Roxy.

Fauna December 13th, 2008

Elvis Presley in Suspicious Minds:

Why can’t you see
What you’re doing to me
When you don’t believe a word I say?

We can’t go on together
With suspicious minds
And we can’t build our dreams
On suspicious minds

Ameloblast and Roxy in our kitchen after a messy training session. Actually it was painful (for me) more than messy because I was trying to teach Roxy how to take treats gently:

Roxy is a 2 year old mixed dog that we rescued from the Toronto Humane Society a couple of weeks ago. The teenager who surrendered her to the shelter because he could not afford food for her said that she’s an Azores Cattle Dog. If she does have some of the Azores islands in her those genes are quite diluted. She hardly resembles a purebred ACD.

She has a docked tail and poorly cropped ears. A lip injury along with some scabs along one thigh were suggestive that she had been in a fight just prior to being surrendered.

She and Ameloblast are slowly becoming tolerant of each other and some day soon I’m sure they will become good friends.

Adopting a dog from the SPCA is not as easy as it used to be. If you have never adopted a dog from a shelter it’s definitely not as easy as you might think. The interview that potential adopters are put through can be quite stressful. An extensive questionnaire must be completed and then a meet and greet is set up between you and the dog. If everything goes well there, anyone else who is going to be in close contact with the dog at home must be brought to the shelter as well. This includes other dogs.

Shaz, a professional dog trainer, was our interviewer at the shelter. Thanks to him we were made aware of potential issues between Roxy and Ameloblast and once we brought her home we were able to watch and react to problems before they became issues.

As with any animal that you rescue, you don’t know what sort of life they really have had and you probably do not want to know. All that you do need to know is that a dog like Roxy just wants to have a home that they can call theirs, they want to be loved, to be fed, and to be entertained. Given all of this, they will become your forever friend and you will have saved one soul from a sad ending.

None of us ever asked to be born to this world. Once here, though, we just want to live a life that is happy, positive, and fulfilling. Dogs feel no differently. Anyone who has owned a four-legged pet knows this.


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  • Retro Girl

    I love the Dwight Yoakam version of Suspicious Minds…
    Just sayin’.

    Our dog is a rescue dog as well…she was kept in foster care for a bit before we got her because of an ‘overflowing shelter’. We had to interview and go meet the “Foster mom” as well. We got really lucky…got a very sweet good natured, smart dog. (Border Collie/Lab mix).

  • http://journal.fragileheart.com/ fragileheart

    All that makes me hope that my parents don’t give in to my brother wanting a god unitl I have moved out. I don’t have the patience for dogs. The constant attention they require… its way too much. If I wanted someone that was that needy I would have a baby – at least I know its temporary. LOL I’m sure I’m missing out on something being a cat person but I think I’m happy enough this way. :P

    Glad to hear they’re getting along nicely. I wish you guys all the best!

    Recently from fragileheart: Flickr Friday: Thirsty & reminiscing)

  • http://www.endodontics.ca Periapex

    Retro: How long have you had your dog? Are you worried about jealousy issues with your new family addition?

    fragile: As puppies they definitely need attention. Depending on the breed, once they are older they are quite independent. Wouldn’t your brother be the one to look after the dog anyway since he’s the one that wants one? I like cats, but prefer other people’s cats. I’m much more of a dog person.

  • http://momentscaughtinflight.blogspot.com haleyhughes

    I hope things are going well between Roxy and Ameloblast. She looks like a sweet girl. And the good shelters are very particular about the interview process because they really want this dog to end up in a forever home and not back in rescue. Sounds like they really have their act together if they made Ameloblast come in for the interview, too.

    Recently from haleyhughes: My evil truffles — mwah ha ha)

  • http://www.endodontics.ca Periapex

    We’re really focusing on the pack order these days. Seems to be working out well. Plus the dogs are settling into a nice regular routine anyway.

    I was initially worried about how the interaction would work out, but have been pleasantly surprised.

  • http://www.dogs-info.net dogsinfo

    How to train a puppy or a dog watch?

    We all want to feel confident in our own house, often concerned to protect ourselves and our families. If not home, we want to ensure that assets are protected. Training is a puppy should be a guard is a good way to keep hackers. The following steps can help you train your puppy is the best keeper.

    Step 1 socialize your puppy. Expose the puppy to new people, animals and things. Obedience dog trainer Cesar Millan is socializing your puppy, from 5 to 7 weeks of age. Socialization is the entire life cycle. This will contribute to unnecessary and unwanted aggression.

    Step 2 The health of the puppy. A healthy diet, regular exercise and proper vaccination can help your puppy in the right mood.
    This increases your chances of success in training. Step 3 Set the stage. Ask someone for help, the dog who has never done, as shown by an attacker on your doorstep.
    Reward your dog with a treat or praise him with a pat on the head as a sign of alertness, as lighter. Do this for 30 minutes daily for one week.
    Step 4: Correct the puppies. If the puppy does not function properly if you do not want to bark, which was asked to peel too. This can also be aggressive against him, as customers friends, family and neighbors. Safe said, the dog No or quiet until it stops barking.

    Step 6 Contact a professional dog trainer in your area. If you need help training your local humane society, or visit the local pet stores for more information on dog obedience and training.
    Disclaimers.

    It is easier to train a puppy as a guard dog when you start a race with an inherited protective instincts as a German shepherd.

    See more articles about Dog Training : http://www.dogs-info.net/html/Training/index.html

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