The story of a dog..

[dainerra]

someone asked me why I am so adamant on responsible breeders and screening buyers and why not everyone should breed. everything prior to Oct 2009 is what I was told by previous owners.

Sometime in 2007, a little sable puppy was born. She lived in an outside run and one by one all the other puppies left until she was alone. For 5 months she lived in a concrete kennel, seeing her owner only when someone came to shop or when it was feeding time. Then one day she went to a new home. There, she was put into a large kennel with another puppy and there she stayed. Sometimes the woman would come outside, but usually she only saw her at feeding time. The woman named her Lexi and declared that she loved her. Sometime when she was about a year old, Lexi became pregnant by a dog that wandered over from the neighbor's property. She gave birth to 5 little mutts, but she didn't get to keep her babies for long. The woman's boyfriend said there would be no buyers for mutts and took Lexi's babies away. Eventually, the woman decided that Lexi was just too much of a hassle and that she needed to go. An ad was placed in the paper "free to good home. must go now!"

I was flipping through the paper. For the last several months, we had been interviewing breeders and shopping for a new pup. I wanted a dog that I could do obedience and agility with. Instead, I got Lexi. The woman said that she had all of her shots and that she was good in the house. I saw a filthy scared girl - "oh and she is afraid of men because she's not used to them"

It took 3 of us to get her into the car. Poor Lexi had only seen one once before, when she was purchased at 5 months old. "Oh and leave her collar, I might want to use it for another dog"

I brought her home and finally coaxed her into the house. For the first week, Lexi lived under the bed. If you turned on a light, she would freak out and wet all over the floor. She had never seen a toy before. She didn't know how to walk on a leash. When my husband entered the room, Lexi would panic and knock over furniture in her attempts to escape.

After 4 baths, she looked like a different dog.

We changed her name to Freya - Norse Goddess of Love, Beauty and Destiny, a proud warrior princess. Over time, she learned to play and she learned to laugh. Did you know that dogs could laugh?

1 step forward, 2 steps back was Freya's life. She was a smart dog and loved to please. But oh so so scared. Like the time she climbed up my back, trying to escape a pack of rampaging chihuahuas. Or when she refused to leave the driveway because the neighbor used black garbage bags that week instead of the usual white ones. Or urinating all over the floor because someone left a jacket hanging on the back of the chair. Being so scared at a new place that she had diarrhea all over the back of my car.

She got more confident. She loved to hike and she loved to learn.

With Lexi's new confidence came a host of new problems, though. She was still scared, but now she would snarl and attack people that frightened her. She would watch my husband and charge him when his back was turned. She was scared of children and it was hard to find places in public where she didn't find something to snarl at.

So in July of 2010, we had to have Freya euthanized. She was a beautiful girl who should have had a long life with a family she loved. Instead, all the humans in her life failed her. She was cremated and I scattered her ashes in the White River and along the bluff trail, her favorite place to go and one of the only places she never showed fear.

What could she have been if her breeder hadn't been interested only in a quick buck? What if her owner truly loved her instead of viewing her as a way to earn a quick buck? What if she had a loving home with a family who cared about her?

I would have lost one of the best opportunities I had to learn. Freya taught me so much, about dogs, about breeding, about training, about life in general. She had a beautiful spirit and desire to please. I wish that I could have saved her. That I could have given her the long and happy life that I promised her when I brought her home.
Be at peace Freya girl, where you are there is nothing to fear...

 

[silkielover5]

Quote:
she was beautiful

we only rescue. she reminds me of my dog. he was found as a stray with cherry eye in both eyes, the shelter didnt want to pay for it and was going to put him down but a lady who owns another rescue took him. we started out fostering him, he was a runner, scared of everything, aggersive towereds everything and everyone. he would just be laying there just fine and then turn around and bite you for no reason. people tell me hes a new dog and doesnt act like he use to be like. i wish Freya had healed from her past

 

[bufforp89]

Quote:
Poor Freya, she had such a rough start. In my opinion though, you did save her, you gave her the only home where she was truly loved and appreciated for what she was even though you only had her a short time. What more could a dog ask for?

Reminds me of a dog that my grandmother had put to sleep recently. She was adopted from the shelter, a very typical older pit-bull cross. She had been running the streets for God knows how long and it was apparent by her droopy undercarriage that she had had many litters of pups. She was terrified of people, cats, other dogs, and just everything about being a house pet in general. My gran took her in, loved her and showed her what it was like to be a real dog. She only had her 3 months but you can bet that it was the best 3 months of her life, she really opened up and blossomed and knew what it was like to not worry when the next meal would come or if she was going to get any attention that day. I bet it was the same for your girl.

