Hank was never what you would call a classically good
dog. Or even remotely good, for that
matter. He was, in fact, downright
naughty. He barked and he chewed. I watched the Dog Whisperer for years, noting
all my shortcomings as a dog owner and making mental notes of what to do next
time around (after all you couldn’t teach an old dog new tricks and Hank had started
to mellow into an old man).
Before Hank died I swore I wouldn’t get another dog. Why would anyone want the extra
responsibility, work and aggravation?
But 16 years of having a constant companion left an empty feeling in the
house. I was trolling the shelters
before weeks end.
And there she was. A
dachshund mix with those deep, brown puppy dog eyes that just melt you. MELT.
I fell pretty hard for her, but decided to watch her behavior with the
other dogs and people that came by to make sure she would be a good
companion. She was still a puppy, but
she had a mellowness to her. She didn’t
bark as the other dogs went by her cage. She was
perfect. I was proud of myself. I felt Cesar Millan would’ve been proud of me
too.
We couldn’t bring her home right away due to her necessary spay
surgery, so I came home and readied the house and myself for the new
addition. I pored over Cesar’s
instructions for introducing the dog to their new home and establishing
yourself as the pack leader. The first
thing he said was not to get a dog while you were still grieving, that dogs
could sense that. A week, I reasoned,
was plenty of time.
There were a series of other things you were to do to
establish your dominance from the get go.
The walk. You weren’t supposed to
bring the dog directly in the house, but rather, take a long walk first. That was followed by a defining moment at the front
door. The entrance is of the utmost
importance. You must enter first. Only when the dog is submissive and
exhibiting the right energy do you invite them into the home. Then you feed them. I had this.
Pick up day came. I
had indoctrinated the kids into the No Touch, No Talk, No Eye Contact
methodology. The were wary but would’ve
gone along with anything in order to get a puppy. My cat had a tooth infection that had rapidly
gotten worse and moved into her eye. I
thought, lets kill two birds with one stone.
I will make an appointment for her at the same vet we are picking up the
pooch at..
Turns out it was cancer.
We were recommended to put her down. I struggled with the decision but ultimately
felt it was the humane thing to do, I
was sobbing uncontrollably, both girls witnessing my breakdown. It was then that they announced that our dog
was ready to go home. I scoffed as I
realized I was picking up this new member while actively grieving my brains
out. I felt Cesar’s disapproval at the
situation but reckoned I could bounce back from this one minor infraction if I
was really diligent about the rest of the sequence.
That’s when they came out carrying my dog like a baby,
informing me that she was unable to walk from her surgery and anesthesia. Oh, and I shouldn’t feed her until
morning. All my Cesar training was
flying out the window! No walk? No
food? I clutched to the front door as
the last straw to grasp at. I would do
that part to perfection. It would make
up for everything else that had gone terribly wrong.
I packed up my dead cat and headed home with a new puppy.
We came to the front door.
I placed her on the welcome mat.
We all walked into the house. She
sat calmly. I invited her in. She didn’t come. I more enthusiastically invited her in. She refused to budge. I cajoled.
I touched, talked AND made eye contact.
I pleaded. But she sat, unmoving
on the stoop. I finally walked outside,
scooped up the dog and carried her over the threshold like the submissive bitch
that I am. I am certain that I let Cesar
down. The dog barks, chews and is
naughty as can be. I did it wrong
again. God willing, I’ll get another
shot to make a first impression in another 16 years.