Before we discuss my offer, there’s something important you should know. I have two dogs, both of them “rescues” and one of them has issues. Or at least a problem.
First, there’s Queenie the Chihuawhat. Chihuahua and what else, who knows? I adopted her from the local humane society shelter. She’s about a year and a half old, tips the scales around 6.5 pounds. Full of mischief, loves to run and play, her past abuses weren’t so traumatic that it affected her behavior in a negative way beyond some occasional yapping which I’m fairly good at controlling. She’s such a cool little dog that it blows my mind that anyone would surrender her to the shelter but sometimes shit happens.
Now mind you, if you leave a door open she’ll probably try to sneak out so I have to impress upon you to be careful coming and going. Also, if you leave the door to your room open she might go in and steal your socks. Beyond this, she’ll probably fall in love with you especially if you offer her a treat, something I’m always happy to provide.
Still with me?
Then there’s Willy… He presents an issue that might be a bit difficult for the average person to deal with.
Willy’s a Pomeranian who’s estimated to be between 10 and 12 years old. I think it’s an over-estimation, my guess is more like eight or nine, but the people at Muttville, a rescue shelter for senior dogs, say he’s older. He tips the scales around eight pounds so he’s little like Queenie.
Like Queenie, Willy’s history is sketchy except for one thing. There’s no doubt in my mind Willy came from a very abusive background. If you shake your finger at him he’ll cower down to the ground like he’s been assaulted. Wave a rolled up magazine or newspaper at him and he almost goes into seizures from fright. Only dogs that have been badly beaten or hurt react in such fearfully drastic ways to such benign actions.
So what’s his issue or problem?
Aggression.
When you come or go, Willy’s going to raise hell and go into attack mode. I’ve been doing all I know to correct this unwanted behavior but it’s going to take time and, hopefully, someone willing to help me. He loves me like crazy, something that often baffles me but for which I’m very grateful. I don’t think of myself as anything special or as having any special powers other than the fact that I’ve been a dog lover all my life.
The day I went to Muttville to meet Willy for the first time they warned me about his aggressiveness. I was almost tempted to say “pass” but I’d already seen pictures of him on the internet and, beyond thinking he’s beautiful, I felt one of those inexplicable connections. I was instructed to sit quietly on the sofa and wait until they could bring Willy out so that’s what I did. Waited and wondered if I was going to be mauled but figured I didn’t have all that much to fear from a little Pomeranian.
So, here comes Willy the bad ass. He didn’t lunge at me. He didn’t even bark. Big as you please, he got up on the sofa next to me, put his front paws in my lap and looked me straight in the eyes. So much for dangerous, frightening aggression. More like love at first sight.
Sadly, Willy doesn’t react to others the way he does me. Like I said, he goes on the attack. Well, as much as he’s able to attack. So there’s no misunderstanding — he lunges and barks. He growls, too. A lot.
But he doesn’t bite.
He can’t bite. Whoever had Willy before Muttville rescued him fed him such a bad diet, gave him such poor care, that it led to severe periodontal disease. His teeth were slowly killing him so they had to be extracted, every single one. So no matter how aggressively he reacts toward others he can’t hurt anyone.
Now you know.
I want to rent the room to someone who has a real love, real respect for animals and the patience to at least acknowledge my dogs when they’re coming and going. Just something silly like “Hey, gang! Who wants a treat?”. Nothing that involves prolonged training periods because I could never rightfully demand such time and effort from anyone. Just some silliness and friendliness. I truly believe this would be the key to helping Willy overcome his aggression problem.
I’ll happily provide the treats. By the way — silliness and friendliness cuts across all ways. It isn’t limited solely to the dogs. I believe home should always be a place of welcome.
Would you still like to see the room?
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