Re: [PyrNet-L] Chat, Rescue: Looking for a special home

["Judith Stroh Miller" <jsmiller@newmex.com>]

On 25 Aug 99, at 6:51, JGentzel@aol.com wrote:

>  Some of these poor dogs are better off not being where they
> are.  We will generally not know this from one phone call, but these type
> people can and do inflict really bad things on the dogs and other animals
> that they live with.  A lot of these people are not very stable and cannot
> cope.  All situations that our dogs might be better off, even in rescue. 

How true Joe.  I have a wonderful story about a rescue that will 
always be by favorite dog.  I was called about a young male pyrenees 
who needed a home.  This is one of the few dogs I have a complete 
history on and his story is amazing. The first owners did all the 
right things, had him neutered, took him to puppy obedience, but then 
he started to mature, started roaming and since they lived in a 
restricted community, they could not properly fence him.  So a 
relative stepped in, who lived in the country.  What a great place 
for a pyr, free to be free. We all know that soon that did not work 
either.  The dog was roaming, becoming aggressive with other dogs.  
So he was passed from co worker to co worker, each home thinking they 
were helping this dog, with no understanding of the breed. He was not 
fed properly and became extremely food aggressive, was still roaming, 
fighting with other males and in general a nuisance. Owner # 4 had a 
pyr and really wanted to keep him, but he would fight over food and 
she was concerned for her children. This young guy had been in 5 
homes when I picked him up, not yet 1.5 years old.  When I drove in 
to get him, he was chained in a dirt hole, no food or water, stray 
dogs roaming on the property upsetting him.  He was such a mess, I 
almost cried. I picked him up on January 31st, it was cold and I had 
to drive with the windows down he smelled so bad.

It took two of us working with this boy daily.  First the clean up, 
then some basic reminders on how a gentleman pyr behaves. Crate 
training, learning that he would even fight over an empty dog food 
dish, or dog food stored in the kitchen. But we also quickly learned 
that this boy was a tease, had a marvelous sense of himself and loved 
to clown. He would do something he thought was quite clever, then 
stop to see if we appreciated his antics.

After 5 weeks in rescue I felt he could be placed so took him down to 
a club function where he would meet his new humans.  We walked in and 
he went up to Paul and put his head in Paul's lap and I knew Sammie 
was home.  Those first days were not easy for Susan and Paul, but 
Susan and I had corresponded frequently and they knew the problems 
they were facing.  Sammie has turned into a great boy and will always 
be to Susan and I; 'Sam, Our Main Man'.

The point of this story is; even well meaning people have problems 
coping with these dogs if they have no support or knowledge of the 
breed. Yes, Sam's story could have been quite different if his first 
owners had *known they could turn to their breeder for support.




Judith
jsmiller@newmex.com
Taos, New Mexico