I write about my dog adventures on this blog and I'm so glad I have a place to vent.
Months ago I made friends with another dog lover, a person who has rescued three dogs - Small, Medium, and Large - non shedding ones like mine. In each case, at the City Shelter, he was told he was the last chance for the dog. When my dog and me first met these dogs, lead by Small, they could bark while we talked for over an hour. My dog was calm throughout. Finally, he said he thought, if we spent more time together with the dogs, they would calm down. It worked. Now, when we visit these dogs, me and my dog are not the recipients of their outrage. I can also leave her with the other dogs at his house for a couple hours so we can go out without them.
I accepted to dog sit for him when he went on vacation. We didn't even discuss money and I was happy when he did come back with a gift and a stipend and truth is, I sort of welcomed a new environment by the sea for a week. By the end of that week the dogs were walking well with me. In the morning when I called them to go out, they all ran down the stairs, even Small, who slept in bed with me every night. Despite trying to keep to his feeding and walking schedule for them there was one problem. They all pooped on the carpet. Small pooped on the carpet a lot. I picked up and spotted but when he came home he had to steam clean the carpet.
So this last week, when again dog sat for him, I thought I was prepared. I brought with me reading and research I wanted to organize and promised myself that I was going to go to the beach at least once and also would get a good facial. I also had the personal goal of making it through the week with no pooping or peeing on the carpet by any of them.
Small had lost his fangs recently and was being spoon fed. He hid for the first 12 hours and then ate a mush I made using the blender, a combo of white rice, green beans, and dry kibble that I read about on the Internet when I looked up how to feed an old toothless dog. After that he began to eat like it was going out of style, eagerly lapping up smooshed wet food. At least he wasn't going to die on my watch.
All went well until day 5. No pooping or peeing on the carpet. I was getting exhausted though. I had not done any of the things I planned to do or brought with me because the needs of Small, Medium, and Large were so different. These dogs like me but they didn't especially respect me. When he walks them they all go at Small's pace. I was trying to team them in terms of their size and walking needs with my dog. It was like they had collaborated to go in different directions and I found myself in the middle of the street with one to the east and the other to the west, my arms aching and leashes wrapped around my ankles. I was so proud of my dog though because she is getting old but regular exercise has meant that she can outpace them.
I had met a friend of his once or twice but am not the friend with this other man myself. He showed up and dropped off his dog. No one had asked me if I minded yet another dog. And this one is a shedder.
The man was supposed to come back and bring dog food. He didn't. I had heard that this dog - called a "Puppy" - was tormenting Medium. I had seen Medium give into him, just laying belly up on the sofa already, not wanting to fight. The Puppy started nipping Medium on her mouth and my dog got mad and gave a sharp loud warning bark. Puppy looked terrified and ran away and hid. Hours later he crept down the stairs to nip at her again and this time she growled. It was probably the first time she had ever stood up for herself, I thought empowered by my dog's feelings. I also said NO! Puppy ran up the stairs and hid.
Now I never go into my friend's bedroom or study, but Small and Puppy did. When time to walk or feed came up, well, I couldn't blame Puppy because his owner does not train him or socialize him. I called his name for food, for treats, for a walk. He didn't show.
I've begun to think these people who think reprimanding a dog or teaching him to behave is abuse are crazy. Don't they know that puppyhood is the time to begin training? Have they somehow never encountered a book on training dogs or heard of Dog Whisperers?
Puppy apparently waited until I was sleeping and went wild around the house. My friend was due to return in the morning and when I got up there was shit everywhere, several places on the carpet, on the sofa covers, and it was evil shit. My heart fell.
He came home and I told him, all the dogs had been with me, Small in bed with me, even Large had taken to sleeping on the floor next to me. The shit was Puppy's. He mildly accused me of having "Done Something" to the dog. I explained that my dog had barked at Puppy when he nipped Medium in the mouth and so on, but my friend was very quiet. I started thinking about being disrespected by having this other dog put into my care as well. I mentioned that the friend had not shown up with dog food either. My friend loaded up the carpet steamer right away and started working on the carpet, not speaking. Since he has just spent the night flying across country, this was not what he wanted to come home to.
This time the stipend and gift were nice but I also decided that, if asked to dog sit again, I will decline. My friend would have spent hundreds of dollars to kennel these dogs for a week. They would have been in an environment that could have freaked them out rather in the comfort of their home and neighborhood. To kennel them he would have had to take them all to the vets for vaccinations required by kennels, which here in Southern California generally expect dogs to be licensed and have all their usual vaccinations including Bordetella as well as flea treatments .
When we got home, my dog and I fell asleep. We fell asleep again in the afternoon. I woke to the sun shining through the window onto the bed. Our eyes met. She smiled, walked over to me and licked my face. I knew what she was thinking!
So good to be home and just the two of us at last!
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