Iced Tree
The most recent onslaught of wintry weather — a breathtakingly glistening but potentially toxic mix of ice and snow coating anything and everything in its path — brought me out for the umpteenth cycle of shoveling this season.
And as I cleared away the newly fallen inches of powder in the stunningly sunny aftermath of the deluge, I had about me the menagerie of dogs keeping me company these days. Tommy the rescue shih tzu, my newest member, is well into his third full day at Camp A Better Pet. Bubbles the golden retriever has been here for five weeks; that’s nearly 12x longer. Not to mention that Bean and Trip have been here and with me since puppyhood and are 7 and 9 respectively. Yet all 4 have adjusted quite quickly to a workable hierarchy in which they get along well [enough], respect my rules and respond well to redirection when necessary. Mostly, though, I just enjoy watching them figure life out without too much verbal interference — in this sort of instance I only interfere if necessary and only for the safety of all.
The Gang
So as I shoveled and observed their antics, I thought about how their ATTRIBUTES and nurture have direct impact on their functionality and thus their fates.
Bubbles is going to be going into service work for a child with autism and was carefully selected from a quality breeder. But she is still quite young and just enjoying puppyhood while learning manners and receiving socialization to all manner of situations; Tommy, 4 1/2 has been here since Saturday (3 days ago) and his future is still unclear. He is 4 1/2 years old and does not have any puppy like innocent joie. I find I really enjoy his solid cuddliness and his Dr. Seuss character impressions. So while I have no urgency about his placement, I intend to find him a suitable and fitting one.
When Tommy arrived, the sturdy fellow was clearly in a state of shock and disorientation — he had been relinquished only 4 days earlier under traumatic circumstances. He endured neutering (always more stressful in an already adult dog than a young adolescent or puppy), laser surgery to remove a benign cyst on his side, and a teeth cleaning — all while residing in a vet kennel amid the chaos of that sort of place for three days and nights.
We all (myself, kids, dogs, cats) gave him time and space and care and thought and Rescue Remedy –but lived our active lives as usual. Sure enough, this sturdy fellow has comfortably integrated into the herd of dogs and cats and kids and chaos that is my life and some joie is spilling out of him.
I’m not surprised. I consider a lot of the work I do The Three Day Minimum because three days is really all it CAN take to achieve a lot of really critically important goals and foundation building. (I had a sense of him before I agreed to board/train him and find him the right home). It can often take much MORE than 3 days, but never less. People who give up on something — a diet, a dog, a new routine — in less than 3 days — have not yet learned or internalize the value of the three day rule.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I may have to put more thought into this but immediately, my mind echoes:
1. Energy Level
2. Personality
3. Life-Style
Maybe these are too general to list? But it’s hard to skinny down to bare bones with so many variables. I definitely feel the energy level is #1 due to the fact that if the dog’s energy is too high for a mellow family, there will be issues (no need to explain to you). Vice-versa, if the dog is too mellow for a high energy family, interest would be instantly lost. Next is personality. One-person dogs in a large family is ok if that is what is wanted but if a “family” dog is the desire, a more social personality would be a better match. Needless to say, this is one tiny little point in a quilt of many. Lastly is somewhat of a mixture of 1 and 2 but is intended more for matching the dog to the right home based on space, time available to spend with the dog, training (or lack of training) willing to provide (or not provide), etc. All in all, if 1, 2 & 3 are not all matched, it is most likely a dog will be returned. No? Btw, this whole scheme assumes that the size, look and feel of the dog are already mastered.
Those are my immediate, mid-work day, have a headache thoughts
For myself: Resilient, high drive, socially patient
For clients, friends, relatives, assuming they are not looking for a dog to excel in sports: Resilient, prosocial toward people and dogs, handling-tolerant (this might be tied with “moderate to low activity level”).