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STRAY

23 July 2016, 07:17

Stray Dog Project: Part One

This is the situation. This poor dog has been hanging around our neighborhood for a week now, and Friday night came running up to me. She had some injuries like she had been attacked, so I decided I couldn’t let her go otherwise she’d get even more injuries or possibly killed. I took her in and found out that she gets along with all dogs and cats very sweetly, but one of my dogs is terribly territorial and a giant A-hole and will take to attacking her for no good reason. So she’s been sequestered in one room of the house with the others in the rest of the house. It’s a giant dance of sorts to take everybody out to potty and such. If I had a chainlink between the acre in front and the two in back, I could let her live out front until I found her a home. The longer she stays here, the more of a chance something awful will happen, an accident where hurley gets loose, where this poor dog would get even more injured. She doesn’t have an instinct to fight back, only to lie down. I took her to the vet this morning to treat her leg and she didn’t have a chip, and the injuries were fairly superficial so she’s got antibiotic and pain killers. I would keep her, or foster her until I found her family, except one of my dogs wants to eat her. I need to find her family or a foster/sanctuary for her. I would be willing to foot the bill for food and her medical, she just needs a safe place to stay. I’d be willing to fund her care for a while. She deserves a real shot. She was someone pet, and a quite wonderful one at that. She’s been a remarkable dog staying here, and when she does get a chance to get out of the room and interact with the two dogs that AREN’T trying to kill her, she’s becoming happier and more social.

This is what I know about her. She’s a black lab mix with white on her chest and whispy white on her paws and tip of her tail. She’s about 0-1 years old. She’s very well behaved and afraid (but growing less afraid). She’s kind with kittens and cats, and wary of dogs, but interested in making friends. I think she’s just afraid they’ll attack her. She’s house broken and calm.

I’ve taken her in, she’s went to the vet and I’m trying to create some solution here.

Haven’t seen her poop, yet.

Stray Dog Project: Part Two

Hurley has been wanting to get a hold of this dog ever since he’s see her, and I don’t know why. She’s taller than him but is UBER submissive and very frightened of everything. It’s like the instinct to fight back is gone in her. Easley weighs 40 lbs less than Hurley but will take him on like some crazy dog. This dog is 52 and is so gentle and starting to come out of her shell.

Why THIS dog, Hurley? Because she’s injured or has weakness? Jealousy? Territorial? It’s better today than it was yesterday. Yesterday, I couldn’t GET Hurley to calm down. Now I can. It’s a struggle. I’m attached to this dog (where have we heard this before?). I want her to have a good home and got a TON of folks posting and what not to help me. It will take time, but at this point, I am vacillating on whether to take her to the humane society.

There’s a nanoparticle of progress. Got both dogs in the same room together and Hurley the asshole relaxed a bit. I think I’m going to get a heavy duty muzzle. this might take a while but I might get them to get along. I just need her to be safe so the muzzle will insure that Doug can handle the dogs and there won’t be any serious trouble. Doug isn’t as fearless as I am when it comes to dealing with dog fights and seriousness. I need him at least a little on board with me if I’m going to make this work. I don’t know if I“m doing the right thing by trying to keep her in this environment. I don’t know if I’m just endangering her just so I don’t feel bad. Or am I just delusional when I think this could work. I’m not really thinking too straight.

This is what I’m trying at the moment to get the Hurley situation resolved. Doug keeps saying “Well, lets rehome Hurley…” Oh my lord. Hurley has been with us 2 years, and we’ve been through some trials with him and his issues. No other owner would devote what we devote to Hurley. He’s piss somebody off, and then get put to sleep. Nope. Not an option. If I owned this house, I’d fence off the back and Lila (what I’ve named the dog) would live in the front.

Not sure what to do next. But at least I have a plan. And that has stopped me from bawling. I do feel the chest pressure I get from stress though.

And I still haven’t see the dog poop yet.

Stray Dog Project: Part Three

Stray Dog Project: Part Three

Woke up once in the middle of the night to let the new dog out to potty and early this morning. Let the two non-pyschotic dogs out with her. The swelling of her leg has reduced and I saw her wag her tail as Easley greeted her. Easley, for all her neurosis, is an amazing dog, and maybe they bond over the fact they both have issues. Easley has quit trying to dominate her and has read the fact that this dog is afraid of everything. Easley approaches gently and Lila (the name I am calling her) wags her tail and sometimes follows her.

