Post by fureverywhere on Sept 10, 2014 14:50:53 GMT -5
Isn't it bittersweet how in tune we get with our problem doggies? We've had Sophie for eight years now. She was fearful and neurotic from the beginning, made vast improvements for her, then progressed backwards again. She went from seeing other dogs and barking hysterically...then tolerating them for a few years...then the attacking started...she can never be around other dogs again.
She was always timid with people outside family. No changes there. But you learn to live with their personalities. You've made a lifetime commitment to love them and you do. But it also means avoiding the everyday things that set them off and never being able to truly relax when you have them in public. A sturdy leash and sturdier mindset and lots of patience to keep them safe.
But then you find that special dog. No quirks, fearless, stable, easygoing, well-adjusted, almost bomb-proof. Callie's philosophy of life would be he doesn't have anything to fear. He can make friends with it, confront it, pee on it, or ignore it, but there's really no situation worth getting excited about. We took him out the other afternoon.
Panera is a local sandwich chain with an outside patio. The surrounding stores are all dog friendly. I brought lunch from home for him. He laid beside my chair and had his meal n' politely shared ours. People and other dogs strolled by and he just watched. A full tummy and the breeze in his ears, life is good. Then I walked into different stores. He wagged and smiled at everyone that approached.
Something really cool that I noticed. In some of the more crowded aisles there were some folks who instinctively saw a friendly dog to pet. I know there must have been some people mixed in there that saw him coming and thought "AIEEEEE!!!", but when they saw others crowded around showing the love they realized he was harmless. Ditto for other dogs, he sniffs, he wags and walks on his merry way, no problem.
Maybe he's just an average well-balanced doggie, but for us this is brand new. I can't say enough about my handsome man!
She was always timid with people outside family. No changes there. But you learn to live with their personalities. You've made a lifetime commitment to love them and you do. But it also means avoiding the everyday things that set them off and never being able to truly relax when you have them in public. A sturdy leash and sturdier mindset and lots of patience to keep them safe.
But then you find that special dog. No quirks, fearless, stable, easygoing, well-adjusted, almost bomb-proof. Callie's philosophy of life would be he doesn't have anything to fear. He can make friends with it, confront it, pee on it, or ignore it, but there's really no situation worth getting excited about. We took him out the other afternoon.
Panera is a local sandwich chain with an outside patio. The surrounding stores are all dog friendly. I brought lunch from home for him. He laid beside my chair and had his meal n' politely shared ours. People and other dogs strolled by and he just watched. A full tummy and the breeze in his ears, life is good. Then I walked into different stores. He wagged and smiled at everyone that approached.
Something really cool that I noticed. In some of the more crowded aisles there were some folks who instinctively saw a friendly dog to pet. I know there must have been some people mixed in there that saw him coming and thought "AIEEEEE!!!", but when they saw others crowded around showing the love they realized he was harmless. Ditto for other dogs, he sniffs, he wags and walks on his merry way, no problem.
Maybe he's just an average well-balanced doggie, but for us this is brand new. I can't say enough about my handsome man!
I look forward to learning much here