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Cats are basically bullies that a lot of dogs, especially the big ones, seem to put up with sort of fairly willingly...
ExTra-
When he was an adolescent he had no idea how to deal with the cats, especially the fiercer one. She had this idea that if anything startled her or annoyed her it must be the dog's fault and would attack him without hesitation. One time my dad was visiting and knocked a chair over and she launched herself across the room and attached her claws to his nose and had him yelping in pain even though he was nowhere near the chair.
As he got a bit bigger he put himself into a peacekeeper role to stop infighting between the cats or any aggressive behaviour from them. If he heard any hissing or yowling he'd be in the room like a shot and putting himself between them, and would sometimes pin them against walls with his head if they wouldn't back down.
squidink
Years ago when I had two cats and a chunky labrador in the house I used to get up in the night for a drink if I couldn't sleep, and the smaller cat would have stolen the dog's massive bed and made it impossible for him to get in by spreading out across the centre. He'd be lying on the cold kitchen floor and would look at me beseechingly until I picked the cat up to drape him across the back of the sofa. The cat would always be totally boneless and would barely wake up during this.
The cat was totally in love with the dog and would always nuzzle into him and lick the top of his head so I don't think it was a malicious move; sadly the feelings weren't reciprocated.