From commentor TattooSydney:
The first I knew about Pedro was when I got a call from my husband out of the blue asking whether we could get a dog. I said yes, and foolishly asked what kind of dogs we should look at, only to be told “He’s a red cattle dog. I’ll send you a photo. I’m going to fill in the papers now.”
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Pedro came from the rescue shelter pre-trained, devoted and badly damaged in his little doggy head. With us, he has always been the sweetest and cleverest and doggiest of dogs. However, as we discovered, he had (and has) serious fear issues with anyone else (although only if we are there). Worse, when frightened his immediate response is attack, man or dog, to protect us.
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We floundered for a while through trainers hopeless and without hope – one got bitten, two said we should just put him down because he would always be a risk to us and other people. We resorted to training him by instinct and Patricia McConnell, with pretty good success. We finally found a good vet who has helped us turn him into a fairly normal dog who can go for a walk without killing (or even barking at) anything, quite likes going to the vet (they stuff him silly with treats) and even (a significant breakthrough) lets other dogs sniff his bottom.
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He’s still a dog just for me, hubby and our flatmate, kept separate from other people all the time, but he’s my best friend and I wouldn’t swap him for another dog and all the money in the world.
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I have attached that first photo and my favourite Pedro photos – him at his most cuddly.
Jebediah
People who take in and work so hard with “damaged goods” animals automatically go to the head of the karma line.
How long have you had him? Any hope he will get better socialized?
He’s a lucky dog – good for you!
jacy
Aw, cattle dog!
They are singularly challenging. I would never recommend someone get one without thinking long and hard, but I would never not have one. I lost my first cattle dog, my beloved Shelby, 10 years ago to cancer, and now share my home with my second, who won’t let my husband walk her. :)
Pedro is very lucky to have found you.
Tattoosydney
@Jebediah:
Thanks. It makes me a little sad to think that if someone else had picked him up from the rescue centre, he’d probably be dead by now. It’s been a bit difficult sometimes, but he’s happy 99% of the time with the help of training and medication. I watch him lying flat on his back chasing bunnies in his sleep and it was all worth it.
We’ve had him almost three years (he’s about 5, we think). He’s much calmer now, and has a great quality of life, but he’ll never get along with other people well, no matter how well he is trained, not with that little attack switch in his head.
stuckinred
My woman said, “Hey Pedro
you’re actin’ crazy like a clown”
Nobody feels like working
Panama Red is back in town
Rich2506
Sounds like a very sincere lady. Melody Barnes asks progressives not to overreact to Obama’s over-eager compromises with people who would like nothing better than to destroy all government help to those who really need it. As Cole says though “give us a reason to support you guys!”
Off Colfax
When my dog first waddled into my life, she was almost two-and-a-half times the weight she was supposed to be. No corgi is supposed to weigh 80 pounds. Ever.
Now, almost two years later, she’s a spry 50 pounds and can run across the common lawn in the apartment complex, at least when properly motivated with promises of suppertime. Still way overweight, to be certain, but way healthier and way happier. She’s also wiggling her way beyond the 10-year mark, and the vet has identified a few not-so-minor issues with her back, and hips, and legs, and digestion, and heart, and… Well, she probably doesn’t have much more than a couple of years left with me, or I with her. All I will set for goals for myself with her is to make what time she has full of joy and smiles and belly rubs. Which should be what all dogs’ lives are full of.
Not bad for a first time dog owner.
Josie
That middle picture looks as though he is just about to tell you something really intelligent. Love that face.
WereBear
They are an intense breed. One thing about trainer consults (which is even more true about cats) is that if the dog needs to key into a close relationship; that’s not going to happen with a trainer.
Trust issues, in particular, needs the pet parents on board with the right things.
demkat620
What a doll! And I love his coat.
