Dogs who don’t like dogs; and the people who love them
I’ve always loved taking my dogs with me to different places.
Unfortunately, two dogs in my adult lifetime have been fearful and reactive toward other dogs and situations. Because of that, we’ve gone to concerts on the lawn to find ourselves edging farther and farther from the stage to keep our dogs from getting too stimulated by others. Other times, we’ve had to pack up in shame after being unable to prevent Agatha from barking every time someone went off the diving board at a crowded swimming area.
And camping in the cold of late October? That came from trying to find a campsite far from other dogs. Yep, if you’re willing to shiver, you’ll find plenty of deserted tent sites.
And one dog who does like dogs; and the people who love her.
Today’s Tue Cute Tuesday pictures are Honey’s gift to me–a dog who can go anywhere without overreacting to other dogs.
Honey Dreams
My hope for Honey, before she was even born, was that she would be a friendly ambassador that would allow me to bring visiting dogs into the house, whether lost pets (twice so far) or foster dogs (net yet).
I think my dreams have come true.
You lucky dawg you! Non-reactive dogs are a dream…maybe someday I’ll have one again too. I love my grumpy rowdy yodeling monsters but I’m hoping the next foster dog is a bit easier! 🙂
I’m a big believer in loving the dog your with. Each one brings his own blessings.
Honey, of course, is the result of a “stacked deck.” 🙂
Darby doesn’t react to other dogs when we’re out in public, but has issues with them when he’s home. It’s one of the reasons we haven’t yet tried to get him a friend of his own species, since he still hasn’t figured out that the cats don’t give a rat’s hiney about his play bows.
They tell us what they want, don’t they.
I used to assume all dogs wanted to have a friend at home but I now know that’s not the case.
There is nothing more beatiful and rewarding than a knowing your dog can go through life without worries and fears. Honey is dispositioned towards kindness and you made that quality blossom. Kudos!
Thank you. I don’t feel I can take any credit for Honey. She’s an easy and sweet girl. 🙂
I wouldn’t place all the credit with Honey alone. She may have been born a pretty terrific dog but if she had fallen in with the wrong people who didn’t know how to let her personality shine, she could have turned out much differently. I’d say it’s the combination of her brilliance with your terrific understanding that has brought you both to this point. The relationship the two of you have is so lovely to read about and watch develop. Nothing can stop you now! 😉
I hear you on the camping in October. As cold as it is, it’s still my favourite time of year to take a vacation due to lack of dog reactivity. In fact, our holiday is coming up in two weeks. Late Septemeber is a step up, right?
if winter comes early, you may have to make Shiva share your tent just to stay warm enough. 🙂
Thanks for the kind words. I feel I was very lucky with Honey. But I am starting to think puppies at the shelters should only go to experienced dog people so they don’t get ruined and turned back in when they’re no longer tiny and “cute.”
I am one of those dogs that can’t go just anywhere- mostly because I love people but want to jump up on them.
And who can blame you. Jumping is fun, isn’t it?
That’s Honey’s big temptation too. We work very hard on it. But I hope your people aren’t to hard on you. I find a lot of time that dogs jump because they’re responding to people’s actions. 🙂
I admit there are days when I long for the ease of raising my perfect Lab, Beau. I could (and DID!) take him everywhere. But my scared-y, reactive dog is providing me with opportunities to learn patience and gain some wisdom so she is her own treasure that I wouldn’t miss for anything.
Honey is a beautiful dog and I’m so glad you have the relationship with her you do. It’s wonderful to read about.
Nice perspective. Each dog in our lives is a gift.
I would never have given up Agatha or Shadow no matter how hard they could be at times. I enjoy each furry blessing as it comes.
I’m so glad your dreams have come true. It is wonderful to have a pet that you can take anywhere with you. I think Sampson would have been decent at BlogPaws, but he might have been excited at first and I could see him pulling me across the floor to greet another dog. Maybe it was better we stayed home. 🙂
dog love,i’m coming,now~
I’m glad I have a dog I can take out and about too! Daisy likes going out with me. Bella thinks she wants to go..until she gets there. So, she is my stay at home shy dog.
Good on you for handling Honey the right way! I think it takes a combination of having a dog with the right personality with a person who has the right touch. The Greyhounds can, and do, handle anything. Morgan is getting better, but sometimes I look at her and see the dog she could have been with the right handling. That doesn’t mean that we don’t still work on things, it just makes it more challenging. She’s good with people if we take her outside to meet them first, and then all come in together. However, nobody is coming inside if they ring the doorbell! lol And that’s not always a bad thing. I can’t say that I mind that Direct TV is never coming back to our door to try to sell us service!
A beautiful dream and how wonderful to live it. 🙂 I shall enjoy it through your eyes. And Honey’s of course!
Bundles of love. That’s a golden retriever. But I think the shedding would drive me mad.
Of course if I owned HONEY, it would be worth it. 🙂
I hope for a dog like that someday too, but I wouldn’t trade Lilly (who isn’t a big fan of other dogs) for the world.
Yay Honey! We have had Cali since she was a pup and we used to take her to the dog park (to “socialize” her) and she used to spend most of her time visiting each of the humans 🙂 She does have a few dogs that she enjoys, but she is definitely picky! She has always been a perfect hostess when dogs are at our house, but if you’re outside – watch out!!
Honey is a such sweet girl – I hope you enjoy all of your new experiences with her!!
I thoroughly concur with your assessment of Honey. 🙂 And previously having a fearful dog, I am with you in your dream (even though my dream sometimes includes bitey-face at inappropriate times).
Is there such a thing as bitey-face at inappropriate times. I thought bitey-face was always appropriate. 🙂
I agree that a lot of how Honey has turned out is thanks to you. Bad owners can ruin even the best dogs, although many can be rehabilitated with the right owners.
Beryl is a very easy dog. Frankie is a bit of a challenge and I should take him more places and do more with him. But I don’t have many places to go that are dog friendly, and most of them are Greyhound events. I think he’s happy though, at least I hope he is!
We definitely fit in the first category…We always look for a quiet place, away from other dogs (or noisy children) wherever we go, otherwise George wouldn’t settle…So I kind of envy you for having such a friendly, laid back dog…