A Dog Day in the Summer

It has been a ridiculously long time since I wrote anything for the page, but a lot has been going on since I posted over a year ago. About 10 months ago, I took on a new position at my office and my energy and attention has been focused mostly on this, but I’ve continued my running and nutrition to my best ability. I’ve run a handful of short distance races and a couple longer ones. In addition to taking on the new job, I took on another major responsibility last October: a second boxer, Elsie.

Today, in honor of my dog Buckley’s 8^th birthday and Elsie’s upcoming 2^nd birthday on July 15^th, I thought I would dedicate the reemergence of my blog to our journey together. So here I sit on my couch, watching a marathon of Pitbulls and Parolees on Animal Planet with my dogs on the couch next to me as I type.

In October, 2007, I had recently purchased my first house and decided that it was time to take on a proper pet and I had no doubt in my mind that I wanted a dog. Not just any dog would do; I wanted a boxer. I’d had a lot of interaction with the breed through my friends and family and I knew that was the breed that I wanted in my house. They are a high energy, highly dependent breed that have a lot of love to share.

I adopted Buckley from Calico Creek Boxers on October 22^nd, 2007 and instantly he became my best buddy. It’s hard to summarize over seven years of constant companionship, loyalty and love that he provides, but if you’re an animal lover, you know exactly what they mean to you. I’m so glad to see how well he responds to anyone that comes into contact with him. He’s over 70 pounds, but that doesn't stop him from laying on our house guests laps. In his mind, he’s more of a cat than a dog.

As he has gotten older in age, I’d been worried about the inevitable and the thought of not having a dog in the house is something that I couldn't bear. In the summer of 2014, I contacted the same breeder with the thought that I could take on a second dog that Buckley could “train” and would curb my fear of doglessness.

While the breeder didn't have any puppies at that time she said she would have a litter ready in a few months. I figured that would be perfect as I wanted to put up a fence in my yard. While Buckley has never had the urge to roam even though he is not tied up in the yard, I didn't know what two dogs would have in mind given that much freedom.

I started to look into fencing options and ended up having an Invisible Fence system installed into my yard so I didn't have to construct a big fence and still give them their freedom. It turned out to be a very valuable investment and I’d recommend it to anyone considering them.

While it had only been 2 months since contacting the breeder, I received a message from a stranger on Facebook inquiring if I was still interested in taking on a second dog. She had a boxer that she had adopted from Calico Creek Boxers a year prior, but doesn’t have the ability to care for her as she needs. She was referred to me by the breeder and asked if I would be willing to take in this dog instead of another puppy. At first, I was not interested. I thought it may be too late to be able to train a year old dog versus a puppy.

Elsie had originally been adopted by a woman in the Twin Cities who lived in a condominium in a suburb of St. Paul. She didn't have access to a yard, large house or much freedom, unfortunately. The original owner stated that she had to take her to a dog day care facility every day and the expense was getting to be too excessive. On top of the lack of independence, she was plagued with stomach and urinary tract issues. These were all very difficult for me to consider, but I also thought about Elsie a lot and how I wanted to help her out of this unfortunate situation.

The deciding factor of this transaction, however, was inevitably in Buckley’s reaction to Elsie. I arranged to have them both meet in a neutral location. I took Buckley up to a dog park in St. Paul where Elsie and her original owner met us. The two hit it off instantly and I knew there would be no personality conflicts. They were almost identical in mannerisms and energy and it was obvious they were to be companions.

My friend joined me in the meet-up with Elsie. He is a dog foster house owner and had identified several items he observed in the puppy. Elsie was obviously very underweight and had several protuberances on her body. Prior to agreeing to adopt Elsie, I had requested to receive her veterinary records to ensure that there was nothing majorly concerning with her health.

Within a week, our vets had made the information exchange and my local veterinarian had a chance to review the 57 pages of medical records. The sheer volume of the pages made me sceptical, but according to my vet, there was nothing that we couldn't get through with proper care and treatment.

That was the final green light! I decided that not only I needed her, but she needed me as well. I arranged to meet them again so I could pick her up and take her home.

Upon arrival, she instantly fit in to a routine and Buckley welcomed her without hesitation. Within a few days, I brought her in for a check-up with the vet and despite weighing only 43 pounds, everything else looked great. The protuberances were due to her thin frame and were caused by how she would lay in her crate, but they were gone within two weeks of her moving in to my house.

In the past ten months, the two dogs continue to exist in perfect harmony. Elsie has adapted well to the new house and invisible fence system. She has gained over 15 pounds and has no noticeable stomach issues or urinary issues.

I never realized much impact adopting a dog in a pseudo-rescue situation could be on my life, but it has taken a lot more patience and attention than when adopting a puppy…but this does not diminish the experience in the least.

I am still inspired as I watch “Pitbulls and Parolees” and the work they do at the Villalobos Rescue Center for the dogs that can’t advocate for themselves. Far too often people take on a dog with a laissez faire approach, when the dogs really do need structure and guidance. I am in no way pointing blame at Elsie's previous owner, but applaud her courage to admit to the fact that she was not able to provide a proper environment that a big dog, such as a boxer, needs. Still to this day, I frequently send her messages on Facebook on Elsie's progress.

I know this is not like anything I've shared in the past, but I figured it’s been so long that there are no rules on what I can post on here. I hope this becomes a regular routine again as I often enjoy reading others’ materials and want to share my thoughts with those that wish to read them.

Thanks for reading!