 

[gritsar]

Dainerra

 

[dainerra]

Bufforp, a couple weeks after she came home, Frey destroyed a huge chunk of her blanket. Of course, I left a note for my husband to keep an eye on her while I was gone and hounded him hourly for poo updates. By the time she proved that she hadn't actually eaten any, it was a few days later and I was a nervous wreck. My husband said "poor Freya. She's probably never had anyone worried about her poop before."

I do think Freya was happy here, but it was obvious that she could never fully escape her demons. I just feel so much anger at times that she could have offered the world so much and never had the opportunity.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

I'm sorry for Freya's very rough start to her life. How old was she when you finally got her? You did your best. I have a somewhat similar story with my second Papillon I had. He wasn't abused in his first home really...but it sure wasn't right for him, where the stories are similar is that the behavioral issues never went away and euthanizing was the last and only option after a while. I will never ever forget the first thought that crossed my mind after the Vet gave his last shot -- "This is the first time in his life that his little body has been relaxed." So, so sad.

 

[dainerra]

The woman told me she was 2 1/2 when I got her, vet said probably a little younger.

The worst part is that these people actually thought that she had a perfect start in life. After all, she was fed every day and generally wasn't allowed to roam the countryside.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

She was a beautiful dog, and so lucky to have found love and happiness to share. We adopted a cattle dog with a similar story. Wouldn't play with toys, would pee all over herself if you so much as looked at her, etc. On her first walk with us, we had to carry her back home because she completely froze in fear, and dug her nails into the pavement. She is thankfully still with us, and the best dog I've had. Am I deeply saddened that she obviously had a rough start in life? Yes. But, experiences such as with my dog, or hearing about yours, do not lead me to separate all dog owners/breeders who do everything in a very specific way into a 'responsible' group, and all others into an 'irresponsible/out to make a quick buck group'. That's never going to be an accurate divide for pretty much any subject in life. That is one reason why others are voicing differing opinions in the other thread.

I hope you continue to bring light into the lives of dogs, and to so obviously cherish the light they bring to yours.

 

[LiLRedCV]

Sounds like you did your best by Freya. Stories like her upbringing just make me so

and I just want to

those involved!

We got our dog from the Humane Society several years back. My oldest son and I walked in their doors to see what they had and it was

at first sight! A big 80-lb blockhead yellow Lab clear on the other end of the shelter (had a clear view of him as we'd entered), but I forced myself to look at all the other dogs before making my way over to him. Second we met, there was no doubt in my mind he was going home with us. We filled out the paperwork and while they took an hour to confirm the information, we ran over to the pet store for doggie supplies.

He was voluntarily given up by his family when he was 2yrs old. He's 9yrs old now. When someone gives up an animal to this Humane Society, they have to fill out a questionnaire, so they can evaluate him for potential home placement. All the answers involved "in the kennel" - as in: Q "Where did he spend his days?" A "In the kennel" Q "Where did he eat?" A "In the kennel" Q "Where did he sleep?" A "In the kennel" and so forth. Q "Is he housebroke" A "No"

The one that really got me was that they'd had this dog since he was 12 weeks old!!!! NOBODY (and according to the paperwork, they had four kids) ever spent time with this dog!!! And they'd left him fully intact (purebred and papered and I bet they'd had plans for breeding him) up until they gave him up and the shelter neutered him...

Q "Why are you giving him up?" A "He runs away"

Of course he did!!!! Dogs are SOCIAL ANIMALS! I'm betting there are a lot of his offspring out there due to equally irresponsible pet owners who didn't spay their own....

These are the kind of people who will blame the dog and not themselves. Since they gave him up just before Thanksgiving, I'm betting they probably went out and got a new puppy for Christmas, all the while convinced that this one will "be different" and/or "better" than the one they just got rid of.

Q "What is his name?" A "Champ" You know what? He didn't even know his name!!! So we changed it to "Trigger" (as in Roy Roger's horse).

Their loss! OUR GAIN!!!!!!! He's been THE BEST dog for our family. He can't walk on a leash very well (even to this day, but that - now - is our fault since we live in the country and haven't worked with him on it), it took us less than a month to potty train him, he's AWESOME with kids (they've used him as a "horse" and he eats up the attention), loves farm animals, has near impeccable house manners, and only has an aggressive bone in his body when he feels his "pack" (aka our family and our other critters) are being threatened by an outside force. He spends the vast majority of his day with a human and not in a kennel. He has a 1/4 acre of fenced yard to run in when we do have to be away from the house and we're gearing up to fence off the rest of our property so he'll have 2-acres to run on when it's done. When we're home and outside, he's out there with us, off leash, doing chores and he sticks close by. When we're inside, he's inside. He's much loved and he knows it.

Trigger - 18 Aug 2011

 

[Glenmar]

Quote:
He is beautiful. What a great story.