My 3 year old white Shepard does it too even though he’s no puppy. He’s just paranoid someone might take his toy!
Ack sooo cute!!!
Ack sooo cute!!!
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Thanks! I’ll give him your compliments. He’s been sort of blue lately since his “brother” passed away last week so now he’s the only dog in the house. We will probably be getting another rescue in the spring though.
Awww I’m so sorry MTG! He sure is a sweet pup.Thanks! I’ll give him your compliments. He’s been sort of blue lately since his “brother” passed away last week so now he’s the only dog in the house. We will probably be getting another rescue in the spring though.
Our seal lynx bengal kitty named Opal as she was white with blue eyes and caramel marbled markings passed (on laptop) away two months ago and it was heartbreaking. Only 3 years old so I’m feeling your pain
every time I see a bengal on here....it makes me want another kitty... but our two pups are keeping us busy at the moment!
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jaysonsmom
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Her eyes say, “I will understand your darkest secrets.”
We’re going to be best friends for a very long time.
Omg that face!!! So so cute.
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MamaBee
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Bailey was sitting next to me and I was scratching his back while I was on my iPad. When I got up I couldn’t believe the hair nest that was next to my chair! He gets baths and brushed..He’s just a never ending shedding machine!
And this is why my vacuuming is never done.
This could be a photo of our floors. Not kidding.
jaysonsmom
Ideal_Rock
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I am very upset by an incident that happened today. I have been thinking of a quotation I recently read, attributed to Clarence Darrow, that has helped me to live with the situation. The quotation is: "There is no justice inside or outside the courtroom".
For the past few days the contractor I hired back in October to redo my fence finally started work on it. The idea was to contain hero so that he could not escape and bite any other dogs (or roam). The fence is higher than it has been to date in all areas but one. But right now we have to be very careful with making sure the bungee cord with which we secure the front gate is on correctly. Today I did a great job with the bungee cord and came in feeling that the dog would definitely be secure. One of my friends had said last night that the place was looking like a fortress. I let Hero out in the front, fenced-in, yard and then I looked out the kitchen window (which faces the backyard) and saw him running loose in the backyard.
I ran to the front yard and the gate was securely fastened shut with the bungee cord. So he must have leapt over the back fence for the first time. My daughter and I chased him in the car and eventually got him. Two little girls from the neighborhood were helpful in pointing out to us which way he had run.
When we called out to thank the girls their mother (whom I knew) started to scream that this was the last time she was putting up with the dog getting loose, that her daughter was terrified of him, that next time she was calling the police. She has been giving me dirty looks as if I should be walking hero on a leash rather than letting him stay in my yard. She is far younger than I am and either her or her sister, when children, came to get reading tutoring from my mother when she was little and having trouble in school. (Free tutoring, because my mother was a teacher.)
I decided to go up the stairs and knock on the door, which I did. She owns a pedigree Golden Retriever, like many people in my neighborhood. It is what made me fall in love with the breed and get one as my first dog after I was married. But purebred Goldens gotten as puppies are docile and easy to raise. I got a rescue and didn't know what kind of mix I was getting. He was badly scarred. Many people have told me they think he was being trained for dog fighting. This woman didn't let me speak at all. She screamed at me that I was having another fence put up, yet my dog escaped. She said i should walk my dog on a leash the way she did. (I couldn't get a word in edgewise to tell her he was walked on a leash daily.) I stayed calm and said, "You aren't being fair", hoping to get her to let me present my case. Instead she screamed, "I'm not being fair. My daughter is terrified" and more. Then she slammed the door right in my face.
I have had a very long relationship with this family and I have always treated everyone in it well. It goes back generations, in fact. This has really upset me. Although the neighbor yelled about Hero's past misdeeds (that he had bitten another dog, that he terrified her daughter) he has never bitten a person. But everyone hates him for his barking and because he looks aggressive. He actually loves people, he just doesn't like other dogs.
For the past few days the contractor I hired back in October to redo my fence finally started work on it. The idea was to contain hero so that he could not escape and bite any other dogs (or roam). The fence is higher than it has been to date in all areas but one. But right now we have to be very careful with making sure the bungee cord with which we secure the front gate is on correctly. Today I did a great job with the bungee cord and came in feeling that the dog would definitely be secure. One of my friends had said last night that the place was looking like a fortress. I let Hero out in the front, fenced-in, yard and then I looked out the kitchen window (which faces the backyard) and saw him running loose in the backyard.
I ran to the front yard and the gate was securely fastened shut with the bungee cord. So he must have leapt over the back fence for the first time. My daughter and I chased him in the car and eventually got him. Two little girls from the neighborhood were helpful in pointing out to us which way he had run.
When we called out to thank the girls their mother (whom I knew) started to scream that this was the last time she was putting up with the dog getting loose, that her daughter was terrified of him, that next time she was calling the police. She has been giving me dirty looks as if I should be walking hero on a leash rather than letting him stay in my yard. She is far younger than I am and either her or her sister, when children, came to get reading tutoring from my mother when she was little and having trouble in school. (Free tutoring, because my mother was a teacher.)
I decided to go up the stairs and knock on the door, which I did. She owns a pedigree Golden Retriever, like many people in my neighborhood. It is what made me fall in love with the breed and get one as my first dog after I was married. But purebred Goldens gotten as puppies are docile and easy to raise. I got a rescue and didn't know what kind of mix I was getting. He was badly scarred. Many people have told me they think he was being trained for dog fighting. This woman didn't let me speak at all. She screamed at me that I was having another fence put up, yet my dog escaped. She said i should walk my dog on a leash the way she did. (I couldn't get a word in edgewise to tell her he was walked on a leash daily.) I stayed calm and said, "You aren't being fair", hoping to get her to let me present my case. Instead she screamed, "I'm not being fair. My daughter is terrified" and more. Then she slammed the door right in my face.