This morning she walked the yard and did her thing. Sophie gave her little growls when Lila passes. Sophie, being more aggressive gives little growls at her. Not sure if she’s attempting to remind her of her pack status, warning her, or just trying to talk to her. Sophie has a habit of growling to talk to people. She’ll sit and do growls when she knows you have food and she wants some. She’ll growl when she wants attention. She’ll growl when she wants to talk. Sophie is less in tune with the dog, so Lila is wary of her. But I saw Lila bound after both of them wanting to play, but then running back with Sophie on her heels because Sophie plays rough.

Today, going to get Hurley a heavy duty muzzle. He’s going to be wearing it a lot. I really want Doug to get on board with some of this desensitization training, because this is important to me but I have to make it as issue free as possible for him. He doesn’t have my reaction to dog trouble that I do. I have non-thinkingly jumped in the middle of dog fights, gotten injured, and have generally been fearless in that regards. This is an extraordinary gift I have. If we get a muzzle for Hurley, then all Doug has to do is control his movement and paws. Right now I get a hold of a big handful of neck skin and use the other hand to keep his mouth closed. With the muzzle, you don’t have to keep a constant death grip on him and one of Hurley weapons have been neutralized so if the unthinkable happens and Hurley gets loose and goes after her, he can only scratch her up.

I’ve noticed that Hurley has gotten really really fat. He nearly had a heart attack or heat stroke running up and down the fence barking at something. And Lila is very fast. She’s tall, lanky and has long legs. And she’s still rather skitty, so she flinches at everything.

I’m not sure if I’m doing the right thing. I’m not a dog behaviorist. I’ve read a ton, and googled some. The internet just tell you general causes of aggression, and I found one thing saying how to deal with it, but no hands on explanations of what to do or how what I’m doing might effect the dogs.

If I weren’t working and staying at home, I could devote a lot of time to this, because I think the main ingredient to making this work is time (and effort). I’m not a dog rescuer. Okay. I’ve rescued a bunch but I’m sure I’ve done it wrong. And I don’t have a ton of money. The money I was saving up for things (a car, a working iphone, maybe a house) suddenly becomes dog money. If she finds a good home, or she finds a home here, it will all be worth it. Doug will go nuts, but I’m really less concerned with that…

And I think she may have pooped today.

Stray Dog Project: Part Four

So I bought Hurley the asshole a muzzle today (there’s a better one coming Friday). It was ill fitting and he was miserable. He still wanted to get poor Lila.

That was terribly frustrating, but if I get a good working muzzle, at least Lila will be able to roam the house a bit freer than she does not.

What was just heartbreaking is how over the moon happy she was when she was allowed to come into the bedroom with Doug and the dogs. She was whimpering and barking at Hurley, the type of bark that was just asking him to accept her. I was so crestfallen when I saw that Hurley was still horrible to her. I don’t understand it. I’m wondering if it is jealousy. This dog is such a joy to watch as she blooms. She was so scared and timid when I got her. Her fear overwhelmed her, her physical wounds caused her pain, and she was not a dog as so much as a slave to misery.

These last two days, I’ve seen this dog sleep in a safe place and start to venture out into the yard. I’ve seen her start to try and play with my dogs (the ones that aren’t out to kill her). She’s regaining a sense of herself and becoming brave. I’ve seen her become happy and feel safe.

It’s almost killing me that I can’t make all this work, so that we can have her here until I find a good home for her. Doug is just bitching and moaning about the disruption, and always expect that things shouldn’t be hard, or inconvenient.

I’m wanting so bad to find her a home because she deserves it. It’s not that she deserves it more than any other dog, or person or whatever. She deserves it, because with a little work on my part, I can give it to her. I can give her happiness and hopefully a forever home filled with love and dog treats.

Right now, I’m just at a loss how I’m going to do it. I’m being pressured by Doug to make things normal again, so he’s not inconvenienced. He’s saying that I just need to drop her off at the humane society.

I’m just so afraid to do that. I know the humane society does good work. But she is just beginning to trust people, and not be so afraid of everything, and I don’t know what taking her to a loud, giant kennel with screaming dogs and possibly days filled with loneliness will do to her. There is just something inside me that is involuntary that makes me physically ill and psychological irrational when it comes to her. I want to save her. I NEED to save her. I have to save her.

I’m willing to pay for her food, and her medical for her foster family. I’m willing to drive her hundred miles away to wherever her potential forever home is. I don’t know what is pushing me inside to care this much. Doug says we’ve saved a stray, we did our part. To me, there is no quota I meet that let’s me say “I’m done, I don’t need to try.”

So right now, I’ve had a setback, and I’m feeling really bad and sort of sick.

But, I saw her poop today.