Chew Til They're Two
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Is This Training or Charades?
Sammy is a Golden Cappuccino Sammy Joins the Family Allie's Final Dash Rough Time at the Dog Park Chew Til They're Two May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 September 08 October 08 November 08 
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Allie was very easy to train - very quick to understand and respond. She was a star in her training class for the Sit and Down phase. Sammy, on the other hand, is not so easy. There are times when she responds perfectly. There are times when she thinks we're playing charades. She and I struggle particularly with Down. How hard can that be? I know you're supposed to say the command only once, but time passes and Sammy is still standing there and staring at me, waiting for more clues to this game. I say it again and give her the flat-hand-facing-down signal. She sits, tilts her head and squints a little. She's intent on getting whatever treat is in my hand. Her glance moves from my eyes to my hand and back to my eyes. Again I tell her Lie Down (which is what my husband tells her) and give the hand signal again, this time lowering my hand nearly to the floor (which is what my daughter does). She'll lie down, but not relax over onto one haunch, another requirement for getting the treat. When no treat comes she leaps back to her feet and we begin again. Now she's desperate for the treat so she's really paying close attention to my every word and action. She's thinking, "Okay, I hear the word Down. She's moving her hand down low. Down. Hmmm, something is down. What would be down that would make her so excited? Ooooh! I get it! Prices are down! There's a sale at PetSmart! Yay! Let's got to PetSmart!" and she does a happy dash around the kitchen. I completely understand now why people pay to have their dogs trained by someone else.
We've been confused about Sammy's breed(s). The family we got her from thought she was a Pitbull. So far only one adult and a couple of kids have asked if she's Pit. Every other person has immediately asked if she's Boxer. Her appearance varies widely. When her ears are down, she has a sweet little Beagley face. When they're up and she's squinting, she looks very Pit. Her coloring is golden fawn with a white chest and paws with some pale gray spots on her chest and belly, and dark eyes and nose. Because the of the fears people have about Pitbulls when people ask what she is, our answer depends on who asks. If they look calm and brave we tell them Sammy is a Pit/Boxer mix. If they look fearful we say she's a Boxer mix. The other day when I was getting ready to color my hair she was supervising the process closely. I asked her if she'd like to color her fur, maybe do a few highlights to frame her face, or would she like to do the same color as me - Golden Cappuccino? That's when it struck me what a great description that could be of her breed. Responses to hearing that Sammy is a Golden Cappuccino have been interesting. Two people just burst out laughing. One took a long breath, raised an eyebrow thoughtfully and said, "Hmm, I've never heard of that breed." A new dog has joined our family. Our Allie ran away earlier this summer and was hit by a car and left us heartbroken. We debated about getting another dog. Life is easier in many ways without one, but we missed the whole-body wriggles greeting us when we come home, plus, frankly, we’ve gained weight without a dog to exercise with… Sammy is a 10 month old Pitbull, though so far everyone asks if she’s a Boxer. Her former family had owned her since puppyhood but recently their older female dog decided she wanted to be their only dog. It was a sad parting. They loved Sammy dearly and she adored them in return, but we are thrilled to have her join our family. It has been interesting having a new dog. She looks remarkably similar to Allie, but is very different in personality. Allie was a hyperactive chewer who loved to be outside. Sammy is our Pillow Princess. She loves to nap, indoors, on the couch with her little head on a pillow. Allie barked at visitors and occasionally in chorus with the neighborhood dogs. Sammy is silent (we’re not complaining!) She also does not chew. When her owners said she doesn’t chew I was doubtful. Chewing is what puppies do. But, so far, no chewing. No destruction whatsoever. It’s a beautiful thing. Sammy is a sweet dog and already has us wrapped around her little paw. Allie, who was known at the dog park for fast and endless running, has made her final dash. Running was her source of joy. She ran so much that we never had to trim her nails – they were worn down to near nubs. The few times that she slipped off her leash at a river or stream she would run away as fast as possible with a fierce intensity. There was something desperately important that she was trying to reach. Some unknown one she needed to meet. In our backyard she would check in with Baby, the tiny dog next door, then tear around the yard in wild dashes that we called her Psycho Circuits. She’d run back to the fence to talk to Baby. Maybe to check her timing, maybe to find out how many circles to make on the next circuit, then she’d be off again zooming around and around the yard, through her little pool, skittering across the patio, gripping the grass with her strong claws. Tuesday after work I came home to an empty yard. Our six foot fence and locked gates could no longer contain her. In a brief time while we were all away from home she went over the top and ran South. We searched the entire neighborhood, talking to anyone and everyone on the street. We checked the dog park and quickly made posters to put up. There are very kind people in the world. We received an anguished voice message from a man who took the time to move her body out of traffic and placed her on the grass. By the time we got there her body had already been removed. Someone had called Animal Control and they had taken her to a more peaceful place. The staff at Animal Control was very kind and gracious to us in our grief.
