Lately it seems that being a dog mom is as much work as taking care of children. Maybe it is because the dogs in our family are a bit “challenged”.
Winston
I adopted my Bichon Winston almost 4 years ago, when he was a year old. Winston came from an abusive home where he spent little time outside of his kennel. He had absolutely no social skills and was a nervous wreck. On the first day he barked non-stop, it wasn’t until bed time that things changed for him. When I picked him up and put him on my bed to sleep there was first confusion, but then a calming came over him. Winston had obviously never slept in a bed before now. He snuggled up next to my pillows and slept through the night, which has been his refuge for the last four years.
Immediately, I signed Winston up for puppy training at our local pet store. Within five minutes of the first class the trainer asked us to leave. I cannot believe we were kicked out of
puppy class! Winston was a bad dog and would need one-on-one training. Training Winston was a big challenge for both me and the trainer. Winston was labeled as her most difficult student, to date. But we did not give up on him. Week after week we saw a little more progress. After 2 months of hard work, Winston was ready to try being around other dogs. I’ll never forget how proud I was that first time I was able to walk him through the pet store. He did pee on an end cap, but he mostly kept his composure which was all I could ask for. It wasn’t long before Winston and I were spending weekends at the dog park.
Winston still has a few issues. He suffers from OCD and has some weird behaviors like compulsive licking. It is really bad at night when he spends hours licking the sheets. Our veterinarian deemed Winston as being hyperactive and suggested Prozac for him. Reluctantly I tried it but it did not seem to help him any. Winston also suffers from IBS and was on a prescription, low-residue diet for a long time. We now cook all of his food for him, but I’ll tell you more about that later. Recently, he has become “anal retentive” and it’s pretty bad. Not to be gross, but he will literally squeeze the poop back in and hold it until his bowels are ready to rupture (usually in the middle of the night). He just doesn’t like pooping?
Lilly
About a year after adopting Winston, I was browsing pet adoption sites online late one evening. I really was not planning on getting another dog. I came across Lilly’s picture and instantly fell I love. She was a beautiful mixed breed puppy taken in by one of the local rescue groups. Quickly I filled out the adoption application and the next thing I knew, I was picking her up on Saturday morning. Knowing that I had a Bichon already, the adoption group allowed me to have Lilly only because she was feisty and they felt she could hold her own. They weren’t kidding! That first day all five pounds of Lilly had established herself as the boss. It was really quite amusing. Now if she wants Winston’s spot, she just walks over and looks at him to make him move.
It took a while for us to figure out what breed of dog(s) she is. She started out so tiny (thanks to a nasty infection she had when I got her), but she grew and changed rather drastically over the first few months. The “experts” seem to think she is a Chinese Crested Powderpuff. Although doubtfully feel breed, she certainly looks like one. Lilly is a sweet little girl. She gives lots of kisses, except she is a compulsive “poop eater” making it kind of gross. At age 2, Lilly is not yet potty trained. She just refuses to go potty outside (I think she is just bashful), so we go through about 100 puppy pads each month for her. Lilly also refuses to eat dog food. We have tried many varieties, but she will literally go days without eating if we do not offer something else. So now we cook all of their food, boiled meats, whole wheat pasta or brown rice with vegetables. They also love scrambled eggs.
Winston and Lilly are both challenging dogs, but our family loves them unconditionally. I cannot imagine not having them as part of our family.
I know you have some great dog stories to share. What dog challenges or funny stories do you have to share?