From commentor Gus:
I’ve decided that you need a counterbalance to all the heartwarming stories of good rescued pets. This is Sherman, our rescued cockapoo. We were looking for a dog to assuage our guilt at leaving our other dog home alone (or with just the cat who has no interest in him). We saw him on Pet Rescue, and he sounded adorable. They mentioned how he loved to give kisses and how he loved to play with socks.
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We went to his foster home and while he was immediately friendly with my wife, he barked at me and backed off when I tried to make friends. When the foster father came in the room, though, he went up to him with tail wagging. The foster parents assured us that he initially acted the same way toward the foster father as he was acting toward me. He got along with our dog, so we decided to take him. As the fosters predicted he warmed up to me fairly quickly (after three days of barking and growling), and soon we were buddies.
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Six years later, he’s still a work in progress. He has proved to be very territorial. Our next-door neighbor used to bring his dog into our back yard to play with our other dog, but Sherman growls and barks ferociously when he does, so no more. He bit a friend once and has nipped at others shoes, which for a long time kept us from having company. The sock fetish that we initially thought was so cute borders on an obsession. He has ruined numerous pairs, and when the snow melted after the first winter we had him, we found the back yard littered with socks. We now make sure he doesn’t bring anything in the yard when we let him out. We’re also a little smarter about bringing people over, so he hasn’t bitten or nipped at anyone in quite some time.
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His separation anxiety, though, has never been completely cured, and we still come home to find the odd puddle on the floor. He is a champion counter troller, and we have found numerous empty bread bags, potato chip bags and even butter wrappers on the floor. His favorite snack is cat puke, and if our cat hacks up a hairball in the middle of the night, and he can’t get to it he whines and paces until I wake up and clean up the mess. He chases our poor 14-year-old cat (the best cat in the world) no matter how we try to break him of it. He still knocks over the garbage if we don’t put a weight on the top of the can. He was obviously as poorly socialized with dogs as with people, since when we come across other dogs on his walks he often growls and has nipped at a couple of them.
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Last summer he came up lame in both back legs. Diagnosis was torn ACL in each leg. $4500 later he’s doing much better.
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Whew! What am I forgetting? Oh yeah, God, how I love that little guy! He’s so sweet and loyal. Yes his list of issues is long, and after a long day at work, I’m not thrilled to clean up a pee puddle or pick up the strewn contents of our garbage can. But when I come home his tail wags so hard his whole body is moving. As advertised he dispenses kisses constantly. He loves to cuddle, and when you pet him right he absolutely moans with pleasure. My wife recently asked me if I would adopt him again, knowing all we know about his neuroses and issues. I didn’t hesitate to reply yes.
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So to all of you thinking of adopting, I say choose carefully, be prepared for the worst, and don’t adopt if you’re not willing to put in a shitload of work and a lot of love.
stuckinred
He sure is a sweet looking pupster.
Luci
Yes… he looks very innocent and angelic. Surely no dog with a face like that could ever do anything naughty! Snerk! I loved the last few paragraphs of this story Gus! I came from a family who tolerated an adopted toy poodle who sat under the table and bit our feet when we accidentally touched him, we have had crippled cats who live out their long lives being endlessly cared for and I could go on and on. I think the fact you love and adore this pup, in spite of his not so placid demeanor and behavior, is a testament to your good character and decency. Thanks so much! Oh, and he sure is cute too!
WereBear (itouch)
Curses on whoever messed him over; blessings on those who repair the damage.
Josie
Bless you for hanging in there. It is so true that, if you keep them and care for them, you come to love them, even with all their issues. Most of the time the issues come from prior mistreatment or poor breeding and are not their fault.
JPL
Someday John is going to write about Rosie the same way. Remember that the previous president’s dog nipped someone also, too.
wonkie
I am so appreciative of people who love their pets faults and all. We don’t expect our children or friends to be perfect, yet so many people throw a pet away or condemn it to a life on a chain outside over one issue. YOur pup is a lucky dog to have you!
