Hound dog
Nana's are Beautiful
Evidently the honeymoon phase has worn off completely. I knew it would and this is why I haven't allowed myself to get attached to Sadie. I love her and give her plenty of attention ect. But I've learned over the years working with strays that it's best to keep a firm grip on your heart at least until the honeymoon phase has passed. You just never know what type of past a dog has lived before it comes to you.
Sadie has shown signs of attempting to dominate Molly as of Monday. But I'd tell her no, and she'd back off. I've been anal retentive about Molly being first in absolutely everything. Travis has even done very well with that, knowing it was to prevent Sadie from showing aggression toward Molly. Yesterday there were more incidents but again Sadie would back off with a No. This morning I took them out to potty and to romp in the yard. Sadie starts again. Only although she'd stop when I told her no, I had to be much more forceful about it, and she just kept attempting to hump Molly. So I started to get ticked and decided play time was over. Molly had pushed her herding ball up onto the patio and gotten it stuck. I went to pick it up because playtime was over. Good thing I was right there, because Sadie decided at that moment to go for Molly, right for her face/throat. I grabbed her collar in time (and yeah, I know how so as not to get hurt) and immediately leashed her. Soon as the leash was on her, Sadie was her normal self again.
I said from the beginning of this, one incident of aggression would be all it took. I meant it.
I'm not mad at Sadie. She's just being a dog doing what dogs do. Molly is old and sick and it probably confuses and irritates Sadie that she's boss. Sadie being younger and stronger of course wants to up her position in the pack. Why she chose that moment to assert herself is beyond me. There was no reason for it. She'd been clear across the yard when I went to pick up the ball. But it doesn't really matter. Whether I have to chose to put Molly down in the near future or she still has a couple of years left......I won't have her attacked in her own home because I tried to help a stray.
Sad part of this is that I can't even keep her now to re-home her. Unless I keep her in her crate 24/7 there is no way to contain her. And trust me, the crate isn't an option....she is LOUD when she doesn't want to be in there and that is just mean anyway. She escapes the yard without effort, and just comes back. Obviously a lead didn't work with the neighbor lady. And even trying to supervise her inside with Molly gated and separated in the living room.............Well, there is the fact that Sadie can jump that gate anytime she pleases and go after her.
My rescue friends are full. (it's that time of year) The no kill shelter is full. (not that I'd do that to her anyway) Neighbor lady that took her "in" before isn't an option because she can easily escape the lead, return to my yard and if Molly is out there go after her. And while the odds may be low on that........I'm not willing to take the chance. So the pound is my only option. I don't like it much. But at least we have a great gang of volunteers that work their fannies off to get the dogs/pups in the pound back to their owners, adopted, or into rescues that our kill rate has dropped from about 50 dogs or more a month to 3 last month and to them that was unacceptable. Volunteers have set up foster homes. But at the moment they're full too. Still, they'll work like mad to either get Sadie adopted into a forever home or get her into a rescue. We've had dogs go to rescues in surrounding states. Last week one went to a rescue in Va.
Still it makes me feel really bad. It's not Sadie's fault. She's still just as good a dog as ever. And I don't believe she's normally aggressive. I think it's just because she's knows Molly is old and sick, and now she's had time to figure out Molly can't/won't defend herself. She doesn't push her luck with Rowdy. In fact, she came awfully close to finding herself attacked by him this morning even though he was still in his kennel because he was scaling the walls as I snatched her up. He was coming after her for going after Molly. And since she's new to the family......I don't think it would've just been a spanking like he'd have given Betsy. Sadie doesn't push her luck with the cats. She knows and accepts she is lower than all of them, including the outside cats. It's just Molly. The rest take no nonsense off her.
So reluctantly, I'll take Sadie to the pound today......unless some miracle happens in the meantime. Because even as I'm sitting here writing this, Molly is whimpering (she did too much with her ball this morning) and Sadie is attentive on the opposite side of the gate and her tail is down........and now Mom is tense wondering if Sadie is going to see it as an opportunity.
Svcks. But this is not the home for Sadie.