Good on you mate!
burnspbesq
@Rich2506:
Thanks for that link. Here’s another. This piece by Barry Eichengreen from Berkeley on the folly of the Irish bailout is a must-read, and caused DeLong to induct him into the Order of the Shrill.
irisheconomy.ie/index.php/2010/12/01/barry-eichengreen-on-the-irish-bailout/#more-8831
I especially like that it originally appeared in Handelsblatt, although I expect that Germans will refuse to get it, secure in their collective delusion that Ve Know Vat Iss Beste fur Die Irish.
(h/t Krugman)
penstemon
Wow — Pedro’s story is almost exactly the same as our dog Cody’s (short for “co-dependent”). Cody is also a red cattle dog with an attack switch — he could be Pedro’s brother. We found Cody on Election Night 2008. With training and medication, he has come closer to being a normal dog, but he isn’t (and probably won’t) ever be there around strangers.
Annie
What a handsome guy…And, the second picture does look like he is going to give a lecture on some complex scientific theory………Or, he is trying to figure out why anyone would vote Republican.
Svensker
Scary smart face on that goggie. So glad he found a place to be loved. Awwwwwwwww.
Woodrowfan
My wife and I had a rescued rat terrier with the same issue. We had to keep him in a separate room, in a crate, when people visited. We passed him to the vet in his travel cage, then left the room (he was fine with the vet if we were not in the room.) With my wife and I, though, he was loving, loyal, obedient, affectionate and a great, great dog.
Good on you guys for keeping Pedro safe and loved. he’s a beautiful dog…
WyldPirate
@burnspbesq:
Thanks for the Eichengreen link, burnspbesq. It was a good read.
It would seem that Eichengreen’s second hypothesis about Germany, GB and France’s reticence about making a workable deal for the Irish is more likely to be correct. They’re afraid of what eating losses would do to their banks and what the political costs at home would be.
“Kicking the can down the road”, indeed.
Joy
Sweet pup. My Chloe is the same way with people and animals she doesn’t know. It takes a while to earn her trust, but once you do, watch out! She’s a kisser and lap dog. Until that time she snarls, growls, goes into her junkyard stance. I finally found a trainer that explained to me she was afraid, not mean, and we began working on her socialization skills. I will not be able to let her run free in the house with guests (I am even moving her to my daughters for Christmas Eve for our sanity) but I can finally walk her in the park with other people around. I can’t believe the number of people that just walk right up to her with their children to pet her without asking permission. Chloe sees that as a threat and the people walk away with the mistaken impression she is mean. At first it bothered me that people thought she was a mean dog when I know she is very sweet. I now know (thanks to my trainer) that they are ignorant and rude.
Like Pedro, damaged animals are a challenge, but they are so worth it in the end. You are all very lucky to have each other, but I bet Pedro thinks he is the luckiest of all. Many people would have given up on him and it’s wonderful that you didn’t.
alwhite
a couple of good cartoons for the week:
comics.com/john_sherffius/2010-12-03/
comics.com/john_sherffius/?Page=2
Dog is My Co-Pilot
Great story – thank you for sharing. Anytime I hear a pet rescue story, it really gets my day started off on a positive note.
Svensker
@alwhite:
Ouch.
Tata
Pedro has the kind of face that breaks your heart. Oy.
bystander
Ah, TattooSydney, there is a special place in my heart for those who will step into this kind of dog’s world, and allow them to step into theirs.
Damaged in the head? Maybe, although we had an Australian Shepherd that we raised from a pup who was so devoted to my spouse that no one, but no one, was allowed to step between that dog and my spouse. Protection was his game. “Outsiders” to our home had to be formally introduced to this dog or he was guaranteed to strike. But, once formally introduced, strangers became “family” and in need of equal protection. We found a little introductory routine that worked for us…
With the dog seated between spouse and “other,” spouse could reach out and touch “other” on the shoulder and say friend. Friend was repeated a couple of times, in a soft voice, while touching/patting “other’s” shoulder. The dog would visibly relax and a conditional acceptance (which pretty easily grew into full acceptance) was extended.
