Rescue dog : how long to bond?
martinca_gw sunset zone 24
7 years ago
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Comments (25)Now I'm angry! I went to meet Elmer at lunch ... he was in the lobby with a volunteer who was about to take him for a walk. We went into a meeting room instead and got to spend some time with him. He was a wonderful dog ... sweet, calm, loving, just wanted to be petted. So I went out to speak to the person at the window and told him I had put in an application for Elmer yesterday, and had come to meet him today. Another woman farther down asked my name, and when I told her she said she had just left me 2 messages and they had approved my application, and wanted me to adopt Elmer. I was thrilled. We talked about when they were open and how Saturday was a zoo, so i told her I would take the rest of the afternoon off of work and go home and get Lily and bring her back. That it would take me a couple of hours, but I would be back. She said great, he would be there for me. So I go back to work, tell them I'm taking the afternoon off, drive 40 minutes home ... get changed, take Lily out, get back in the truck with Lily and head back into the city. Arrive at the Buffalo City Animal Shelter 1.5 hours after I had first left. I walk to the counter and the same guy that was there and listening to our conversation earlier was at the counter. I said I'm back to do a meet and greet with Elmer, I brought my Lily to meet him. He says, he's gone. I said, excuse me? I told her, the woman at the other window I would be back and she said he was mine. That woman said, Oh good, you're back for Elmer ... they guy told her, he's gone ... she said, no, he can't be gone ... they all then disappear into the "Directors" office. Turns out, the Director wanted me to adopt him but didn't know I had shown up or responded to their phone call. So she went and adopted him out, within that 1.5 hours, to someone else. The other woman was flabergasted and I was pissed. Still am ... amazing amount of non-communication. And the guy at the counter was there during all the discussions, but obviously didn't say anything. The Director wouldn't even come out of the office and apologize ... I got a lame "sorry" from the guy. Can you tell I am still so angry? He was such a great dog, exactly the big furry, calm, mushy dog I'd been looking for. I'm giving up for a while ... too many other things going on in my life to keep dealing with these emotional ups and downs at the moment....See MoreHow long will I grieve my dog
Comments (19)I am so sorry for your loss. It takes a long time to get over such a loss. Sometimes I feel you never really do. I had a dog, Pal, a Collie Shepard mix, that had to be put to sleep when we were both 10 years old. We grew up together. When my older siblings picked on me I could go to her, hug her and cry and she would comfort me like I was her pup. I still think of her with a mix of good memories and sadness at her passing. That was 52 years ago. I have had lots of dogs since then and miss them all. It took 2 years of grieving for the last one before I got my current dog. I swore I would never go through that pain again and then I saw a picture of Elvira and couldn't resist. I call her my "Soul Mutt" because she has been the closest to me since my first dog. She is 13 and not in good health, we take it one day at a time. I don't know what I am going to do when I lose her. I know that is a part of having a bond with a dog but it is hard. I hope you start to feel better day by day. Clare...See MoreRescue dog regressing in housetraining...
Comments (6)I also adopted a dog with "issues." A one year old (now 3 yrs old) australian shepherd mix. i dont know what her story is but she tore up shoes, carpet, walls, cell phones, couches, and urinated, etc, for the first year. At first i punished her. I crated her (she tore up the crate), told her she was 'bad', etc. Well, I realized this wasnt helping. I was only increasing her anxiety. so i tried an indirect approach.We started obedience training and trick training (i read books about dogs with anxiety, watched other dog trainers, and talked to other dog owners). I ignored her bad behavior. I left her bags, old boxes, with treats in them for her to tear up. And she would either spend hours playing at the river, going on walks, or to an indoor uncaged doggie day care where she could get all her anxiety out. It helped her tremendously to have me leave her for a little while at a time and realize i was coming back. she was extremely shy at first but leaving her at the doggie day care increased her confidence ten fold. the obedience training let her know i was in charge and helped her feel more secure. Teaching her tricks helped me see how she thinks and learn to communicate with her in a fun and positive way. And one last change was I got her a cat to keep her company while I'm gone. Its been over a year since she's torn anything up or urinated in the house. My dog certainly needed training but i found out so did i. I know my dog well now. She's my baby and she was worth it. i hope you have luck with your puppy....See Morethis rescue dog is working out!!!
Comments (18)shannon, her ears ARE like velvet! and yes, i am so lucky, she's just a perfect dog and at only 2 years old, hopefully she will have many, many more years. i took her to pet supplies plus today to meet the employees who love my other dane. she is still a bit timid around new people and new places but she warmed up to them with a couple of cookies. left there and went to the big park for a walk, just the 2 of us. i was walking her by the bandstand where an elderly man was sitting on the steps reading the morning paper. he asked if he could pet my pony so i asked him to stay seated and we would approach. i sat down next to him and explained that swee' pea is a rescue dog, ignored pretty much for the last year of her life and we should wait to see if she decided she wanted to be petted by him. so, we ignored her. after 10 minutes, she couldn't stand it, leaned over across me to sniff his hand and ended up with some nice ear scritches. :) she's come a long way in just 3 days, has a little more to go before she's entirely comfortable with new things but she is making great progress. thank you, glad you all like her!...See Moremartinca_gw sunset zone 24
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7 years agochristine 5b
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