[PyrNet-L] Re: Care: Willow's behavior

["Mitzi Potter" <Pyrs@Prodigy.net>]

Hi :-) 
Ok, you know how email lists are, right? I'm going to write this letter and there's going to be 
50 people telling me I don't know what I'm talking about. It's up to YOU to trust your own 
judgements and look at your own situation and decide for yourself. Ok, that said....
I think you've got a perfectly wonderful home for a Pyr! When I got my rescue Pyr (NOT the 
escape artist one!) there were several people that told me she'd "change" after she was 
more comfortable, etc. If she's changed at all it's only been for the better. She's the same 
sweet dog I brought home 4 months ago. I adopted a 4 1/2 yr old female from the breeder 
3 yrs ago. This is the same dog I met when she was 2 yrs old and got a puppy out of. 
Sweet, gentle, kind, hasn't changed one single bit unless it's just to slow down some. If 
Willow hasn't ever been allowed to be a part of the family before, how's she to know what 
window blinds are? She doesn't know when she moves those noisy krinkly things that it 
bends them and that owners don't like that. She may be just fascinated with the blinds 
themselves. When I got the 4 1/2 yr old Pyr (she's 8 now), she used to stand in front of the 
patio door blinds and just rub her head back and forth on them, like she was trying to get 
them to pet her. She didn't mean to mess them up. I think what you see in Willow is what 
you'll get. Some dogs really ARE are all those wonderful things without any real drawbacks. 
BOTH female Pyrs that I got as adults are like that. (All my boys are, too, but I raised them 
from pups). They honest to God have no faults. Literally none (that I can see <G>). 
There's an awful lot of Pyr owners out there who've adopted adult Pyrs and sit there and 
wait for the other shoe to drop and it never does. Some dogs really ARE that good. 
Especially most Pyrs.
If it makes you feel better-Janet Ingram has been in Pyr Rescue for....gosh, I don't 
know-20-30 yrs? (I'm not sure but she's the head chairperson and she's been in Pyrs 
forever). She was a bit surprised that the rescue Pyr I was fostering (who is now at Beverly 
Coates) jumped out the window also. She said in all her years with Pyrs she's only had ONE 
Rescue go out a window. It's unusual behavior. The dog I was fostering who went out the 
window had a completely unknown background. She'd come straight out of a shelter and 
into my house where she had to be isolated completely because she had kennel cough. 
She spent her 1st wk (she was pretty sick) in a crate. This is after being kenneled at the 
shelter for several wks. I tried putting her in a pen outside and she immediantly dug out. 
The pen had a barrier fence sitting out 4' from it and she was well on her way to digging 
out of that when I caught her. I tried tying her in the front yard with me sitting right there 
with her and she dug and clawed and had a fit trying to get loose. So-I knew darn well this 
dog was an escaper. It was no surprise. If Willow were having that sort of behavior you'd 
certainly know it by now, it's pretty obvious. Anyway, I put the dog in my son's room 
(uncrated) because I thought maybe she'd like to stretch out some. She was through the 
window and the screen within 15 minutes. She bent the wires of my heavy duty crate by 
chewing and clawing at them, so crating her was pretty impossible also. Willow sounds 
NOTHING like her. My OWN dogs are nothing like that. I want to stress that it's *very* 
unusual for a dog to be so hell-bent on escaping. I've no idea what kind of place she'd lived 
in before, thankfully you've got history on Willow.
It's my opinion that Willow will be just fine at your house. Don't "expect" trouble because 
chances are there won't be any. 
~Mitzi  Potter   
~Pyrs@prodigy.net   Okla City   OK
~http://members.aol.com/fivepyrs/dogsz.htm


On Sun, 22 Nov 1998 11:16:36 -0500, Michaelene Sullivan wrote:

>Willow is kind, gentle, loving, attentive and precious. That is my opinion of her right
>now...will she change? I think that's my biggest question. As she becomes more and more
>comfortable in my home will her behavior change dramatically?
>More background on Willow. She was raised by a family with a small child. She was taken 
>for walks and trained, somewhat. She is flawlessly housebroken. She loves to ride in the 
>car. She does not play with her toys to the point of destruction. She has a VERY soft 
>mouth.
>I hope this is the case. She doesn't act agitated when she looks out...she just sits quietly
>and looks...left then right...and stares...nothing more and nothing less. Any input you can
>give to me to calm my fears would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to give up on this 
>dog finding that I cannot provide her with a safe home...one that I can live with and 
>Willow can live in...she is a darling and fits in so well with my little pack. The "breaking 
>window" post scared me to death!