinned, dark-haired men stand watching the dogs, who, except for one hyperactive husky, are all playing nicely. The husky, however, won’t get control of himself. The men watch without intervening as the husky rampages, bumping into dogs, mounting, and otherwise challenging them. The well-socialized dogs ignore him and move away.

The husky zeroes in on a long-haired German shepherd female who seems cowed. He starts to mount her. Instantly, a huge male German shepherd lopes over, knocks the husky to the ground, and straddles him. The shepherd stands over him, not looking at him, not showing any aggression. In fact, the shepherd looks around as if he’s captivated by the surrounding scenery. After a few minutes, when the husky has settled into calm, the big shepherd ambles off.

I watched this video through tears. The beauty of the shepherd’s unflappable discipline of the husky thrilled me. He made that dog understand he could not continue his disruptive behavior, and he did it without a flicker of teeth, without a growl.

Wise, imperturbable leadership is rare, even in the dog world.