We now have a second dog again, though it nearly didn’t happen. I kept thinking that 13 year old Fergus was a little lonely, or acting weird – barking at non-existent cats on the fence at dusk has been his latest trick. Plus, I wanted another affection outlet too. Nothing too puppy-like; something that wouldn’t commit me to 10 years of care, in case we wanted to do a big 6 month trip overseas.
Fergus is an odd dog. A dog that lunges at any unfamiliar dog just out of habit – a dog we really didn’t socialise properly in 2003 as a puppy because he was coupled with a dog that would fear bark at man and beast alike. But also a dog who loves routine, and is used to playing second fiddle – an all white, no-fuss, mostly ignored second dog.
So, I apply on PetRescue for a second dog, and mostly miss out on small non-shedding dogs because they are snapped up fast, or because we work 5 days, and pensioners don’t. Fair enough. So, my expectations lower each week – now I’m looking at only older dogs, and ones with medical conditions, and even then, I have to get through a meet and greet, and fill in 3 page applications.
After he chomped at another dog in Wonga Park, I started writing applications that mentioned he was “dog reactive”, a buddy within 5 minutes wasn’t going to happen with him. Then we got lucky. We found an older lady who didn’t mind us spending an hour at her house whilst we walked Fergus back and forth in circles, parallel or perpendicular, but never face to face. Sure he barked and tried to snap, but we got them closer and closer. Maria was either convinced we would make it work, or just happy to see the dog gone, but a week later we paid our money online, plonked her into a dog bed in the back seat and Fergus didn’t move a muscle. Not a single problem since – the difference is astounding.
Two days later, the euphoria has worn off a little, and things have become apparent. She’s deaf. She has a big belly and drinks lots of water (Canine Cushings – hello Chloe!) and is ravenous all the time. She is badly in need of some grooming, but has an awesome huge tail which goes crazy. Maria must have fed her a lot because the 5.5kg at the North Melbourne Dogs Home in August is now about 8kg. She can’t get in the dog flap (hey even Fergus can hardly make it nowadays) and boy I’m glad we just redid the decking steps because jumping is not her strong suit. Still, I am loving having another dog around, even if she only gives us a couple of years. I’d love to know her background, but everything about her is made up – her name, and probably her age (12), and no-one seems to know much. I hope you like living with us Bonnie.