These guys can be tough. And, nothing prepared me for the feeling of having my heart ripped out through my throat when he died. The tough ones dig the deepest into you. They require so much of you, and their dedication is so unreserved, that their loss is extraordinary.
You and Pedro are on an incredible journey, me thinks. These kinds of dogs will give their lives for you in a heartbeat. That’s part and parcel of cattle dogs like Pedro; their reason to be.
You Don't Say
What a looker. Pedro was lucky to have found you and your husband.
FormerSwingVoter
I’m a glutton for punishment.
After discussing the deficit commission plan here, I decided it’d be a good idea to write a diary defending it on the Great Orange Satan.
dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/12/4/925476/-The-Deficit-Commision-Reportin-Detail
…This may have been a bad idea ;)
HE Pennypacker, Wealthy Industrialist
My god. Also have a red cattle dog, also a rescue, exactly the same behavior, and a very similar story!
WereBear
Red dogs can have… issues.
For instance, red cocker spaniels are known as biters, and only bred for the beautiful coat; not popular with people who want an actual working cocker.
Combined with research that shows black coats often indicate a healthier animal, there’s some reason to believe it is a melanin issue. With less insulation in their nervous system, they can be prone to over-reactions.
This doesn’t make any sense in cats, where orange boys have a reputation for unflappable mellowness (a la Morris) but then, cats do break rules all the time.
MolyBloom
He looks so much like our Fitz, who’s now 14.
We got Fitz from my sister when he was 3. She got him from the pound when he was one-month-old.
I came across a YouTube clip about an Australian dog trainer and he had a dog that looked exactly like Fitz. Only he didn’t call it a dog – rather, it’s an Alpine Dingo. He said they’re sweet for the first few months of life, and then get difficult.
Fitz is not what you’d call “sweet.” He’s bossy, irritable, demanding. We’ve hardly ever seen him with his tail down – he holds it straight up like a flagpole. He’s a party-pooper – hates it when we play catch with our younger female heeler. He has an ugly harsh bark and he uses it incessantly when he’s in the car.
On the other hand, he’s like a worried nanny around little kids. He doesn’t fight other dogs. At the park, they flock to sniff his butt (he must have magical smells). He’s a fastidious pooper, and eater, which is at odds with his gruff macho ways.
He ran behind my husband on mountain bike rides and never wore out – until he got too old. He’s been in 3 auto accidents and has a steel plate on his rear leg, but still going strong.
We’ve definitely had a “love-hate” relationship with Fitz. He’s our fourth heeler (dingo?) and has been the most difficult of the bunch. He’s his own dog, and I have a grudging respect for that. Also, he’s mellowed over the last 11 years. We’ve heard that dingos can live up to 20 years, so maybe by the time he shuffles off this mortal coil (or we do), we’ll be heartbroken to part with him.
Yutsano
I was hoping from seeing that name that I’d get to see that sweet face of his. And thanks for this FH #1, we’d talked a little about how Pedro came into your lives, but the whole story is just too precious.
MM
awwwwww! Pedro is beautiful :)
I have found the program “The Dog Whisperer” very helpful with the German shepherd/Rot mix that came into our lives a few years ago. He (Cesar Milan) trains the humans to use dog psychology…and the dog responds. (The show is on the Nat’l Geo channel)
Ally
Vinny’s story is much the same, but my parents finally had enough and put him down. Had I been living in a situation where I could have taken him in, I would have, and the whole thing still saddens me deeply. Never give up on Pedro.
Also, Patricia McConnell was one of my professors last year, she taught a class called Human/Animal Relationships. She also did a presentation at the end of the semester on dog training – I wish I’d known some of the things she talked about when we had Vinny. I liked that she told us why certain actions work better when training dogs, and not just that we should use them.
asiangrrlMN
Pedro is sooooo gorgeous, hon. I love his face. I think, though, that he would not be a friend to my cats. Call it a hunch.
Tattoosydney
Thanks to everyone for their lovely comments. I’m not surprised there are other fucked up red cattle dogs out there.