Monday, August 08, 2005
Forever, Peaches
On Monday I was at T.V. out back cleaning some dog crates when a gold Mercedes pulled into the parking lot. A nicely dressed woman was behind the wheel, and a cute foxhound-looking dog was sitting in the passenger seat looking very happy and satisfied. I approached the car as the woman was getting out and asked if I could be of help."Is this where I can turn in a dog?" she asked.
I directed her to ECAS (the public shelter) across the street as I reached into the passenger window and gently pet this cute and seemingly sweet dog.
"Why do you need to drop off this cutie?" I asked. "Well, she followed my son home about eight or nine weeks ago, skinny and dirty and looking for love, she loves my other dogs, is really sweet, as you can see, but she has eaten holes in two of my couches. I just can't control her."
Ah, an opportunity I thought. I started asking questions like where does the dog sleep, where is the dog when no one is home, and when is she eating the couches.
"When we're not home, which isn't often, she's in the back yard with my other two dogs and they do really well, no problems. When we're home, she's in the house with us as all the dogs are, and she sleeps on the bedroom floor with the others. But when we're not looking she goes into the living room and eats holes in the furniture. She's housebroken, we had her spayed and all her shots and the family really loves her but we just can't have a dog that destroys furniture. She's a good dog, except for the occasional shoe thing, but is just too destructive."
So, I went into my speech on crating, tethering, being on leash in the house, etc. We took the dog inside so I could see if she would go into a crate. Not only did she walk in, but laid down very contentedly as I closed the crate door while the woman and I talked.
As I explained how simple it could be to control the situation and teach the dog proper house behaviors, the woman began wiping tears from her eyes, saying how much they loved the dog and that the family could keep her and love her now that she knew what to do. I offered her classes and support, and told her to call anytime for help or advice. As she gave me a little hug--still crying and saying how happy her kids and husband would be knowing they could manage the situation--she said it was just fate that she should meet me, and fate that the sweet dog named Peaches had found them and could spend the rest of her life safe and loved.
Enjoy your forever home, Peaches. You are safe and loved.