Stunned and sad as we are, it is a comfort to know she isn’t wandering alone and hurt or scared. Before she came to our home, Allie had obviously been abused and she had some fears and memories that we were never able to soothe. But now, as in the poem “High Flight” Allie has slipped her surly bonds of earth to never again be afraid.
High Flight Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth Of sun-split clouds, - and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of – wheeled and soared and swung High in the sunlit silence, Hov’ring there, I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung My eager craft through footless halls of air . . . Up, up the long delirious burning blue I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace Where never lark, or ever eagle flew – And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod The high untrespassed sanctity of space, Put out my hand, and touched the face of God. - John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
We have a usual dog park where we take our dog, Allie, several times a week. She has her favorite dog buddies that she loves to play with. We also really enjoy hanging out with the other owners. It’s a very interesting and diverse group of both dogs and people.
One of the regular dogs is somewhat overly aggressive. She and Allie sometimes play okay and sometimes the other dog will pick a fight. The owner is apologetic and really wants her dog to be good. We all keep an eye on them and separate them when necessary. Not the best one would wish for, but you do the best you can to make it work.
Last night the dog quickly dove into Allie. The owner and I separated them and they ran off to play with other dogs. A new guy to the dog park walked over and said “When dogs fight you should take them by the collar and put them nose to nose.” The other owner and I were horrified at the idea and said NO! He insisted it was a good idea so I asked him exactly what good he thought that would do. He said putting them face to face they couldn't fight and they would become friends.
I said, "No! Not with my dog. You can try it with your dog, but NOT with my dog." He asked why. I said, “There is too much potential of them ripping each other's ears or face off!” The other dog’s owner agreed. Frankly, I can’t think of a worse thing to do with fighting dogs than to hold them in close proximity to each other.
We stood there silently for a minute or two watching the dogs run around. Suddenly he grabbed Allie's collar, dragged her over to the aggressive dog and shoved her into the dog’s face.
I went HYSTERICAL, grabbed Allie by the collar, yanked her back and went totally hysterical yelling at him. He started yelling too, defending himself and saying it was a good idea. I reminded him that I'd said, “No! Don’t touch my dog.” He kept defending himself over and over.
It ran through my mind to call 911 but we decided to just take Allie home. When we were walking out of the park a guy walking in said, "Sometimes other people have to separate dogs that are fighting." (There’s always someone who has no idea what’s going on but feels they are an authority.) I said, “He didn't SEPARATE them. He shoved my dog INTO a fight!"
The audacity of a stranger to grab my dog and shove her into an aggressive dog’s face is just beyond my comprehension!
Five more months. If it’s true that dogs chew til they’re two (and shed til they’re dead) then we have five more months of destruction.
Jawzalynn. Jaws O’Destruction. Allie has many nicknames. When the man from the rescue group was checking out our backyard before letting us have Allie, he looked at the white plastic chairs and said, “Oh, she’ll eat those!” So far those chairs are pretty much the ONLY things she hasn’t chewed up.
Not only does she chew things up but she also scatters the remains all over the yard.
The very center of the backyard is the usual spot for her destructions. We soon learned to look for missing items in that area – her Altar.
Stuffed animals – gutted
Any plywood that blocks her path – gnawed
Tennis balls - defleeced and peeled
Leashes (3 so far) - bitten through
Slippers, couch pillows, roll of toilet paper - chewed and spitty bits scattered
Doormat – chewed edges, flipped through the air like a Frisbee
Concrete chunks from the patio – she enjoys rolling these around in her mouth like gum
Wicker flower basket – it was old and so brittle that it shattered into hundreds of pieces
Concrete flower basket – it weighs at least 15 pounds but we found it in the middle of the yard with tooth marks in the terra cotta glaze.
I bought a new carpet runner for the mudroom, laid it down and left home for about 90 minutes. It was a very stiff carpet about 2 feet wide and 6 feet long. Unfortunately it went right up to the steel security door to the backyard. In those 90 minutes Allie reached her head through the cat-size hole in the door pulled the whole rug out and utterly destroyed it. I couldn’t pull that rug through that hole if you gave me three hours!
It sounds as though we leave her alone for hours with access to the entire house, but many of these things have happened in seconds. You turn around and your pillow is gone. We look at birds in the trees and the leash is in pieces. Mere seconds!
Rawhide chewies have become a staple in the grocery cart. Friends at the dog park have suggested pig ears but the thought of ears scattered all over the backyard is too awful. I like the anonymity of plain rolled hide. It’s best if you can’t clearly identify what kind of animal it was.
I’m thinking of making an album of things she has chewed. Of course a corner of it will be bitten off.
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