Desperate Dogma
We have had Mika for a year this month. It was a painstaking process of going to MANY shelters and the pound to find the perfect dog. I wanted a Shepherd, Ryan wanted something big. I’d only ever been to the Humane Society before, so entering the county pound was a shock. After walking down the first isle, I was sobbing like a baby and had to run off to the bathroom for a while to cry. There’s just so many sad animals who never had a chance. And who are we to just walk past them? How could we choose just one?
At the third pound facility I was emotionally exhausted and ready to never adopt a dog again. Then Ryan and I both stopped. I was looking at a gorgeous shepherd pup, but Ryan was looking in the next cage over. There was a 5 month old rottie mix staring up at Ryan with huge eyes. It was love at first sight for both of them.
Now mind you, I’m not saying this is Ryan’s fault, I’m just saying that’s how it happened. And now we have Mika. Its been a year and she still doesn’t seem to quite fit. She’s desperate for attention and she’s very much in need of feeling like she’s in charge. She’s dominating with Karma, who is just pleased as pie to roll on her back and let Mika play however she wants. And worst of all, her growling at us while she’s eating has gotten worse. And we’ve tried everything. I’m not kidding you, we have tried every doggie psychology thing we could find and our latest efforts have caused her to be defensive at other times too. We’re looking into hiring a behaviorist. We can’t have that behavior in our house, and we won’t.
But then there’s the Mika who just loves to be pet, and wants to curl up in your lap. The pup who comes immediately and enthusiastically when she’s called. The dog who sits promptly on command when it takes Karma 15 minutes to get her butt to sink to the floor. The puppy who will come and put her head on your knee and focus her big brown eyes right on you. The tail on that dog never stops wagging and her tongue is always looking for a hand to kiss.
I don’t know what the solution is, but I know that I want her to work out in our home and we would never dream of giving her up. If you have any sure-fire solutions for me, please share.
