The $10 Dog

Photo Credit:  PW

The $10 Dog 

To be honest, this all probably started with me believing in another lifetime that you couldn't really train the aggression out of a pit bull.  

Then over the years, one at a time, I came in contact with the breed repeatedly and I began to wonder if maybe it really wasn't bred into them at all?  That the stories I'd heard and the aggressive ones I'd seen were the ones where aggression had actually been Trained into them? 

Then my oldest daughter ends up getting one.  He is Giant, energetic, and convinced he's a lap dog.  My 12 year old daughter spent a few weekends there and she was Convinced that she needed one.  I finally gave in and agreed to go to the pound "just to look".  I took my 2nd daughter - C. (I have 5 girls LOL ) with us because she's a dog groomer and can spot dog aggression and temperament a LOT easier than I can.  

We get there, and there's SO many dogs.  This shelter is a kill shelter.  The city runs it and sponsors most of the adoption fees.  Full price adoptions are $75.  I noticed many of the dogs had $10 tags on their kennel.  Curious, but I was too oblivious to how things truly worked to really understand I kept looking for THE dog.  

We had taken a couple outside but none of them were a good match for us.  My older daughter kept telling my little one to look at a specific $10 dog.  They called her Marley Dawn.  She has almost black circles around her eyes that look menacing.  She is anything but menacing. While we waited for someone to break her out of her kennel for us, I continued to walk around.  I came back around the corner and there was my daughter just camped out on the floor in front of her door. 

We got her outside and she broke away from us to go to the end of the play area and do her business.... for a long time.  Then she tentatively came to meet us.  Within about 24 seconds she rolled right on top of my younger daughter's feet and rolled over for belly rubs.  Occasionally she would jump up to wag her tail ... which ended up wagging her entire back end ... and then again ... assume the position for more belly rubs.  

Both of my daughters were convinced she was the one.  I Wanted her to be the one, but I'm still a little bit skeptical.  Is this too good to be true?  

After spending a couple hours there what I Did know was ... They were a kill shelter.  The $10 tag on their kennel meant they only had a few days left... Okay fine ... my "just to look" turned into me paying $10 before we left that night.  She had to stay so they could spay her.  That would take 5 days to accomplish.  Her new Mama thought surely she'd never survive the 5 days.  

So We went back ... daily.  We fed her treats, we put a stopwatch to how long it took her to destroy a normal tennis ball (about 2 minutes).  Every day when we left, P would give her a special treat from PetSmart (an alligator, or hedgehog tough chew) so she would have something to do while we were gone.  

Finally the day came where we could bring her home.  She bonded with my daughter immediately.  I made her sleep in the crate at first because of her incision.  P decided to sleep on the floor with her hand in the crate so she wouldn't be scared.  After watching her play with us I finally decided to take the chance and let them sleep in bed together.  Inseparable since that day. 

She is great and So gentle with my little Porkie Sheldon (Pomeranian/Yorkie)!  She takes a treat so gentle it's amazing.  Remember those long times at the end of the play yard relieving herself when we took her out?   She never had a mess in her kennel.  Never.  She also has never had an accident in my home. 

That's not to say she doesn't make a mess ... Some poor stuffed animal meets a torturous end almost daily... Except the pink dragon.  She Loves that pink Dragon.  

They said she was 11 mos old when we got her so we have a little puppy energy to deal with, but this is the most trying time with any breed!  

She's literally the Best dog I've ever had on a leash and she is So eager to please it really takes just a couple times of reward/discipline (mostly reward) to teach her house etiquette. 

During this time, Most of us are home because of COVID-19.  You've said it, you know you have.  You Just Don't Have Time to train a new dog.  Well Right now you have all the time in the world.  Every Time I think of the $10 tags it's like a punch in the gut. I know what must be happening there and it's killing me.  Most shelters have modified their procedures, but you can still meet and adopt a dog.  You may not be able to enter the building, you might have to do Everything outside with masks or gloves or whatever, but What Could You Do With a $10 Best Friend?  Save a Life today, Use this time to adopt a dog, walk them every day and get yourself out of the house! 

You Won't Be Sorry!  

Photo Credit:  PW