Diesel Demands...

ATTENTION and if he doesn't get it when he wants it, he has about seven thousand different tricks to get it. These seven thousand or so odd tricks run the gamut between, adorable and psychotic! There's the push and snuggle, the galloping laps around the house to announce to everyone (even the spiders and dust bunnies) that MOM IS HOME, there's the counter surfing, the top of the crate bouncing and the low pet me rumble, which will morph into a bark if you're being particularly cruel hearted and ignoring him.

Now Bailee, also demands attention, but she only has about 4 tricks: pouting, squealing, pushing and peeing (in inappropriate places at inappropriate times). She postures over, adjacent to and in the face of her canine packmates, and will climb her humans like a mountain to should LOOK AT ME from the heightof a chairback or shoulder.

Bailee was given to Rescue for Rehoming, because her family didn't have the time and energy to give her the attention she needed. I am grateful to her first family for doing this, their selfless act allowed me to adopt a fantastic little diva when my heart and soul were pretty much shattered by the loss of my sweet Foley. I am fortunate enough to even have some of her puppy pictures and let me tell ya, I would have picked her from Day One out of that litter, she was freaking adorable. She was nearly two years old and had never suffered any hardship...though if you asked HER; not being worshipped as an unctuous object of enchantment, was hardship too terrible for any bulldog princess to endure. (She does think rather highly of herself, doesn't she?)

Diesel on the other hand, was surrendered to Rescue almost a year before his fifth birthday. From what I've been able to piece together about his history, he had been kept as an outside dog, in a pen with very sporadic human contact for the better part of 2 and a half to 3 years. Most of his experiences with his people in that "home" involved rough housing and playing tug of war death matches. There was little, petting, cuddling or soft hands and love for him. When he was surrendered to rescue, he spent several trial weekends in prospective homes, in which he proved to be too much dog for them. The remainders of out of control, crazy, rough play had left indelible marks on his sweet soul.

Diesel's journey really began on a March weekend when I went to visit my friend Jewlz, who is one of the "special" foster homes for Bulldog and Bullmastiff Rescue. She had Diesel for a few months and wanted me to assess him as a second opinion. I met a Brindle and White Wrecking Ball, that ran hellbent for leather and launched himself directly at my chest, to say HI! Fortunately, I twisted out of his way, or I would have felt a 65 pound rocket square in my sternum. I bent down to pet him and he was jumping up and grabbing at my hands and arms with his mouth. It took some doing, but I finally got ahold of his collar and got him to sit down and stop jumping. The mouthing though, oh he kept at that for what seemed like an eternity. I hadn't yet completed a Reiki course, or had an understanding of what it was, but I endeavored to make my heart and hands as steady and quiet as they could be, so that I could get Diesel to relax enough to let me pet him. Finally, I was able to pet him, in long, gentle strokes and let go of his collar. To my surprise (and Jewlz') he rolled right over on his back and let me give him a belly rub.

After that, we put the wild boy back in his crate with a fresh bone and had ourselves a hot tub. Jewlz asked me what I thought about him and I said "There's no way a new owner or average family could take that dog. He's got issues that will take YEARS to resolve and the mouthing is so rough, that he'd be in danger of being euthanized for biting." I committed to helping him find a perfect home and working with his manners whenever I had a chance to go out to Jewlz place. That was in March. In April, I thought we had found the perfect home for him...and in June he went on an 8 hour adventure to British Columbia...just long enough to terrorize the resident golden retrievers, cat and his adopter. I was beginning to lose hope for the little guy, he was such a sweet dog, but his behavior was pretty darn scary...EVER aggressive, but VERY intense and VERY physical.

So, over the Fourth of July, I borrowed Diesel for a few days, to allow Jewlz some extra room at her Boarding place for the HUGE number of dogs she was taking care of that weekend. Diesel came to our house and was great, he slept in his crate, pottied outside, wasn't afraid of fireworks and would chase his kong wubba until he could hardly stand up. Sure there was some mouthing and exciteable moments, but he was good with the girls and was really not a problem at all.

As it turns out, I was the right person to help Diesel overcome his issues. He never puts his mouth on people and unless he's super revved up, he doesn't jump and try to catapult into people either. He can walk on a leash, without dragging me into oncoming traffic and he's perfectly content to sit beside me on the couch or keep my feet warm on the ottoman, for hours at a time...so what if he gets a little vocal if he's not getting petted...he's inside with his family and he's definately owed some undivided attention...if not from the universe, from me.

I used to think that it was horrible to make a committment to an animal and then give it up to someone else. But, after having Bai and Deese in my life, I realize there are far more terrible things than rehoming a dog. As my friend Jewlz is always saying "Every pot has its lid."