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Poor Trickster. She had a rough day.
My Mom adopted a dog from the pound about six weeks ago. The first time Trick met Eddie, she went to sniff him and he bit her on the ear. No blood, no wound, but it really upset Trick. From that day on, she's been absolutely miserable when Eddie is around. She goes to the farthest corner she can find (the little office) and lays down under the desk. So I've been trying to encourage her to relax around Eddie. Today Mom came to visit and brought him along. She went out to walk him and I put a leash on Trick (she rarely wears a leash, but I wanted to keep her with me and I knew she wouldn't get near Eddie if possible) and went out to the little park to visit with Mom. I had a pocket full of treats and kept giving them to Trick, and she would eat them, but she looked completely miserable - head and tail down, stomach tucked. Eddie was fine (he has been fine with my dogs ever since that first time - he was just overwhelmed and reacted badly). But Trick was very unhappy.
So we go back to the shop and I went through the gate into the pen by the back door. Mom brought Eddie in and turned him loose to play with the other dogs (we do this frequently - Khana LOVES Eddie). And I went inside to get something and looked around for Trick and couldn't find her! I searched everywhere I could think of - in the office, under the desks, in the bathroom, upstairs, on the landing - she was nowhere. I started thinking "what if she somehow got out of the gate???". Typically Trick never goes anywhere and is absolutely rock solid off-leash, but her demeanor around Eddie made me think that IF she got out, she might go somewhere just to get away from him. So I'm outside calling for her. I go around the building and two of the stores on the front have their doors propped open. I asked both guys if they'd seen her, and no one had. I finally headed back inside, half-panicked and worried to death.
So I search inside again. When I go upstairs, I was calling and whistling and out from a little section where there's a hole in the wall (the upstairs was never fully finished) out peeks a black German shepherd muzzle. Trick had managed to sneak INSIDE the wall and was hiding there! I called her, she stuck her head out and looked at me and if she could have spoken I could tell she would have said "I'm NOT coming out until that dog is GONE!"
Mom headed out with Eddie and I sent Khana upstairs to get Trick. She popped right out of the hole in the wall and followed Khana back down. She was back to her old self - head up, tail wagging, happy because "that dog" wasn't there anymore .. *L* .. I've decided not to push it anymore. She doesn't have to like Eddie. If making her come out to walk around with him means she feels she has to hide in the wall, I guess we'll just not worry about making friends. She can just stay inside when he comes to visit and he'll play with the other girls.
Trick has always been sensitive, but never THIS sensitive. She just turned 12 and I'm really seeing her age now. She turned the other day and yelped and now has a slightly gimpy leg. I can't take her out anymore when I'm throwing a ball or stick for Tazer because she still wants to try to keep up with the pup!
It sucks to get old, 'specially when someone grumpy bites your ear.
Melanie and the gang in Alaska
My Mom adopted a dog from the pound about six weeks ago. The first time Trick met Eddie, she went to sniff him and he bit her on the ear. No blood, no wound, but it really upset Trick. From that day on, she's been absolutely miserable when Eddie is around. She goes to the farthest corner she can find (the little office) and lays down under the desk. So I've been trying to encourage her to relax around Eddie. Today Mom came to visit and brought him along. She went out to walk him and I put a leash on Trick (she rarely wears a leash, but I wanted to keep her with me and I knew she wouldn't get near Eddie if possible) and went out to the little park to visit with Mom. I had a pocket full of treats and kept giving them to Trick, and she would eat them, but she looked completely miserable - head and tail down, stomach tucked. Eddie was fine (he has been fine with my dogs ever since that first time - he was just overwhelmed and reacted badly). But Trick was very unhappy.
So we go back to the shop and I went through the gate into the pen by the back door. Mom brought Eddie in and turned him loose to play with the other dogs (we do this frequently - Khana LOVES Eddie). And I went inside to get something and looked around for Trick and couldn't find her! I searched everywhere I could think of - in the office, under the desks, in the bathroom, upstairs, on the landing - she was nowhere. I started thinking "what if she somehow got out of the gate???". Typically Trick never goes anywhere and is absolutely rock solid off-leash, but her demeanor around Eddie made me think that IF she got out, she might go somewhere just to get away from him. So I'm outside calling for her. I go around the building and two of the stores on the front have their doors propped open. I asked both guys if they'd seen her, and no one had. I finally headed back inside, half-panicked and worried to death.
So I search inside again. When I go upstairs, I was calling and whistling and out from a little section where there's a hole in the wall (the upstairs was never fully finished) out peeks a black German shepherd muzzle. Trick had managed to sneak INSIDE the wall and was hiding there! I called her, she stuck her head out and looked at me and if she could have spoken I could tell she would have said "I'm NOT coming out until that dog is GONE!"
Mom headed out with Eddie and I sent Khana upstairs to get Trick. She popped right out of the hole in the wall and followed Khana back down. She was back to her old self - head up, tail wagging, happy because "that dog" wasn't there anymore .. *L* .. I've decided not to push it anymore. She doesn't have to like Eddie. If making her come out to walk around with him means she feels she has to hide in the wall, I guess we'll just not worry about making friends. She can just stay inside when he comes to visit and he'll play with the other girls.
Trick has always been sensitive, but never THIS sensitive. She just turned 12 and I'm really seeing her age now. She turned the other day and yelped and now has a slightly gimpy leg. I can't take her out anymore when I'm throwing a ball or stick for Tazer because she still wants to try to keep up with the pup!
It sucks to get old, 'specially when someone grumpy bites your ear.
Melanie and the gang in Alaska
