Today's training was an easy bike ride, following my morning run with the dogs. So I opted to clear my mind with a mountain bike ride. My version of mountain biking consists primarily of dirt forest roads around my house (no technical singletrack!) so it truly can be done in a low-intensity, relaxing manner. Sometimes I let the dogs come with me, but today I wanted to ride up the highway a bit to get on some cool dirt roads in the ponderosas, so they couldn't tag along. And besides, they had already run for 40 minutes with me. But look at those hopeful faces: praying I was going to say, "Ok, let's go, girls!" Instead, I told them they had to stay home. They were crushed, which always tugs at my heart a bit. As I left for my ride, I hoped they wouldn't get revenge for being left at home....
Ok, obviously they let me know they were not happy about being left behind. This was Klementine's work. She tore up a brand new comforter in our guest room. It has only been used once, and it is really cute. I was so mad! Poor Klemmy was abused before we adopted her, so just holding up the stuffing and slightly raising my voice was enough to devastate her. It is tough to discipline a dog who has been abused: you want to let them know they have broken the rules, but you don't want to terrify them, either.Behavior like this is common for rescue dogs. They can be emotionally scarred from being abandoned in the past, and panic when you leave, and get destructive. It is referred to as "separation anxiety." It is something we have faced with both of the girls since we have adopted them. Keiki is doing much better, but we have had her for longer than Klemmy.
This is a picture of Klemmy not long after we adopted her. All she wanted to do was hide in her kennel. And she was terrified of Chad: she would flinch whenever he would pet her. She had obviously been beaten. One time not long after we got her, I kicked a tennis ball for her to fetch, and she screamed out, thinking I was going to kick her. It was so sad! The pound was about ready to put her down: she had been in there for months, had been returned twice, and had given up on life. She was depressed and afraid. She was giving up on her will to live in there. But despite her fear, she was so gentle and loving. We knew she would take some work, but could turn in to a great dog. Now she is such a funny girl! She is smart and confident, and loves to play and snuggle. And she is Keiki's very best friend. She has changed so much. When I think of how far she has come, I smile. I am so proud of her! It makes the sporadic instances of separation anxiety worth it.
I would encourage anyone out there to consider adopting a dog from their local humane society. This is something I am so passionate about (as you can tell from the length of this post)! It is so rewarding. Keiki required very little work, and fit in quickly. Klemmy has required more patience and time, and had some issues at first, but they are both amazing dogs. And I swear they appreciate that they were rescued. Purebred puppies are precious and adorable, and I think they are great, but they are also easy to find homes for. Who can resist a puppy? But I can tell you, I would not trade our lab mix who snores like a foghorn and has crooked back legs, or our heeler mix who has a hilarious looking underbite, for any "perfect" puppy!
And back to today's incident: I think the comforter can be repaired...not by me, but by someone who knows how to sew. And I will take a ripped comforter to have our two girls as part of our family.