I have had a very long relationship with this family and I have always treated everyone in it well. It goes back generations, in fact. This has really upset me. Although the neighbor yelled about Hero's past misdeeds (that he had bitten another dog, that he terrified her daughter) he has never bitten a person. But everyone hates him for his barking and because he looks aggressive. He actually loves people, he just doesn't like other dogs.
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@AGBF, I really feel for you we had a Shetland Sheepdog mix for our first dog and he was extremely dog aggressive with dogs he didn't know. He was also a rescue, it's too bad this woman can't keep in mind that you don't have the advantage of knowing his full background, that's just not the case with most rescues though.
We were never able to resolve his aggression so walks were few and far between. No real advice but you were obviously the bigger person here, your neighbor is not handling this in a very mature manner at all.
We were never able to resolve his aggression so walks were few and far between. No real advice but you were obviously the bigger person here, your neighbor is not handling this in a very mature manner at all.
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Thank you, StephanieLynn. My daughter, from the front seat of my car, yelled out an expletive at the woman, which she didn't hear as she was slamming the door already. My daughter said I should have shouted back at her. I told my daughter that if I had done that the two of us would have created the kind of scene one sees in some trashy movie (usually set in a slum if it is depicted on film) where the neighbors scream at each other loudly in the streets. That wasn't how I was raised. My parents didn't shout outdoors at their neighbors.
I appreciate your kind words more than I can say. I hate having been silenced. I hate this woman not even knowing that my dog gets walked for 45 minutes five days a week (although not by me) or that he is a rescue who was badly abused and judging me.
A good psychological question for myself would be: why do I care? That's where the Clarence Darrow quotation helps me. If I just think "there is no justice", I feel a little better.
(((StephanieLynn)))
Deb
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@AGBF, maybe you care because you don't feel like you were heard, you didn't get to share anything and then she completely silenced you by slamming the door. Also because you took the high road here and her reaction was anything but. I always try to remember (although this can be difficult in the moment) we can't control other people's actions, we can only control our reactions. She is obviously intolerant, I would avoid her as much as possible.
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I've been following Hero's story since you first posted about him. You are to be commended for your dedication to keeping him and attempting to give Hero a stable home as well as attempting to change some of his negative behaviors. As such, the responsibility for Hero's behaviors -- be they good or bad -- rests solely with you regardless of anything else. He's your dog. Your neighbors aren't under any obligation to hear your story or his nor are they obligated to tolerate a dog who barks, is dog aggressive, and scares others. Although it would be awfully nice if they made an effort to hear your story and his and find some compassion for him and for what you're attempting to do for him, it is a difficult sell when what they likely see are only negative behaviors.
I can't fault your neighbor for losing her temper after all that you've shared about Hero. She probably lashed out at you because she's angry, frustrated, and afraid. You've failed more than once to keep him confined. Most people aren't going to stop and ponder whether a dog-aggressive dog is or isn't also people-aggressive. A lot of people are scared of what appears to them to be an out-of-control animal. A barking neighborhood dog makes life miserable for those who are forced to listen to it. A mother who sees her terrified child doesn't care whether the child's terror is valid, her instincts are to protect her child.
Until your property is secured sufficiently so that he never escapes and until enough time passes without other unpleasant interactions in your neighborhood, you can expect that people will see you as a problem neighbor and Hero as a menace. The responsibility for changing their perceptions also rests solely with you. Have you thought of inviting neighbors in close proximity to you to your house for a meet & greet with him where you can tell his story and what you hope to accomplish? If they interact with him in a controlled environment, they may begin to trust that he does indeed love people. If that isn't an option, how about writing a short story about him explaining his behaviors and putting it in neighbors' mailboxes or on their front stoops and inviting them to meet him and/or discuss their concerns with you?
I hope Hero's story has a happy ending or at the least, that a level of detente is reached between you and your neighbors.
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Matata-
I really appreciate your taking the time to write what you wrote to me above; it obviously took a great deal of thought and analysis. I think you are not only right about everything, but a master (or mistress) of tact as well. You presented the fact in a way that was palatable to me, a way that was sympathetic and that I, therefore, could relate to.
I read it for the first time in the middle of the night last night and ever since then I have been entertaining different schemes about how I might respond to the challenge of introducing Hero to the neighborhood in a more positive way. There is an elementary school right next to my house and parents park in front of my house when they come to drop off and pick up their children. The dog used to bark at them although he no longer does. I thought I might make up a story geared to children and pass out fliers one day. I would keep the wording (on that flier) simple and just make it like (very condensed) children's story.
Nothing is finalized, but at least you got me thinking and I really appreciate it. I also appreciate your having followed the saga of Hero.
Thanks also to missy and StephanieLynn for their kindness and support.
AGBF
I really appreciate your taking the time to write what you wrote to me above; it obviously took a great deal of thought and analysis. I think you are not only right about everything, but a master (or mistress) of tact as well. You presented the fact in a way that was palatable to me, a way that was sympathetic and that I, therefore, could relate to.
I read it for the first time in the middle of the night last night and ever since then I have been entertaining different schemes about how I might respond to the challenge of introducing Hero to the neighborhood in a more positive way. There is an elementary school right next to my house and parents park in front of my house when they come to drop off and pick up their children. The dog used to bark at them although he no longer does. I thought I might make up a story geared to children and pass out fliers one day. I would keep the wording (on that flier) simple and just make it like (very condensed) children's story.
Nothing is finalized, but at least you got me thinking and I really appreciate it. I also appreciate your having followed the saga of Hero.
Thanks also to missy and StephanieLynn for their kindness and support.
AGBF
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