When you adopt a dog from the Humane Society, what do you really know about the dog? You know that she is on her best behavior. She wants to get out of Dodge. Dodge being the place where she is currently residing. You also know what her previous people said about her. Now, what are the odds that they told the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Very slim. Let me tell you how I know this.
On October 2, 2004, my sister called me on her way home from the local Humane Society. Her teenage non-driving son volunteered there. They had just done an aggression test on “the cutest black Lab mix.” An aggression test is when they put food down then try to take it away from the dog with a fake arm to see her reaction. I just had to go down and check her out. They’re open on Sundays, and her son would love to go with me. I was awake most of the night. I was already owned by a black Lab named Jake. If you know anything about Labs, you know that no one owns them. They own their people. And, I was very well trained. Eventually, I decided Jake and I (and my nephew) would go check out this oh, so cute Lab mix named Josie. If Jake did not like Josie, or Josie did not like Jake, Josie would not be coming home with us. With that decision made, I was finally able to sleep.
Well, not surprisingly, they got along famously. This was the day I learned that dogs do communicate and share information. Later, I would learn that they also, possibly, tease each other. On this day, the third day of October 2004, I firmly believe that Jake told Josie not to believe me when I tell her to go to bed, I will be there in a minute. I used to lie at times like that. I have since discontinued that practice; however, Josie does not believe me.
All the dogs who have owned me came to me as puppies. Josie was two and a half years old. I believed what was written on that paper at the Humane Society. Silly, silly me. As a result, I learned many things about dogs adopted from the Humane Society. Before we left the building, I had her implanted with a microchip just in case we lost each other. I knew that there would have to be a very good reason for me to bring her back within the next two weeks (the time allowed for a full refund). She would have to be violent. That was the only way. I had no way to know what she was really like or how she had really been treated by her previous people. I was about to find out. Some people do not deserve the reward of having a loving pet.
1. If your newly adopted companion wolfs down her food as though hasn’t eaten in a month, chances are they often forgot to feed her. I called the Humane Society to see if she had been eating during the five days she was there. They said, “Oh, yes. She ate twice a day.” Yeah, and wolfed it down at each meal.
2. If your newly adopted companion is a mix of two large breeds, and weighs a mere 46 pounds, chances are they often forgot to feed her (see item 1). She has since filled out and eats a lot slower but she still acts like she’s starving.
3. For fear of reprisal for being aggressive, while living with their previous people, adopted dogs often show their emotions (read displeasure, and pleasure for that matter) in their faces. Josie smiles, although she will not let me take a picture of her while she grins. It is the cutest thing, seeing her little cheeks pull back. When she is angry, her face says it all. She was not pleased that Jake was fed a different food. It was senior food. She would calmly walk up to him, then pounce. Always drawing blood. She stopped when I slapped her upside the head and said, “Do not ever do that again.” Please don’t call the Humane Society on me. I got her attention, and I haven’t touched her in that way since. She never drew blood again. However, she did continue to pounce until I realized why she was pouncing. She would look at her bowl, then look at Jake’s bowl, then calmly walk up to him as he entered the kitchen. Pounce. Finally, it dawned on me. I began to feed her senior food, and she no longer pounced. The other day at the Dog Park, a dog made her angry. Well, it was understandable. She’s just not that kind of gal. The other folks commented on the look of anger on her face. I was slow on the uptake and didn’t get a picture of that expression either.
4. If your newly adopted companion runs screaming and hides when she knocks a Christmas ornament off of a tree, chances are her previous people beat the crap out of her for similar behavior. Simply behave as though nothing untoward occurred, which is what my nephew did. I heard about the incident after I got out of the hot tub and behaved as though nothing had happened. Josie now knows that while I may become irritated, I seldom if ever get mad. I shake my head, and she shows me her grin.
5. If your newly adopted companion jumps off the bed at night every time you cough or twitch, chances are she was often booted out of bed. As I allow my dogs to sleep with me, Josie eventually learned I will not kick her out. I believe she was physically kicked out of bed by her previous people. However, every now and then, if I move abruptly, she will jump off, but she’s getting better.
