This year is coming to a close. Im glad. Been thinking a lot about puppies and how much I love them. Also been thinking about all they have taught me, good and bad, through mistakes and accomplishments. Mostly I understand how very difficult it is to have multiple animals at once and while many people do it successfully, I cant say that I am one of them. I manage. The choices Ive made largely dictate what I can and cant do on a daily basis. I want more than anything for all homeless animals to have good homes. I know the world is far from achieving that. I also know that I cant have every dog that steals my heart. Between helping people with training their dogs, training my own and volunteering, one would think I have accumulated a good bit of knowledge. Perhaps I have. But I seem to have a history of learning many things through the results of choices Ive made. Often bad choices. I had 3 puppies at once about 2 and a half years ago. My trainer associates would tell me this is foolish, some would say irresponsible and in ways they are right. My rescue associates would tell me I have a big heart and passion and in ways they are right. So... I had 3 puppies around 4 and 5 months of age in these pics. You might notice they are wearing Therapy Dog in Training bandanas. I always hope a puppy will have that potential, but have learned it much less likely to be a reality. Unless mine are different from other peoples, puppies change as they mature. Sometimes they turn out well, sometimes not. Even if you try to do everything right, even if you spend lots of time with socialization and training, sometimes you dont even end up with a stable pet. The red boy in these pics is Dutch- he was the first pup I ever fostered...obviously I caved and adopted him. He was the most wonderful intelligent pup. I had big plans for him. But he grew up to be a troubled dog that with much work has made much good progress, but will always require special handling. Lots of lessons there that I wish I hadnt needed to learn. My 2 GSD girls- turned out they both had genetic heart defects. I had adopted one on purpose but didnt know she was sick till the vet told me after spaying her (thats still a sore spot) and took the other when I heard she had the same problem and would not be placed for adoption. They were sisters. I couldnt bear for one to live and one to die. As it turned out, the one I chose died at 5 months, the other still lives and has made it to over 2 years. Foolish of me to choose them- perhaps, but I would have missed so many lessons without them, painful has many have been. So I worked with Dutch and Ana- took them many places, met lots of people, etc. etc. thought I had my therapy dogs in training... thought I was doing a great job... At 7 months, Ana started becoming leash reactive to other dogs. I still to this day dont understand why or how it happened. Lots of special training to work through it and never resolved enough to make it worth the strain on her heart. She is happy as a homebody, but it greatly affects what I can and cant do with her. At about a year and a half of age, Dutch started having anxiety issues and shutting down in training classes, and growling and barking at some people, spooking at sudden noises. Worked through it, had some improvements, then it all went down hill. I knew he would not be a therapy dog either, but I had high hopes hed do dog sports with me. He is so smart! But, sadly, no. He cant cope with lots of excitement and chaos. So, as this year comes to a close, I am glad to see it go. I wish I was closing this post with some profound statement, but I just cant find it to put in words. I love my dogs. I take the best care of them I can. I guess when you find your passion for something late in life, its easy to try to make up for lost time, and boy have I crammed a lot into those years. No more puppies for me for many years to come. I have 4 seniors, and 2 young dogs, one who will not live to see old age. How dear each one of them is to me. Take good care of those entrusted to you. Do your best in whatever circumstances you find yourself. Ask forgiveness and give it in return. Try not to look back- at least not very often.
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 03:16:03 +0000
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