Silver Linings

I’ve been trying to get the dogs to more than one obedience class per week, so the school’s Tuesday schedule of one morning and one evening class seemed ideal. I’d take each dog separately to one class on Tuesday, and then Ross & I would take them both to the Saturday class. This is the first week I’ve put this plan into operation. My problem child, Zeus, takes more of my energy, so I decided I’d take him to the morning class when I’m fresher, and Hera to the evening class. So I loaded Zeus into the minivan this morning and off we went.

Halfway to the class, I realized I wasn’t wearing the right shoes, but I decided I’d tough it out. Shoes might not sound like a big deal, but when you’re dealing with a 140 pound dog, digging in your heels requires the right footwear.

When we arrived at the church in Southlake, where the school’s website said the class would be held, no one was there. I managed to dig up the instructor’s phone number and was about to call him when another student and dog arrived. As we were unloading, someone else came and told us the class was at the town center. I heard the words, but my brain registered Keller, since that’s where the Saturday classes are often held. Great, I thought, I can swing by the house, pick up my shoes, and head to class.

I began to think something might be wrong when the car in front of me headed straight on Carroll Avenue rather than getting on the highway. Had I misunderstood the new location? I wanted my shoes, though, so I stuck to my plan. Arriving at Keller Town Center, you guessed it, no one was there. I called the instructor to find out where exactly they were in Southlake Town Center and whether I could still get there before it was too late.

There’s another reason I misunderstood the change in location. In Keller, classes are held in a big, open field. Southlake Town Center is a shopping center disguised as a small town downtown. That’s the last place I wanted to go with scaredy boy, so I think I heard what I wanted to hear. Despite that, I decided to take him over to Southlake. We were going to be so late I figured his exposure would be short and it might actually do him some good.

We managed to catch up for about the last third of the class. Zeus did reasonably well considering the situation. He was willing to heel politely for the most part, although his tail stayed tucked. The hardest part for him was waiting outside while the rest of the dogs took a tour of the Apple Store. No, he wasn’t pining for an iPhone 4. People are more likely to scare him if he’s sitting still. And he did become frightened, and I did have to perform a bit of a cleanup, but it wasn’t awful. More important, while he was very anxious, he never panicked or shut down.

After the Apple Store adventure, we walked back to the class rendezvous, had a little water, and dispersed. I’d unknowingly parked about as far from there as I could have. Zeus did quite well walking back to the minivan, even without the security of the larger pack. I think we might be making progress again.

It all worked out for the best. Had I known where class was going to be in the first place, I’d have taken Hera, not Zeus. Had I not forgotten my shoes and gone to the wrong location a second time, the experience might have been overwhelming for Zeus. Sometimes life’s little speed bumps aren’t a bad thing.

Blue Light Special

He was laying in a grassy strip between the road and a KMart parking lot in Trenton, New Jersey. At first glance, he looked like a big black trash bag flapping in the breeze. Hubby said, "Hey, that's a dog!" and made a quick u-turn on busy Kuser Rd. By the time we reached him, another passerby was offering him a plate of kibble, but keeping her distance in case he wasn't friendly. Hubby never has had much sense about approaching strange dogs and took the kibble right up to the pooch. He was hungry, friendly, and just plain tired. We lured him away from the busy street back to our car and awaited animal control.

He was a sweet dog of unknown breed, furry but well-groomed, clearly someone's special friend. I patted the backseat and he joyfully jumped right in. What was he doing out here by himself? He wore a chain collar without tags, so no help there. Surely his people were looking for him, and the best thing was to park him at the local pound where he'd be quickly and easily found.

Another side of this dog emerged when the animal control officer arrived. No dummy, the dog knew he had it good in the backseat of our car and had no intention of leaving. The animal control officer had no intention of risking a bite and no desire to spend any more time than necessary coralling this dog. When the loop of the officer's catch pole tightened around his neck, the dog turned into a snarling beast, to no avail. Into the truck he went. The officer informed us that he'd be kept for 8 days. If he wasn't claimed by then, he'd be killed.

At that moment, I wasn't concerned about the dog's fate. He was well cared for and well behaved. Surely, even now, his person was beating the bushes to find him. We helped the process along by putting an ad in the local paper and by posting flyers everywhere possible within about a 2 mile radius of the KMart where we found him. He'd be claimed in short order, I was certain.

Hubby called the pound every day, expecting to hear that the pooch had been reunited with his happy family. It was not to be. On the eighth day, Hubby took the drive back to New Jersey and brought this strange dog to his new home with us in Pennsylvania, taking his place in our furry family with new sister Fred, our husky-lab, and three cats. He was thrilled. Fred and the cats were not. Everyone adjusted- eventually.

Adopting an unknown stray presents an interesting challenge. What was the dog's name? We tried many of the obvious- Bear, Buddy, Rex, Fido -without a glimmer of recognition. Calling a dog without a name is problematic, so we had to choose a new name for him.

We named him 'Blue'.

Zeus in repose

Zeus, our boy Mastiff, is taking it easy after class at San Bruno Dog Obedience School.