On November 15, I reported that I found Beau his "forever" home but it did not work out. Four days after taking him home he was left alone for the first time for a couple of hours. Apparently, Beau stood on his hind legs at the front door and chewed around the framing of the glass panels on the front door. Because he was never alone here with my other dogs I did not think to counsel on a degree of separation anxiety. He has never once damaged anything in my home in the months I have had him. The agreement was that if he did not work out, he comes back to me and he did so, quite happily I might add. He's a great dog but not a perfect one. Beau is a very bright 2-3 year old neutered male, house & manner trained, energetic but not hyper, loyal & protective, is good with other dogs and great with people.
Still waiting for his new home...
Love the ears!
Beau, with Kenyon and my beloved Paws, who died last month. Scout is taking the photo...
After: A visit to the vet the next day defined a treatment plan for the hook/heart worm and fleas. Within 30 days, assisted by an organic diet loaded with Omega 3 (Flax), Beau's fur quality and quantity improved dramatically. His appetite increased and as he settled in his big personality became more apparent. I have since learned he is part Border Collie. What a fascinating and loyal breed they are. I had a plumber in the other day and Beau herded him to the bathroom and then sat and waited. Every time the plumber left, Beau would follow him right at his side and then resume the watchful eye. When the plumber was walking through the house to leave, Beau again walked immediately beside him escorting him out.
Before: Within days of taking him in - underweight, lifeless and missing patches of fur, fleas, hook worm, & the curse of The South - heart worm. I had gone back to the beach that night to look for him after taking my 3 pups home and found him in the parking lot trying to get into cars with people who were leaving. I leashed him up and walked him home and gave him a good bath in the yard before he walked himself through the dog door and curled up on the couch. He made himself at home so quickly the other dogs did not entirely know how to react.
For the next 30 days we worked on manners (he was trained) and tried to either find him his original home (which I am not sure I would have returned him to) or to find him a new home.
Hi Dear Kim
ReplyDeleteI hope your christmas was filled with love, family and friends... I see it was also filled with Beau.. Poor Boy.. he does look a bit mischievous!! Alert to all that goes on around him.. He is a cutie.. and I hope he finds a loving caring home in 2011... Looks like he needs active people who can spend time taking him for walks and running off all that energy!!
Wishing you a wonderful New Year. May 2011 bring you health and happiness.. thanks for being such a great friend... ciao xxxx Julie
I'm so sorry to hear that Beau's adopted family let a little thing like chewing something get in the way of a beautiful relationship. Thank God for people like you.
ReplyDeleteKim, you are amazing...a good Mamma to those dogs. Buon Anno Nuovo Cara amica lontana. Ciao Rita
ReplyDeleteI adopted a terrier mix I thought at a shelter in Poteau Valley, OK but came to realize she was a wire haired (or rough-coated) Jack Russell terrier. To my dismay the first time I left her alone in the bathroom, I returned to find she had gnawed through the door!!! My hubby was NOT happy by the destruction, and further dismayed that she was terrified by him. We began to fear that she had stayed too long at the shelter and was not salvagable as a pet--she would lunge at him trying to bite and charged at our two cats. The shelter had assured me that she was cat friendly. My husband suggested several times that I should return her to the shelter, but it was almost 3 hours away! We hung in there with her (she loved ME from the start).
ReplyDeleteWell, it has not been easy, but she has come so far since last mid-March. She now gets along fine with the cats once she realized they were not going to bother her, and she finally loves my husband too! She is a delight to watch run and jump about with wild abandon in our back yard. So what appeared to be a bleak outcome has become a joyful one! She is NOT completely housebroken (we hope to put in a small pet door soon) and I think that will solve that problem. Hope all works out eventually with Beau. He is a beauty!
Well done Kim -- just thinking about you over there. Happy Hearts and Happy Minds - Katie from Tartine
ReplyDeleteHe is such a cute dog and the way he holds his ears is too much! It's a great thing that people like you are helping dogs like Beau.
ReplyDeletexx,
Michelle