Dog Days of Winter

So, last Saturday we got a dog! I had lunch with a friend last week, and we were talking about a dog that they had. After lunch I…just for fun…looked at Greenville Humane Society’s website. Now, as an aside, I’m pretty picky about dogs. I don’t like short hair, I don’t like long hair, I don’t like yappy dogs, I don’t like teeny little dogs that look like they should be drop-kicked across a football field, and I don’t like dogs that slobber all over the place. So, those criteria eliminate a lot of breeds out there.

But on the site was a beautiful white-haired Alaskan Husky named Libby. She was a 2 and ½ year old purebred, and she was already housebroken. Amber and I talked a bit. She knew I wanted the dog. On Saturday we went over and visited. I went in first just to get a feel for her temperament. She was a strong dog (she’s built for pulling), who had a strong desire to get out of there! She knew which door led out of the building, and that’s where she really wanted to go! There was one dog there she did not get along with, but other than him, she seemed to do fine with the other animals. I brought the family in, and we all took her outside. She was fine with the kids…maybe a little distant.

We left for lunch and talked about things. My biggest concern was her lack of attention / affection for the kids. She seemed like a good dog, and in the end we decided to move forward.

We brought her home without any supplies ready for her. (My fault…I always move too fast in making decisions!!) I had to buy a collar and leash at the humane society since we didn’t even have that. Once home, we didn’t have any way to let her outside! So, I took her to PetSmart. I don’t want to do that ever again!!! A strong 35-pound dog on a leash in a store with other animals and treats and food while trying to load a 40-pound crate into the cart and get a dog bed and outdoor chain. Not the best scenario. She did put her feet up on an attendant there to greet her. I learned that that is a no-no, and received a very nicely delivered speech about obedience training that was offered there.

We were told that she was a very active dog…too active for her previous owners. Well, here’s what a day at our house can do to you:

Overall though, the dog did great. She almost never barked (I think I’ve heard her bark twice), she likes to be in her crate, she doesn’t make any noise at night, she doesn’t whine to go outside, and she’s much more affectionate now that we’re home. We couldn’t have asked for better!

We decided to changer her name to McKinley. Libby just didn’t sound like a good dog’s name, and McKinley has the nice Alaskan tie. We had her dog tag made at Wal-mart, and we were good to go.

Monday night I put her out back once more before bed. Then I heard a “boom”. I went out back and there was no dog. There also was no 30 foot chain. The chain had been rated for dogs up to 50 pounds, and I know she didn’t weigh that much. (It turned out that she broke the metal clip. The boom was the metal hitting the kids’ slide.) I ended up seeing her spinning around a few houses up the street, and I assumed she was tangled on something. She wasn’t. When I got there, there was a cat in really rough shape. While pulling the dog off the cat, I was scratched pretty badly on my hand. The dog looked like she was scratched on the nose and eye. I dragged the dog back to the house and went back to check the cat. She was alive, but hurt badly. I checked with the neighbors and everyone said that she was a stray. While it still isn’t pleasant, we do thank God that she was a stray. This could’ve gone much worse if the cat was someone’s pet.

Amber and I talked and decided that we needed to take the dog back. While it is natural for dogs to go after cats, in a neighborhood setting like ours, we just can’t take that chance. A dog that’s going to hurt an animal anytime it gets loose just won’t work. So, unfortunately, we took her back.

And, since the cat was a stray, they recommended I bring in the body for rabies testing, which I did (the test showed up negative- praise God!).

So, we had a dog for 3 days! The kids (Ethan) were sad at first, but they seem to be over it now. Micah and Verity were funny, though. Micah would hide by my leg and pet her when he could reach. Verity loved being near her and spent a lot of time hanging out by McKinley’s cage. But they don’t really realize that the dog is gone. We’ll see when and if we try again in the future!!!