Tue morning:
We picked up Emily last night, from the Osceola animal shelter. We drove almost six hours round trip and it was intermittently storming the entire time. That sucked.
The lady that met us at the shelter was actually one of the people that responded to the original call when they picked her up. She was a wonderful person who had obviously formed a special bond with Emily, after saving her from certain death. She showed us some other pictures of Emily that were just as awful as you could imagine. She couldn't stand up and had to be carried in a blanket to the truck. When they gave her food and water, she could only throw it up, meaning that her poor body had shut down. It's a miracle that she is alive.
By the time we got home, it was 10:30 and our dogs had been in their kennels, with the exception of about an hour, since 8:00 in the morning. Needless to say, they had some energy. Doggy introductions didn't go as well as I had hoped for. It was late and raining and, well, I could go into details, but this post might get really long so I will some it up. Complete Chaos. I will say that poor Jax was so overwhelmed by the two females that he literally projectile vomitted in the midst of the whole thing. A dog vomitting has never been funny, or cute to me before, but that was both. My poor baby. He just couldn't wrap his innocent little head around what all the fuss was about.
Wed morn:
Yesterday was slightly better with the dogs. Dixie and Jax are very in-your-face kind of dogs. They are extremely high energy and playful. I don't think Emily has ever been socialized with other dogs. She is pretty aloof and indifferent to them on leash, but gets very uneasy if they actually approach her. I wouldn't say she is dog-aggressive, just fearful and overwhelmed, which can lead to acting out. We are working on it by walking as a "pack." She does really well on walks, as she gains confidence walking along side the others. Walks are tough right now though. The temps are well over 100 degrees and the cement is too hot for their paws. I really hope she and Dixie can get along. I don't want to have to send her away.
Other than the dog issues, and a fear of men, Emily is close to perfect! Physically, she has improved drastically and is just a beautiful dog. She has plenty of scars, but they will continue to fade. She is extremely well mannered and respectful. (I am honestly a little embarrassed that this dog is so much more well behaved than either of my own!!) I brought her to work with me. Within minutes, she settled down beside my desk and went to sleep. It's as though she has been coming here for years. She is completely good with our office cats (even JD, who has always HATED dogs, is totally at ease with her). She is potty trained and walks nicely on a leash. She follows me everywhere. She knows sit, come, and, as I just discovered this morning, fetch. It really makes me wonder how she got in her situation. I know I'll never know for sure, but I have a strong feeling that somebody loved and trained this dog once. How did her world get destroyed? I wish she could tell me.
She only has a few issues to overcome. We will continue to work on her with the dogs, and I plan to bring her to work with me everyday. We have an office full of men who will be nice to her. She also needs heartworm treatment and spaying. The vet will determine if she is strong enough for either of them yet when we go in this weekend.
Jonathon leaves tomorrow for a week and I will be on my own with the three of them. I think my "pack leader" skills will be tested to the extreme. I tend to be a little over-protective and nervous. I'll need to be a lot more calm and assertive, as Ceasar would say.
Available soon: One almost perfect dog...any takers?
