(Originally written 9/10/2022 8:29 am) A year and a half ago (or so) I adopted a pit bull mix. He’s handsome and strong and a royal pain in the ass. Shortly after adopting him, I noticed some behavioral issues. He liked me, but didn’t trust me. He’d growl and snarl. He’d guard his toys and…
Category: Pets
Two Weeks Gone
It’s been two weeks since I surrendered my dog. I’ve checked the shelter’s website – no takers yet. They renamed him Dumbo which I think is an unfortunate choice. In his bio they say he’s best in a household with teens or older. Naming him after a Disney character seems to send mixed signals about…
Surrender
Last week I surrendered my dog to the shelter where I adopted him. It was difficult. It was heartbreaking. I changed my mind about it a dozen times on the ten-minute drive over to the shelter. At times, I briefly imagined some future cartoonish jailbreak… One in which I bust in to the shelter armed…
He’s a Good Dog
Permanent. That’s the word that stands out. Or was it permanently? I don’t know exactly what words preceded it, surrender, give her up to Paws. Then the woman on the phone said something like bring any toys or blankets or anything to make her feel comfortable. I don’t correct the woman on the phone about…
My Dog with the Abby Normal Brain
Every step in the process of re-homing my dog feels like a loss. Reaching out to the shelter. Answering their emails. Scheduling a vet visit. Scheduling an intake visit. Every single step feels like I’m saying goodbye. Every step feels like a betrayal and a failure on my part. If I have a savior complex…
Save the Cats
The piece of papery trash swirling under the car in front of me emerged from the shadow of the undercarriage. A black and white kitten stumbled and spun, stumbled and spun. I swerved to the right to avoid hitting it. I straddled it between my tires and quickly passed over it. In my rear view…
Sometimes It’s the Dog
An hour in to my morning, I’m starting to feel guilty for not having fed the dog. It’s still early (6 am as I start this), and in my mind I tell myself “he can wait.” I hate having that power over him – what I really mean to say is that as soon as…
Why I’m More of a Cat Person
Almost a half of a year together with my dog, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m more of a cat person than I am a dog person. I feel a little bad saying that, but it’s true. Compared to cats, dogs are ridiculously high-maintenance. Sure, they do some goofy and funny things and…
Resource Guarding
I have a good dog. He’s cute and loyal and fairly obedient. He can be a goof. When he zooms around the house, he does an excellent impression of a bull in a china shop. Every week he seems to open up a bit more and show more of his personality. This past week he’s…
Old Dog, New Tricks
Today was our first day of dog training – which was probably more about Matt training than it was Kimbrough training. For the pup… well, he did great and got way more treats than he would normally get in an hour. For me, I recognized some of my weaknesses and failures as a human being…
An Evening Walk
By the time I got home, I wasn’t in the mood for it – any of it. It was a nice day here in central PA. It was probably the warmest it’s been in months. Even the sun was out. When I left the office, I put the windows down a little and turned the…