So... those of you who know us....know that we have recently acquired (slash, purposely purchased) a dog.
Being our first pet.....she has come with a lot of interesting experiences. Which, I suddenly realized are pretty blog worthy.
I thought it might be entertaining to write 'the whole' story......and maybe a few more- of our dog, Gabi. The German Short-haired pointer.
So here it goes.
Gabi is a rescue dog.
She was passed around to about three different homes and two different shelters before we got her. She was supposedly found starving somewhere in the forest when she was first picked up. and probably was attacked by a dog somewhere along the line.
The family who gave her to us, was really nice and had two young kids. One was 6 and the other was a 6th grader. So clearly, they
wre already busy people. They were trying to find a home of 'dog parents' who could
"spend more time with Gabi"
and
"give her the exercise she needs"
(two phrases we later found out, should be red flags)
and we thought,
"well sure! we don't have any kids and we like to exercise, right?"
So we got really excited about the possibilities......
We were going to go hiking, running, play fetch at the park, go swimming. The possibilities were endless. We were sold before we even met the dog.
So the day came when they brought our new dog over to the house.
She was fun. we played fetch.We liked her, needless to say (cause she's adorable).
The family also liked us. So they just dropped her off and said “let’s just see how she does tonight. And we’ll bring over her stuff in the morning”
After a couple signatures, a check to the rescue shelter and some good-byes, the dog was ours. No trial period here.
The next couple weeks proved to be very stressful. She, (to our naive surprise) had pretty severe separation anxiety. She destroyed our blinds when I went out to get the mail. We locked her in the garage for an hour and she tore all the rubber from from the bottom of the garage door. We put her in the backyard (even in a dog run in the backyard) and she continued to jump both 6 foot fences and dig a couple holes.
I’ll never forget my phone call to the previous owners. Hoping and praying that the woman who had also been interested in Gabi would still be interested in Gabi.
Turns out, she just got another dog. We were too late.
A month went by and Gabi calmed down a little. We started crating her when we left (so we knew nothing would be destroyed when we came home). But- her anxiety and energy levels were so high that she was never satisfied with the tons of exercise we gave her (leaving us exhausted after a day at school)
I'd take her for a 5 mile run... 5 minutes later she was whining and barking at the door. then we'd go and play ball in the yard.....five minutes later, the whole she-bang all over again.
ON TOP OF THIS, we introduced her to both our parents dogs and she bit them both by the neck (apparently she had some dog- dog issues as well...surprise!)
Oh and did I forget to mention, that amidst all this chaos and stress and 'seeming nightmare'
......we fell in love with our dog. She had enough glimpses of sweet and good heartedness that we truly believe we can work through it.
My mother in-law said,
“She really wants to be a good dog, she just doesn't know how.” It was as as true a statement as any. And we really wanted to believe it.
So we are trying everything possible to make it work before we consider the alternative (getting rid of her).
I'm pretty sure we'd be very depressed if it came to that.
We enrolled her in obedience classes with other dogs- so we could become the 'alpha dog' and so she could get socialized (which has been pretty successful).
We also (this a rare case) got her some doggie riddalin. She is pretty badly OCD about a lot of things and this medicine has been helping. We are still on a trial though. We don't want our dog to be 'medicated'- but we do need her to be happy and satisfied.
Here's the upside- we have a friend to take to the park.
We have a friend to sit on the couch with (did I say, the couch? oh....I meant the floor....)
I have a running partner.
And we have a new member of the family.
She is honestly the most cuddly, athletic dog out there. And she is showing improvement every day. Almost.
So there it is. Our dog. Gabi. The German short-haired pointer.
5 comments:
My wife had a dog named Zoi before we got married. Sounds like your dog has some of the same things Zoi did.
Zoi was a very high energy dog who needed TONS of attention, and would severly misbehave when we left.
When we got married and moved into an apartment we took Zoi with us. I was at school all day, and Pam was working. She would howl all day while we were gone, and destroy things.
We had to give her away. Broke my wife's heart. I wish we would have been able to find a way to keep her...
Sorry that was a depressing comment! Basically, I just wanted to say that it is incredibly hard to give away a pet/beloved member of the family!
we have a 6 month old german shepherd! we left her at home for 3 hours the other morning (only the second time) and when we came home there were seven pairs of shoes in the living room, a couple sweaters, all of the couch pillows were on the floor, our friend's bottle of crown royal was moved from the kitchen to the couch and chewed on, and our lamp was broken, the light bulb shattered everywhere!
but, luckily, she sleeps a lot since she is growing all of the time, so she doesn't have the energy level of yours! she just takes revenge when we leave her at home!
I can relate to everything you wrote. When Katie and I got our two dogs, one of them was pretty calm but the other was crazy. Sometimes the situations were stressful because it seemed like the destructive behavior happened at the most inopportune times. I can't begin to tell you about all the time and money we spent repairing and replacing things (like the entire landscaping in the backyard - new lawn and everything) It was all tolerable, however, because we loved our dogs. We didn't realize how much we really loved our dogs until one of them got hit by a car (they dug under the fence and got out...AGAIN!). We were pretty sure she was either going to die or have one of her legs amputated. It took months of nursing, trying to go for a walk and carrying her home (70 lbs.) because she couldn't make it, carrying her to the backyard to go to the bathroom, sometimes having to manually help her go to the bathroom, etc.
Now, because of our divorce, I never get to see the dogs. I would happily go through the same trials to see them again.
I write all of this for two reasons - 1) it often seems stressful and too much work but it is all worth it, especially when you know it was a shelter dog and you're providing it a great life, and 2) you made a commitment to that dog, much like the commitment you will probably make someday to raising a child. It's full of good times and bad, but since when is family always a "walk in the park"?
VERY well said, Kevin! Families are never walks in the park. I remember a certain little boy with ADD (and, yes, medicated so he could get work done) who was often a challenge, but always a delight! It's usually the most creative that are the most stressful.
I thoroughly believe Gog is preparing you for whatever is to come ahead. (Not to wish an ADD child on you, but it is hereditary, I understand...) Life is never easy, but the Lord provides you with opportunities to rely on Him all along the way.
I love Gabi. I'd take her in a heartbeat if you couldn't keep her. (Paul and Chloe might not feel the same way, though...) I love how cuddly she is, as Chloe just isn't a cuddler. In fact, after Gabi left last time, I found myself online looking at GSP puppies. Am I a masocist (sp?) or what????
I also love your commitment to Gabi. I am so impressed at how you and Adam have stuck with this. It really is good for your marriage in the long run. Pretty tough stuff for your early days of marriage and career, though. Hang in there. Paul and I continue to pray for you!
Nice. Guess you'll be pros by the time a little Morrell comes along!
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