“A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours…He taught us the art of unqualified love. How to give it, how to accept it. Where there is that, most other pieces fall into place.” – John Grogan, Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog
I like to think things happen for a reason, but sometimes that reason is pretty hard to see. Yet another rescue dog has landed in my life and though she seems nice enough, I’m having trouble viewing her addition to our pack as a good thing.
The dog’s name is Shadie partly because she’s a bit of a shady character with an obviously checkered past. Also, she seemed to have no response at all to Chewy – the name her owner gave when he turned her in at animal control. He said Chewy is eight and that’s all we know about her.
A black, medium-sized dog, Shadie has tall German Shepherd-like ears, a curly tail, and her belly looks like she’s had many litters of pups. She was flea-ridden, heart worm positive and needs to be spayed. That’s the only kind of rescue the good Lord sends me…
Shadie sat dejected and sad at the animal shelter for nearly a month without generating any interest. Clearly depressed, she lay there ears flat, tail never thumping, barely looking at passersby. She wouldn’t even take a treat; it was as if she’d given up and was waiting to die.
When her last day was approaching, a Facebook plea by shelter volunteers generated 245 Likes, 28 Shares and a financial pledge from a woman in Canada for any person/rescue that would save Shadie. In spite of all this, only one adopter came forward and that fell through late on Shadie’s last day.
That evening a friend I’d hoped would fall in love with Shadie (but didn’t) called, saying she’d found a permanent foster situation, so, acting for a local rescue, I pulled Shadie from the shelter and took her to the vet. During Shadie’s “freedom ride” (as rescue people say) she jumped out of the car and took off running. Thankfully, a quick and kind woman grabbed her leash and with much cajoling and a box of treats, I was able to get Shadie back in the car.
Later, at the permanent foster’s house, Shadie started showing her true colors. She didn’t like to be touched and was very wary around people. She paced back and forth nervously, stopping only long enough to slobber water on the deck. She wouldn’t eat, she didn’t know how to go up and down stairs, and she had no house manners at all. Paws on the counter, tip the trash can over, pace some more, then run back outside…
Those people returned Shadie the next day, saying there was nothing about her that would allow her to fit in. My friend, feeling guilty about overselling Shadie to her failed first foster, agreed to give the dog a try. She lasted there almost a week, but by the time they called to say Shadie couldn’t stay - not even the rest of the day – her nervous energy had driven them crazy. They said Shadie seemed to want to please, but had no idea how to do that and so was getting more neurotic every day.
It was becoming clear that Shadie was unadoptable. Whatever her prior life involved had rendered her unable to act like a normal dog. Upon hearing the second foster failed, the rescue turned her over to me, so she became my dog and I didn’t want her - not at all.
In desperation, I called my friend, Hank, a dog whisperer, and asked him to come assess Shadie and see if there was anything in her worth saving. Apparently Shadie is very sensitive to energy, because Hank’s calm, gentle but firm pack leader energy put her at ease almost immediately. Within an hour she was settled in with my pack, exploring her new yard and house, in a surprisingly normal way. Hank proclaimed her “a good dog, a smart dog, a dog that, with a little work, will be just fine.” And, so my adventure with Shadie began.
A quick Google search revealed that Shadie looks like a black version of an Australian Dingo – a very smart, very active, usually wild dog. A little more research indicated an American version lives wild in the swamps and forests of Georgia and S. Carolina. And, the very behaviors that make Shadie so unnerving to be around are explained by the traits of the Dixie Dingo or Carolina Dog.
Used to fending for themselves, these dogs are intelligent, alert, active and very attentive to their surroundings. They live in packs, so have strong cooperative instincts. They are perceptive, not destructive and rarely show aggression. They retain their “puppy energy” well into old age.
While Dixie Dingos can and do bond with humans, they are also aloof, wary, shy with strangers and slow to warm up. Once they do bond, however, they have a high need to be with their pack (dogs or human) in familiar surroundings. They don’t adapt to change well and often can’t be rehomed or even boarded out.
These dogs need a lot of exercise and bore quickly. One site described Dixie Dingos as “challenging and their high energy disconcerting until you learn not to be apprehensive about the way they behave.” Bingo! Ms. Dingo.
The saving grace is the dogs are eager to please and learn very quickly. All it takes is natural authority and consistent, confident enforcement of the rules using kindness, patience and a firm but gentle hand…Well, that’s probably the reason Shadie ended up with me. My pack is full of hard luck rescue cases and I rule with a wobbly weak hand. There’s nothing about me that says Pack Leader and my dogs take full advantage of that, which, as dog people know, is no way for dogs or their human to live. Apparently, if Shadie the Dixie Dingo’s going to make it, she’ll need a strong pack leader in me…
So far we’re making progress. She follows me everywhere and seems to reflect my energy. The sheer weariness that comes from having a dog underfoot and in near constant motion has me doing a better job of staying calm and focused, because when I am Shadie will sit or even lie down. I have to be firm with her, which means I’m firm with the rest of the pack and they seem to benefit from that. And all dogs love long daily walks.
Hank says it takes two weeks for a dog to settle in and feel comfortable enough for its true personality to emerge…Sounds like in Shadie’s case, if I can provide the leadership she needs, watching her personality bloom will be a good thing. At the very least, the other dogs will benefit from me regaining control…As my daughter-in-law says, “What a hot mess.”
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