My dog …would I adopt him again? I suppose so since I’m pretty sure no one else would! That is to say, others might adopt him, but once acquainted with him he would be very much at risk of being rejected. Poor little Blackie is high maintenance: fear biter, hates other dogs, not safe with cats, requires five medications including one that costs eighty dollars a month, increasingly blind, deaf and arthritic, has pee urgency, eats paperbacks or other paper, food agreesive or aggressive about anything he gets his teeth into…but the little bugger loves me. So I can’t help but love him back.
Mary G
Thanks, Gus.
4jkb4ia
I officially mention that Pitt has a new football coach It appears that John has heard of him. Let us never speak of the embarrassment that was Mike Haywood again.
4jkb4ia
Dave Marsh’s line was “Love redeems everything, no matter how stupid, moronic, or grotesque,” all of which I am sure do not apply to this dog.
WaterGirl
Gex, I don’t know if you will see this, but I am thinking of you this morning.
SiubhanDuinne
@Water Girl: I’ve been thinking about Barb/Gex too this morning. Has to be a very tough day. I hope the BJ love helps a little bit.
daveNYC
How exactly did he manage to blow out both ACLs?
Capri
@daveNYC:
Probably jumping off those counters. Torn ACL is very common in poodle-type small dogs. Any time one jumps off a bed or couch they are at risk.
Sounds like a crate might have made him a better citizen.
shortstop
Please, keep your counters clear. Three years ago, our dog suffocated in a chip bag she pulled off the counter. The guilt and the pain never go away.
Gus
@Capri: Yeah, we’re pretty sure that’s what happened. We both came home from work one day, and he was walking on three legs. Soon thereafter he started limping on both back legs. We assume that he overcompensated and hurt the second one. That was a fun 12 weeks. Surgery/rehab, surgery/rehab. Seems as good as new now, though.
bystander
Yep. It goes this way sometimes.
We were three days home with an older male (Beardie-Aussie cross?) when he was diagnosed with lymphoma. Chemo in dogs isn’t an inexpensive enterprise. And, Shadow and our other rescue male Aussie did NOT like each other very much. Supervision became the word for the day. Shadow’s thing was shoes and under ware. Ultimately, we only bought him 9 months. But, those 9 months were huge, and when we finally lost him it is impossible to describe the hole he left behind. I had no idea that a dog we’d have such a short time with could make such an impact. And, after all was said and done, I can honestly say Shadow gave much more than he took.
As for a TPLO surgery (if that’s what Sherman had), the only dog we had that double-experience with was one of the few registered Aussies we got to work cattle. Mollie’s were done about 6 months apart.
In my experience, the perfect angels slide in and out of your life and while you miss them, nothing is equal to the hole that’s left by the ones that make you work. Haven’t quite figured that out.
Good on ya, Gus. There’s a special place in heaven for folks like you.
comrade scott's agenda of rage
Regarding his mental issues:
Prozac. Seriously. There’s also a couple of other anti-depressants out there to try.
trollhattan
Ah spring, when the sprouting of crocuses and socks in the yard signal the annual renewal of life….
I’m not laughing at you, really! But it is a funny image. Cute little hellraiser, your Sherman. I don’t know what it is with some dogs, who simply can’t see an unfilled agenda as an opportunity for a long nap on some forbidden piece of furniture. Best of luck to you all!
asiangrrlMN
@Gus: Sherman is a cutie. Bless you for sticking with him.
@JPL: Well, that person deserved it. He didn’t observe dog etiquette 101, so of course the dog had to teach him.
WaterGirl
Your story brought back memories of the spring thaw from when my cocker spaniel was still with us! Not socks for us, but doggie stuffed animal appendages, a leg here, an arm there, a face here, a nose there.
Oh my gosh, arms and legs and faces barely lasted 15 minutes when murphy got a new toy, but oh how he loved them!
gogol's wife
I am in love with this dog’s face.