Our Dog Saga
I wasn’t going to blog about this but the story just keeps getting bigger as the days go by. So I will try to keep it brief.
On January 20, our 2 ½ year old Labrador Retriever was hit by a delivery truck in our drive. I rushed him, Dodge, to the vet. His leg was broken in two places and he had a broken pelvis. The damage was too severe for surgery and we had to have him put down. I have been raising Labradors since 1980 and this is the first one to be hit by a vehicle. It was especially hard since he was so young.
Dodge 2009 - 2011
After grieving for the weekend, I came to the conclusion that I could continue to grieve or do something positive. I contacted our local animal shelter to find a dog that needed a home and give it one. Dodge was also a rescued dog; from the experience of his adoption I learned that large black dogs are very hard to place. For that reason, and for my love of the Labradors, I sought a black lab or lab mix.
Linus was a black lab mix whose owner had died and he was now at the shelter. He had been chained up most of his life, as far as they knew, and needed to be socialized. He is probably about 3 years old. After a visit with him at the shelter, I decided to take him home on a trial basis and see how he worked out. He was very timid but I knew we could give him the attention he needed and was sure he would adjust to ranch life.
Our first experience was that he was uncomfortable in the house and did not understand stairs. Stairs could be an issue because our dog pen was off the downstairs door. Deciding not to press the issue with him, I would walk him out the front door, around the house, to the pen. First adjustment made.
Second adjustment was the house issue. If I let him out to “do his business” he would not come back to me or come into the house. I wanted to let him be who he was and not make him into the dog I thought he should be, so I put a blanket down for him on the front porch with food and water by it. The first night we did get him to sleep in the house but the second night he slept on the porch. Second adjustment made.
The third day together was great. I have an office at the ranch and Linus stayed with me in the office. I took breaks to give him attention and let him know this was his home. We went to the barn together and he watched as I fed the alpacas then returned with me to the office. He went to feed the cows and again returned to the office. He didn’t chase the alpacas, cows or the cats. We had it made; or so we thought. That evening he again slept on the front porch.
Day 4 I tried to get Linus to come to me in the morning but he was still too timid. I put out his food and let him eat while I dressed for the day. It was just dawn when I went to the office and even when I called him he didn’t come. I headed to the alpaca barn; still no Linus. After chores I checked and he had eaten his food. We drove around the ranch with our gator but there was no sign of him. By noon I notified the shelter that he was missing. They were pretty sure he would come back on his own.
A week later Linus still had not returned and the shelter crew decided a “dog hunt” was called for. I joined them and we drove and called and dropped off flyers. No sign of Linus. After several hours we decided to stop the hunt and resume again later. The next day, Sunday, I got a call that Linus had been spotted. The crew was out again and we spread out in the area he had been seen. After several more hours Linus was found! He was a little thinner, very tired and very smelly. A bath was a must. He was so exhausted he slept well in the house that night.
Linus' Story
This story is still continuing and we take it one day at a time. Linus is still with us on the ranch and is on a leash on in the pen when he is not in the office or house with me. He still doesn’t do stairs but he is not allowed to run free yet. I may start a blog section just for him.
I don’t think this story is anywhere near ending.
Missouri Alpacas 