Before anything else, I just want to remind everyone I'm due to have a baby in 17 days.
James' grandfather has always encouraged us to get a dog to protect our family. I've been told that at one point their family was living in Central America and someone was stealing laundry from their back yard. They got a German Shephard and fixed the problem. Living in Duvall, we never lived in fear of intrusion. It has frequently been rated the #1 safest city in Washington, so no dog for us. I'm not really a dog person anyway. Other people's dogs are fine, but I have zero interest in taking care of a dog. Especially in light of above mentioned status.
A few weeks ago, James and I were up late working on incredibly boring stuff when he gets a call from the neighbor next door. The neighbor told James there were robbers hiding in our backyard. Apparently, they had robbed the condo next door and jumped the wall between the two properties. The police were at our gate wanting to search our yard. James let them in and 10 police officers came through our yard looking for the thieves while James and I searched the house (we both had mace with us). It was slightly terrifying, but felt more like an out-of-body experience. Nobody found anything, the robbers had somehow snuck out. After that, James insisted on getting a guard dog.
A German Shephard was top on the list, but I wanted to at least like the dog a little bit, so asked James to look for a dog that was more physically appealing. After some searching, he found a Border Collie that was pretty cute.
It was a puppy, so wouldn't be a great guard dog just yet, but the kids all fell in love with it. Turns out this doggo was from a farm run by a Catholic ministry. The nun James was working with told him this particular dog was more mild, but she wanted to give it to us for free as a welcome gift to Argentina. It was pretty hard to pass on a cute, free, purebred Border Collie (I know very little about dogs but am learning this breed is smart and very sought after). So Sister Graciola put the puppy on a bus and two days later he became ours.
Sister Graciola is in this picture somewhere. Pic stolen from their FB page :)
Poor little thing was more than mild. He was terrified of his own shadow. He spent the first few days slinking along walls, pretending not to exist, not making a peep. He's opened up a lot since then and loves to follow the kids around. He doesn't run very much, and sort of has a hard time getting up stairs. We're wondering if he has hip dysplasia, which may hinder his ability to be an effective guard dog. He does bark at the possums and stray cats that wander through our yard. And he's barked at a few workers that have come to call. James is trying to convince me we should get another dog now....and I think he's crazy. But apparently crazy is what we do.
We're thinking of naming him Loki. We have cousins with a big, blond, muscular dog named Thor. It would match nicely since this dog is more lithe, darker, and tends to get people to do things for him (like walk :) We'll see. Jury's still out on this dog, but he's got some endearing qualities.
In other news, my kids are tired.
School has worn them out. It's been good for them. And while there are some adjustments that are somewhat painful, we are really happy with how things are coming together.
If any of you have suggestions on how to raise a puppy to be a good guard dog while dealing with hip dysplasia, would love to know your thoughts!
For two years that dog will be fine. Do you really want to physically harm people, even robbers? If the crime history of the neighborhood is true, you shouldn't have robbers getting into the backyard again for 20 years.
ReplyDeleteNatalie was attacked by a Belgian Sheepdog when she was about 5 years old belonging to our next door neighbors that chewed on her face. I think the trauma of that incident still lives with her, and us.
Dad, is that you?? Yes, we aren't looking to hurt anyone. Just deter them from hurting us. Especially with so many little kids around, and rowdy friends, we didn't want a super aggressive dog. But an intelligent dog, that can tell when an intruder has malintent...which is hopefully this dog.
DeleteI remember that incident. Is that why we were always a cat family?
Yes it's me! Yes, the dog you have will be just fine, even with hip dysplasia. Sorry if I was being too negative. Before he bit you, our neighbors took pride in the fact that the dog would attack people if necessary- the quote in my head "he protects us (by being aggressive) and he will protect you too". That did not turn out to be a good thing for us. Dogs can't always tell who is a friend and who is an enemy and encouraging aggressiveness can sometimes result in tragedy.
DeleteWe had a dog once, but Mom has never really wanted a dog- she decided 8 kids are enough. Cats can pretty much take care of themselves but dogs need a lot more attention.
No dog advice -- not an animal person, though Loki is very cute! But seeing your child asleep on the counter has been my favorite thing of the day :)
ReplyDeleteI know how to raise a human with hip dysplasia! haha. Not sure if they do full body casts for puppies...or sensory games. lol. You have your hands full Nat! Sending you labor-inducing vibes, I'm glad my mom is there! xo Ange
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