Now I'll crate her so I can hop in the shower and try to stop mentally beating myself up for having to take Sadie to the pound.
But I will say this, I don't regret trying with her. I'm sorry it didn't work out. If the timing had been different, this could have easily been her forever home.
Sadie has shown signs of attempting to dominate Molly as of Monday. But I'd tell her no, and she'd back off. I've been anal retentive about Molly being first in absolutely everything. Travis has even done very well with that, knowing it was to prevent Sadie from showing aggression toward Molly. Yesterday there were more incidents but again Sadie would back off with a No. This morning I took them out to potty and to romp in the yard. Sadie starts again. Only although she'd stop when I told her no, I had to be much more forceful about it, and she just kept attempting to hump Molly. So I started to get ticked and decided play time was over. Molly had pushed her herding ball up onto the patio and gotten it stuck. I went to pick it up because playtime was over. Good thing I was right there, because Sadie decided at that moment to go for Molly, right for her face/throat. I grabbed her collar in time (and yeah, I know how so as not to get hurt) and immediately leashed her. Soon as the leash was on her, Sadie was her normal self again.
I said from the beginning of this, one incident of aggression would be all it took. I meant it.
I'm not mad at Sadie. She's just being a dog doing what dogs do. Molly is old and sick and it probably confuses and irritates Sadie that she's boss. Sadie being younger and stronger of course wants to up her position in the pack. Why she chose that moment to assert herself is beyond me. There was no reason for it. She'd been clear across the yard when I went to pick up the ball. But it doesn't really matter. Whether I have to chose to put Molly down in the near future or she still has a couple of years left......I won't have her attacked in her own home because I tried to help a stray.
Sad part of this is that I can't even keep her now to re-home her. Unless I keep her in her crate 24/7 there is no way to contain her. And trust me, the crate isn't an option....she is LOUD when she doesn't want to be in there and that is just mean anyway. She escapes the yard without effort, and just comes back. Obviously a lead didn't work with the neighbor lady. And even trying to supervise her inside with Molly gated and separated in the living room.............Well, there is the fact that Sadie can jump that gate anytime she pleases and go after her.
My rescue friends are full. (it's that time of year) The no kill shelter is full. (not that I'd do that to her anyway) Neighbor lady that took her "in" before isn't an option because she can easily escape the lead, return to my yard and if Molly is out there go after her. And while the odds may be low on that........I'm not willing to take the chance. So the pound is my only option. I don't like it much. But at least we have a great gang of volunteers that work their fannies off to get the dogs/pups in the pound back to their owners, adopted, or into rescues that our kill rate has dropped from about 50 dogs or more a month to 3 last month and to them that was unacceptable. Volunteers have set up foster homes. But at the moment they're full too. Still, they'll work like mad to either get Sadie adopted into a forever home or get her into a rescue. We've had dogs go to rescues in surrounding states. Last week one went to a rescue in Va.
Still it makes me feel really bad. It's not Sadie's fault. She's still just as good a dog as ever. And I don't believe she's normally aggressive. I think it's just because she's knows Molly is old and sick, and now she's had time to figure out Molly can't/won't defend herself. She doesn't push her luck with Rowdy. In fact, she came awfully close to finding herself attacked by him this morning even though he was still in his kennel because he was scaling the walls as I snatched her up. He was coming after her for going after Molly. And since she's new to the family......I don't think it would've just been a spanking like he'd have given Betsy. Sadie doesn't push her luck with the cats. She knows and accepts she is lower than all of them, including the outside cats. It's just Molly. The rest take no nonsense off her.
So reluctantly, I'll take Sadie to the pound today......unless some miracle happens in the meantime. Because even as I'm sitting here writing this, Molly is whimpering (she did too much with her ball this morning) and Sadie is attentive on the opposite side of the gate and her tail is down........and now Mom is tense wondering if Sadie is going to see it as an opportunity.
Svcks. But this is not the home for Sadie.
Now I'll crate her so I can hop in the shower and try to stop mentally beating myself up for having to take Sadie to the pound.
But I will say this, I don't regret trying with her. I'm sorry it didn't work out. If the timing had been different, this could have easily been her forever home.
