Monday, December 12, 2011

Almost got ourselves another dog
Being dogowners and -lovers we always have a bad time seeing homeless dogs, strays. Several years ago we lost our yellow lab "Boomer" to cancer, when we were in Denver,CO. We tried to adopt a dog from the local SPCA in Wheatridge,CO, but were told that they wouldn't give a dog to travelers, as they required a fenced yard and the possibility on checking on the dog for a certain length of time. We found this rule was present at most SPCA-facilities.
While these rules truly were set up for the benefit of the adopted pets, I'm sure, they do not gain the goal of getting as many as possible pets adopted. And the Wheatridge dogpound was full and several dogs were already on "Death Row", meaning their alotted time in the pound was running out. You would have thought that it would be better for a pet to be adopted than killed, right? 


And we are still convinced that most pets would find a better home in an RV with a retired couple than in the fenced backyard of a house where the still working owners are absent 8-10hours a day.
Finally we had to leave Denver with our Molly only.


Today we learned about that a stray dog had attached itself to a couple here in camp. Trouble is that couple has already three chihuhuas and cannot have another dog. So we thought we might look into this. The dog is a female border collie mix and about the same size as Molly. Her friendly attitude is charming and she needs to eat, as she is very thin. But we have to make sure that she would be OK with Molly around. So I brought Molly over (leashed) and tried to introduce the two to eachother. However the stray started showing fear of Molly and growled and snarled. Molly did show zero interest in this lady and turned away. 


Meanwhile the dog's "Host couple" had called animal control and they will presumably arrive this afternoon, and take the dog away. So what are we gonna do?
My take is, it's not gonna work.

4 comments:

  1. Can you keep them separate yet visible to one another? Maybe the stray will learn that Molly is not a threat. I know I did see a TV show on overcoming the fear, but for the life of me, I can't remember the process. Maybe you can research online. Either way, good luck to you and the stray.

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  2. you have yourself a heartbreaking situation..good luck with it..

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  3. the reaction was totally normal...especially for the first visit..the dear stray is just so afraid..and who knows what abuse it had suffered before arriving at the camp families area...I think it could work with a litte patience...try leashing them both and take them for a walk..(not too close together to start) ...you just need to gain the trust...which will take more than one visit...sounds like it was insecurity and fear agression...which can be overcome..good luck....

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  4. If the dog is a stray it could be that it has had to fend for itself and fight other dogs just to eat. Perhaps that was just what it was doing. Seeing your Molly as a potential food thief. Maybe a few more introductions????

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