Personally, as one who dearly loves her, I believe it's a bit of both. Having said that, I also believe that she is addicted to her growing flock of waddling followers. She is codependent to the point of directing a goodly portion of the family allotment of bread in a fowl direction. I imagine that you are concerned about this situation as you begin to play the scenarios out in your mind. After all, Cloak is a dog.
Dogs do what dogs do.
That's their job. Thus, when a being of any description comes remotely close to the trailer, even though they are walking on the public roadway, Cloak has to growl and prowl and test the strength of his metal tether. This is particularly the case since Ellen has taken to dropping the bread closer to the trailers and now the ducks have free range of the deck. This is an area, by the way, that Cloak would love to reside on as part of the family proper. But herein is the amazing part of watching this entire drama unfold.