6. If your newly adopted companion refuses to go outside alone and jumps frantically at the door to come in, chances are she was left outside for long periods of time. Her previous people did admit that she stayed outside for ten hours per day. What they didn’t say was that she was out there in all weather. She does not tolerate heat well, which tells me she has had heat exhaustion at least once in her life. Experience with this tells me that once a dog experiences that, they are forever sensitive to heat.
I had to put Jake down about six months after she arrived. Going outside after that was difficult. I had to go out with her. For the longest time, I think she believed that she was next. I still go out with her when it is raining. For the most part, she knows she will get to come back inside whenever she wants. Every now and then, she tests me. She’ll go outside, then immediately want back inside. Some people might get irritated. I know I do, but I tolerate it. I know it’s her way of reassuring herself she will be let back inside.
She jumped to come inside and when she was excited. She almost broke my nose many times because she gave no warning. Had I acquired her as a puppy I would have named her Tigger. I have since curbed her of that behavior, at least when I come home. She still does it sometimes when she wants to come in. Again, she’s getting better.
7. If your newly adopted companion is afraid of some people and other dogs, chances are she was not treated very kindly by her people and was not around other dogs. Since she has come to be with me, she has learned to enjoy the company of other dogs, especially at the dog park.
8. If your newly adopted companion doesn’t like her ears touched, chances are some little person pulled on them in a mean and/or aggressive way. Just touch her ears (don’t pull) and tell her you’re not going to hurt her. Josie now enjoys a good ear rub.
9. If your newly adopted companion chases her tail because she doesn’t know what it’s for or how to wag it, chances are she never had a reason to. I had to move it manually to show her how to wag her tail. I kid you not. She now wags her tail all the time, but occasionally chases it when she is frustrated because she is not getting what she wants.
10. If your newly adopted companion gets into mischief while you are away, or even when you are home, take it with a grain of salt. Ask yourself is it her insecurities or is it because it is fun? I often thought she got into stuff in the kitchen because she was having separation anxiety, even with Jake for company. Maybe, maybe not. I videotaped her getting into the dog food. She didn’t look anxious to me. She looked like she was having fun. And, remember, abused dogs like Josie didn’t have fun with their previous people. Let them have some now.
During the first week, I put her in Jake’s old crate. This is where the possible teasing comes in. Every day I came home to another hole in my wall. By Thursday, there were four holes in my bedroom wall. Keep in mind that the crate was very big, put between the bed and dresser, with almost two inches on each side. She was able to flip it over and get out on all but one day. For the last day, her doctor gave me a pill. Silly me. She said give it to her an hour before I left, and she would be out for the remainder of the day. I would probably have to wake her up. No such luck. I came home to yet another hole, and my bedroom locked. Luckily, there is a door leading to my deck for which I have a key. Had it not been for that, I would have had to break down the door. I don’t know if she fought so hard to get out because she didn’t like being in there, because Jake was out and she was in, or because he would walk by and in dogese say Na, na, na, na na, na. You’re in there, and I’m not. I have been reading this aloud as I type. As I said that last bit, the look she gave me said, You hit the nail on the head.
11. If your newly adopted companion sits in front of you constantly, especially right after she comes to you, chances are she was seriously ignored by her previous people. Keep that in mind as you hug her, kiss her, and tell her you love her. Eventually, she will understand that and be able to lie quietly. Still, Josie follows me from room to room. Most times, if she is sure I will be back, she will sit and wait for me.
Adopting a dog takes patience and lots of love, especially after you realize they were not well loved or cared for. The pictures I have submitted with this article tell the tale. One of her squeakies (stuffed toys) always accompanies her outside. A surrogate for Jake? Maybe. The holes in the wall. I really do need to fix those. Yes, that is a picture of a wireless barrier guarding my pantry. She is a smart little gal. She can open the door, and she knows what she likes. Just about everything. Luckily, she hasn’t decided to venture into the refrigerator or learn how to open cans. When that happens, I’ll have to keep an eye on the oven and stove, for the she will surely learn how to cook.
Reference:
- https://www.humanecolospgs.org
