Just Couldn't Do It

Well, I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t finish dialing the telephone number for the rescue we adopted Luna from. I upset my husband but not because of Luna because I flip flopped. I don’t usually flip, flop after I’ve made a decision. But this one was different because I plain don’t like the rescue we adopted Luna from. They don’t check out perspective homes, nor do they ask for references. Even if they did ask for these things I’m not sure they’d follow up as they haven’t contacted us once since we adopted Luna back in June. When we adopted Dexter from VAGA one of the volunteers called to see how Dexter was adjusting, but even before we adopted Dexter they visited our home and evaluated our application. Our local SPCA didn’t do a home visit, but they did call our references and before we signed on the dotted line they spoke with us at length before Josie was able to come home with us. This rescue just pulled Luna’s paperwork and had us sign on the dotted line and we had ourselves a new family member.

Luna is still having trouble adjusting to life with Wyatt. Things had escalated with her growling and lunging at him. Luna’s trigger well, one of them is his barking. Wyatt is a demand barker and I have no one to blame for the barking but me. I and my family work on his barking all the time and while we’re making progress it still makes Luna terribly uncomfortable. So why on earth would I want to keep Luna in our pack when she’s growling and lunging? The simple answer is I/we love her and I’m really not ready to give up. I and my family can do more.

And do more we are. I sat down and really looked at all that I had done to ease her into the pack and realized that I hadn’t really tried. Yes, I work on basic commands, take her for walks and she has playtime but she never really received any alone time with me the way the others have. It’s a New Year and we have a new plan. Our new plan involves using herbals, training, more one on one time and exercise. We placed a DAP diffuser in our family room and have added calming herbs to her daily food intake. Now when I get home from my morning shift at work I get Luna from her crate and take her for a brisk walk and during that time we work on bonding with attention exercises and basic commands. After the walk we bond more in the backyard with a 10 to 15 minute game of fetch and more work on basic commands. Then when my oldest daughter gets home from school she walks Luna again and plays a game of fetch with her before interacting with the other dogs. The result thus far has been a more relaxed Luna. She might be almost 6 years old, but she is still a Golden Retriever and the breed is known for its perpetual toddler energy and play. While Luna needs more exercise than most dogs she’s not the high energy dog that Wyatt is but she does need more than most and now she’s getting it.

In addition to the exercise and herbs she’s fed a high quality human grade food and starting next Tuesday Luna and I are going back to school. We’ll be attending a basic manners class through a place called Pup N Iron. The facility is wonderful and they offer many activities for dogs and their owners. The best part is it’s a positive based training program and while positive reward based training may take longer for some dogs it is better for dog and owner in the long run. Luna already has a wonderful foundation and follows the family commands so I am going for a refresher for both of us as well as bonding time. Six weeks of bonding time won’t fix our problems but it will help me help Luna.

A peaceful coexistence and better management is what I am setting my sights on and if the last three days are any indication of what the future holds then I am ready to continue moving forward.

Until next time Woof, Woof, Woof and a Roo!

* Photos of Luna taken by M. E. Dupie