Maybe you’ve heard this…maybe you haven’t. Many times I’ve heard it said that you don’t get the dog you want, you get the dog you NEED. Bear with me on this…by the end, you’ll see where I’m coming from.
I’ve spent the last two posts talking about Mollie…and I will do so again. But let me take you to another place entirely…
Pictured here is Jake. Many of you know him…and you know that he is my heart dog. He’s seven now, which means technically he’s a GASP senior. If you know him, you know he doesn’t act like it. Jake, in great part, is why 4 Paws DogWorks exists today.
When I brought Jake home, he was 8 weeks old. He was found running in a schoolyard in Kennewick with a harness that was too small for him, and we Fostered-To-Adopt from POPP. I knew I wanted to take him to train, and we found the Columbia Basin Dog Training Club. Puppy class was a breeze, and CGC was a bit more trying. Huskies are a “difficult” breed, as they really need to be convinced that what you are asking them to do is in their best interest. I cannot tell you how many sleepless nights and seemingly endless conversations I had with my trainer about him.
We knew he needed a job. We tried Rally. We tried Obedience. Then we found Agility – WOO HOO! He loved it and it gave him an outlet for all that boundless energy! Eighteen months or so later, we entered our first trial. By our third or fourth trial, we had our first title. The picture you see below is the one right after we got our first qualifying run. I was literally so happy I was in tears.
Fast forward a few months. I had a personally devastating year, and then Jake started refusing to take jumps in agility. He was limping when he came out of his crate. I had no idea what was happening. So, I made an appointment at WSU in Pullman to check him out. He was born with bilateral (both hips) dysplasia. Unbeknownst to me, I was competing with him and he was in terrible pain. He was so stoic, that he continued to compete, trying to do his job through the pain. I cannot even imagine. But that’s a dog for you…
The diagnosis: a total hip replacement on his left side. The folks at WSU were great. The surgery went very well, even though his femur broke during surgery. They repaired that and completed the procedure. The recovery and physical therapy were all-consuming and combined with caring for my older dog that was being treated for bladder cancer, I was on full-time caretaker duty. Ultimately we lost Cammie, and Jake had to have the hip re-done due to failure of the device. Again, a long recovery and grueling PT regimen. He has come through in true Jake style and is strong and full of life. His agility career, however, is over. Should he do something that splays that hip, my only option is amputation? Not a viable option.
Then, we discovered tracking. This dog is a superstar in the sport. He will also excel in the coursework that we will start this week. He actually loves nose related sports even more than agility. And his focus when he works is phenomenal.
As I said, he is seven. I think about this and I wonder to myself…how did we get here? I was ready to throw in the towel many, many times with him because it was “just too hard”. With encouragement from trainers and people who know about these things and a whole lot of tenacity from me, Jake has become a really great partner. Is he perfect? No. But neither am I. He trusts me. He loves to work. And he opened up a whole new world to me.
I relay this story for a few reasons:
- If your dog suddenly refuses to do things he loves, the first thing you should do is GO TO YOUR VET. Have a thorough workup. I have talked to many people who relate that their dog is suddenly exhibiting different behaviors. This can be due to environmental changes (a move, new baby, etc.) or perhaps a physical ailment. Rule this last one out as soon as you can.
- Many people have commented that Jake is lucky to have me. Yes, that may be true. I am his advocate, his protector, his partner. Many people would have put him down without considering other options. I’m so happy that I did what I could for him.
- I went through a huge grieving period for our agility career. I canceled my subscription to Clean Run. I felt like my friends would no longer be my friends because we couldn’t do agility. I didn’t want to tell them that. When I did, I found that my friends rallied around me. While our bond was initially through dogs, our bond was our bond as FRIENDS. You know who you are.
- If you find that you want to throw in the towel on your dog, remember this: most dogs end up in shelters or rescue programs because of behavioral issues that can be mitigated by training. Don’t be afraid to ask others for help. You’ll find that dog people LOVE to help. If we haven’t been through exactly what you are experiencing, we have contacts that have. Please let us help.
- Be open to the places your dog can take you. Never in a billion years would I have imagined participating in dog sports. Then came Jake.
When I was looking for a new dog to add to our family, I had this vision of a nice, biddable dog that would be easy to live with. Apparently, a power higher than my pay grade determined that I needed Jake. He has taken me to places I never thought possible – including creating 4 Paws DogWorks. And every day, I am thankful.
Stay Paw-sitive!
