Dingo, my All-American mutt,
came to live with us soon after we got married.
He was a stray, picked up by a kind man who then
tried to find a good home for him.
He had already
been adopted out once, but the couple brought him
back when Dingo tried to jump
through their window in an attempt to follow
them. He couldn’t handle to be left alone, a
behavior problem known as separation anxiety.
Naïve as I was back then, I didn’t think this
would really pose a problem. After all, I would love
him and never abandon him, and he would know that,
right? Wrong! I quickly realized that I had a problem
on hand, when Dingo would go into a destructive frenzy.
As soon as I closed the door behind me and left him, he
chewed through the backyard fence; he destroyed ALL
the blinds in three short minutes when I said hello to
my neighbor -- something had to be done.
So I bought a crate and taught him that this was
going to be his home from now on when I had to leave.
He didn’t like it at first, but there really wasn’t
a choice. After four weeks he would go in there as soon
as he saw me getting ready to leave. I was thrilled;
this was going to work.
From then on it was a piece of cake. We started
taking obedience classes; he earned his Canine Good
Citizen certificate; we did agility and other fun
doggie activities.
Dingo was initially afraid of strangers, especially
men. So we did a lot of socializing, going to parks,
pet stores, and our weekly classes at the dog school.
With time he learned that people meant good things and
now he loves to meet strangers, because he is always
hopeful that maybe, just maybe they happen to have a
cookie for him.
In addition to his separation anxiety, he is also
afraid of thunderstorms und other noises, such as
high-pitched beeps, gun shots and fire crackers. In the
beginning he would start shaking and then literally sit
on me. But over the years he has learned to be a lot
more relaxed about these noises. These days he just
lifts his head and looks at me, as if to say "did
you hear that too"? Then he goes to a comfy spot
and curls up to take a nap.
Dingo is a perfect example that even a dog that
comes with some pretty severe behavior problems can be
a wonderful pet and companion, when given a chance. The
worst problem was overcome in less than 4 weeks, the
rest wasn’t that much of an effort and was a learning
experience for both of us that resulted in a strong
bond of friendship.
Dingo passed away just before Thanksgiving of 2004
