Taking on the challenge
Adopting a shelter dog can be the most rewarding thing you will ever do. If you choose right, you can end up with a dog like my Buzz. He is simply one of the best dogs I have ever owned bar none.
On the flip side of that coin, you could end up with a challenge. I have had several challenges in my adult life which ran from the scared, timid, flight risk dog, to a dog who would rip your arm off if you did not belong to his pack.
Jinx, my shy girl, was adopted from Bishop Animal Shelter in Bradenton. She was about 5 months old and was sitting in the back of her kennel, shaking with fright as my son and I walked by. I knew by her actions she would never be adopted and I was determined to take her home. She was terrified of my ex-husband, terrified of strangers, terrified of storms, and scared of other dogs. She had been thrown from a car as a smaller puppy and her previous owner had been charged with animal abuse.
It took months to housebreak her and the only person she really trusted was me.
When Jinx was a little over a year old, I adopted a Rottweiler puppy who eventually turned into my other challenging dog, Jasper.
Jasper bonded with my ex and therein lay the problem. John wanted Jasper to dislike everyone so he began at an early age to teach Jasper to bark and growl at anything not of our household. This included strangers, my son's friends, other animals etc. The problem with teaching him those things and never socializing him, was he became so territorial, even people invited by me to the house were not safe.
On Anna Maria Island twentyfive years ago, both these challenging dogs ran loose at night when John left work as a pressman. He could control them both he was the only one. Jinx had never barked until Jasper came to live at our house. Jasper always considered Jinx his mom until the day she died.
When Jinx was about 7 years old, she developed a nose bleed and I took her to the vet. He wanted to treat her conservatively but told me most nose bleeds in a dog mean brain tumor. After a couple of weeks, she had a huge knot over her left eye and her nose was still bleeding. She was not eating and seemed to have difficulty in swallowing anything. I took her back in and the vet determined she had a soft cell tumor, which is not detectable on an ex-ray, growing from her head down her throat. I made the decision to have her euthanized to spare her any more suffering. Jinx had a great life with me, but she was a challenge.
Jasper continued to terrorize anyone who came in contact with him. This was not many people because most would simply not come to my house. This was okay with John because he didn't like most people.
When Jasper was 8 years old, perhaps a year after Jinx died, he developed pancreatic cancer and after almost 2 weeks in intensive care at the vet's office, was euthanized to end his suffering. John, of course, could not go with me because he was too upset.
Both of these dogs still hold a place in my heart as all my pets do. Both were challenging animals in different ways.
Do not hesitate to adopt a challenging dog. There are books and writings on dogs such as these and they can make wonderful pets. You just must contantly be aware of their issues and how to handle them.
On the flip side of that coin, you could end up with a challenge. I have had several challenges in my adult life which ran from the scared, timid, flight risk dog, to a dog who would rip your arm off if you did not belong to his pack.
Jinx, my shy girl, was adopted from Bishop Animal Shelter in Bradenton. She was about 5 months old and was sitting in the back of her kennel, shaking with fright as my son and I walked by. I knew by her actions she would never be adopted and I was determined to take her home. She was terrified of my ex-husband, terrified of strangers, terrified of storms, and scared of other dogs. She had been thrown from a car as a smaller puppy and her previous owner had been charged with animal abuse.
It took months to housebreak her and the only person she really trusted was me.
When Jinx was a little over a year old, I adopted a Rottweiler puppy who eventually turned into my other challenging dog, Jasper.
Jasper bonded with my ex and therein lay the problem. John wanted Jasper to dislike everyone so he began at an early age to teach Jasper to bark and growl at anything not of our household. This included strangers, my son's friends, other animals etc. The problem with teaching him those things and never socializing him, was he became so territorial, even people invited by me to the house were not safe.
On Anna Maria Island twentyfive years ago, both these challenging dogs ran loose at night when John left work as a pressman. He could control them both he was the only one. Jinx had never barked until Jasper came to live at our house. Jasper always considered Jinx his mom until the day she died.
When Jinx was about 7 years old, she developed a nose bleed and I took her to the vet. He wanted to treat her conservatively but told me most nose bleeds in a dog mean brain tumor. After a couple of weeks, she had a huge knot over her left eye and her nose was still bleeding. She was not eating and seemed to have difficulty in swallowing anything. I took her back in and the vet determined she had a soft cell tumor, which is not detectable on an ex-ray, growing from her head down her throat. I made the decision to have her euthanized to spare her any more suffering. Jinx had a great life with me, but she was a challenge.
Jasper continued to terrorize anyone who came in contact with him. This was not many people because most would simply not come to my house. This was okay with John because he didn't like most people.
When Jasper was 8 years old, perhaps a year after Jinx died, he developed pancreatic cancer and after almost 2 weeks in intensive care at the vet's office, was euthanized to end his suffering. John, of course, could not go with me because he was too upset.
Both of these dogs still hold a place in my heart as all my pets do. Both were challenging animals in different ways.
Do not hesitate to adopt a challenging dog. There are books and writings on dogs such as these and they can make wonderful pets. You just must contantly be aware of their issues and how to handle them.
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