Lilly Dog

I haven't had my own dog in roughly 25 years.

The last dog I had was a genetic mutant Rhodesian Ridgeback named Bill, who weighed in at 145 pounds. My former girlfriend had a red-boned coon hound named Ida-Mae. It was clearly her dog and not mine.

This late May I rescued a larger (50 pounds, it turns out!) terrier-looking kind of unit from the Mendocino Shelter. Take a peek at the photographs and tell me what you think the origin of my dog might be. Quite frankly I have no idea, with one exception:

One of my peeps at work suggested it might be an abandoned Portuguese Water Dog.

You know; an ObamaDog.

I checked some websites and compared some photographs.

Holy Christ; my dog might be an ObamaDog.

I'll have to shave her so she looks good walking backwards. And shave her so she doesn't even remotely resemble an ObamaDog. She'd be too embarrassed anyway. Examining the photographs, what kind of dog do you think she is?

Above are the "before" pictures. Below are the "after" her shampoo and cut pictures.

So, a few questions for you, because I've kind of lost touch of the whole "dog" thing -- I've been more of a cat person than a dog person, circumstantially --

What might your, say, top three pieces of advice be for a new dog owner -- for a dog that is roughly 3 to 4 years old?

I have no idea of what her past consisted. The shelter indicated she was turned in because she killed chickens. I'm not quite sure it was quite that simple; I suspect there was more going on than that.

A few things I've concluded since her adoption: she is a rather sensitive dog. I believe I could very easily -- perhaps too easily -- break her spirit if I were to be heavy-handed with her. She takes corrections and input cautiously and with studied consideration. I have yet to have to really raise my voice to her on most occasions.

On the other hand, I can tell that she is a very intelligent dog; she is constantly watching, processing, thinking. I can almost literally see the gears and cogs turning in her head. She's figured out the doors, how to open one with her nose, how to slip out of a standard collar, how to slip out of a halter and harness.

And yet, on the other hand, when I took her for a 2-hour walk this morning up in the mountains near my cabin on a Gentle Leader head-collar, she kept pace, was easily corrected, and was responsive. There were any number of challenges that she faced properly and with few overt corrections. I had her sit and stay when cars passed by. I rewarded her with praise when she reacted properly. She tried to growl and lunge at dogs whose homes we passed, but this behavior was reduced with a curt "no" and a small snap of the lead.

She did generally well when she passed a dog who followed us along the road, unfettered, but I had to make corrections more sharp.

Overall, at the conclusion of her first weekend up in the high country, she performed admirably. She is new and I am new; I can still tell, however: slip that collar or lead off and she'd sky away.

I sense she is still holding me, my wife and the situation at a bit of arm's length. She may want to trust but she is still not quite there yet. The trust is not present.

On the other hand, like a Labrador, she is very "touch"-sensitive. She wants to be right next to me at most times. She'll nudge my hand for petting and scratching. But licks or kisses are mostly straight out. She made a few "drive-by" licks but only in passing.

Another question for you: is it because we are so new in our relationship that trust is just not there? She's a slightly-older dog and perhaps a bit set in her ways.

Any thoughts, dearest readers?

BZ