So right now in the house, I have a wonderful supporting
husband, Kate and four dogs and my Mom. Sarah
and Patty are both away at school. Sarah
is in Grad School – finishes up next December and Patty is in the final
semester of a Post-Secondary Transition Program. Why would anyone want four
dogs in the house? Well, there are four
good reasons, let me explain.
We will start with the oldest and work down. Bear is our German Shepherd – the biggest
four footer weighing in at close to 100 pounds.
We got him when he was about 2 from German Shepherd Dog Rescue about 7 years ago. I wanted a dog for Kate, one that would be her friend and
would protect her. Did I mention that we
soon found out that Kate doesn’t like dogs?
So, he became Art’s best buddy, being the only other male in the
house. Two acl surgeries later and he
still says “I Love You Mom” and will sing for me.
Major, a four year old Boxer/Pit mix is our foster dog. He was sold on Craigslist to a very bad man
who went to prison and poor Major was
left chained to a fence. He was taken in
by animal control and rescued by Black Dog All Breed Rescue. He is the third dog we have fostered from them and I
must say he has stolen my heart. He is
such a love bug and wiggle butt.
Then there is Payton, an Aussie mix from Wright Way Rescue who is 2.
I got her as a puppy to be trained as a service dog for Patty who has a seizure
disorder. She is one smart dog with the
coolest butterscotch colored eyes. I
would take her everywhere with me in her vest from the time she was potty
trained and had all her shots.
Funny story here- I would often get asked about her training
when we were out and about and I was always more than willing to share the
information and educate people. However,
people who asked me what my disability was were the idiots that really got
under my skin. This is how I handled
one:
Payton would ride in the back seat of the car, with her
front two paws on the console and have her head between the driver and
passenger seat. I always said she was
giving me directions. One bright sunny
day I was stopped at a stop light and Payton had her head there next to mine with
her red vest on. A lady to my left
motioned for me to roll down the window, so I did. She asked me what kind of dog she was; I said
I got her from the shelter, but probably an Aussie Lab mix. She then asked if she was a service dog, I
guess she noticed the red vest with the service dog patches on it. I responded
that yes she was. She then asked me why
I needed a service dog.... so I responded –with a smile – that she was my
seeing -eye dog. The lady just kept
looking at me with her mouth open as I drove away.
After jumping through hoops at work and signing my life
away, she was allowed to come into work and sleep under the desk. All the employees knew not to pay any
attention to her while she had her vest on, but at 4:45 p.m., we would go
through the building (naked) and everyone could pet her. She loved it as much as they did. She went through several obedience classes
and we do agility and nose work and she is just a great dog. From the beginning my husband said I would
never be able to give her up – even to my own daughter. Well, again he was correct, but for different
reasons. I would have broken heartedly
given her to Patty but it seems at this time it would be too much
responsibility for her. So darn, she
stays with me.
Peanut is Sarah’s dog who is a temp. He won’t live with us forever, just while she
is in school. He is from Blackdog Rescue also and is a Pit/ Lab mix about
two. We think he missed out on
socialization when he was a pup and is just a little off. He is like an ADHD kid – 24/7. He is also anxious and skittish. Most dogs are pulling the lead to go for a walk;
he is pulling the lead at the end of the block to get back home. The world is a scary place to him. We are working with him to get past this,
with TTouch, aroma therapy and behavior modifications.
Now – add on to all of that my 89 year old Mom coming to
spend the winter with us and you would be looking for your cape also!
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