“Choose faith over
worry.”
If I ever write a novel it will be called “Ursula’s Dogs.” One of the themes will
be how people, like rescued dogs, only begin to show their true nature once
they feel safe and become completely comfortable. Sometimes that true nature is
a pleasant surprise; other times it’s the equivalent of getting in the garbage
or chewing a favorite pair of shoes.
I started thinking about this book years ago after adopting
the first of several “Ursula dogs” we’ve had over the years. (“Ursula dogs” are
rescues taken in by Barrow’s infamous animal savior, Ursula Miller, now turned
non-profit organization Pup & Cat Co.) The dog’s name was Purdy and she was
a delight, until she settled in. Then she started chewing – only expensive
things like eyeglasses, small electronics, larger electronics, TV remotes, cell
phones, etc. She would only do it on the sly and had a remarkable ability to
destroy without making a sound. Her favorite time to strike was when we were
asleep.
Ruining Mr. Clark’s portable computer was the last straw; Purdy
had to go. So, I found her a home on a farm with an older woman who said she had
so few electronics she wasn’t worried about Purdy’s bad habit. I assume their story
had a happy ending because I never heard from either of them again.
Since then, we’ve had many rescued animals and like Purdy
and Ursula’s other dogs, they all start out happy, humble and thankful, then as
the “honeymoon period” (as my sister the dog trainer calls it) wears off, the
quirks emerge…Sounds sort of like some of the men (or women) you’ve known,
right?
My most recent rescue is a smallish Yellow Lab named Petey. I adopted him because he’s seven and has arthritis
and is heartworm positive, which means his chances of finding a “forever home” were
pretty slim. He was picked up as a stray and was at the shelter for three
months before I found him. Poor boy! His time was almost up.
Because we have cats, part of the pre-adoption process was taking
Petey into the cat room at the shelter to see what he
did. Nothing is what he did - absolutely no reaction to cats at all. However,
the moment we walked into our house, Petey took off
after one of our cats and it was not in a playful way; it was in an “I want to
kill you!” way. Wow! Not even a “honeymoon period” with Petey.
Hour one and his dark secret is already revealed…(This
could be because I didn’t get him from Ursula; it could also have something to
do with his name, which just happens to be what we call the mischievous ghost
who makes an occasional appearance at our house.)
Anyway, long story short, my sister gave me a stringent
training program for Petey and it seems to be
working. I have to correct him with “Leave it!” every time he shows interest in
a cat. This is followed by “Look!” and a hand signal telling him to make eye
contact; then he gets a treat. Because Petey is very interested
in cats and our cats, belligerent creatures that they are, tempt Petey almost constantly, I’m going through bags of dog
teats at an alarming rate, especially since the other dogs have learned to
“Look!” which means treats all around!
Petey also has to be on a leash anytime
the cats aren’t safely locked away. In the interest of getting a few things
done, I keep Petey carabiner’d
to my belt loop…Answer the door with a dog carabiner’d
to my waist? No crazy here; none at all.
We’re not sure how this is going to turn out, so Petey’s currently listed as one of Ursula’s dogs on the Pup
& Cat Co. website. Dear as he is, and as good a boy as he is in all other
ways, I can’t help but wonder if Petey might have a more
pleasant life in a cat-free home…
Another of “Ursula’s dogs” just had a very happy ending to
his sad story. Buddy, a beautiful, smart, pure-bred German Shepherd
fell on hard times and ended up at Animal Control when he was only one. Ursula
rescued him, but Buddy, like Petey, likes to chase
things. He also wasn’t very friendly to other dogs, so he never found a foster
home. Harriet, the kind owner of a local kennel, took Buddy in and kept him –
for two years.
We featured Buddy time and time again in the Barrow Journal Pets of the Week, but no
one seemed to want to take on such a young, strong, enthusiastic dog. Then,
something wonderful happened. The Oglethorpe County Sheriff’s Department chose Buddy
to be trained as a school “resource dog.” “Officer Buddy” will work and live
with a human officer, spending week days patrolling schools and the rest of his
time as a beloved and well-trained pet.
“Sometimes it takes a while, but that’s what fostering is
all about,” Harriett said…Ursula and her lucky dogs…Maybe “Officer Buddy’s” honeymoon
period will never end.
