Intro

Welcome to Diego’s blog!

My name is Megan and I am Diego’s mom, handler, and publisher. I also happen to work in the creative industry, hence why his blog is on my portfolio website. I dreamt of filling it with illustrations and awesome designs, but in reality, I’m training a reactive dog and that can’t be my priority right now. Instead, I’ll assault you with cute pictures of him! This blog is definitely out of my comfort zone, but if I wait to get everything in perfect order then I will never post it, and I have too much content here not to tell our story.

I invite you to follow the twists and turns of life with a reactive rescue dog that has behavioral issues. If you haven’t heard of reactivity, allow me to give you a loose definition. Reactive dogs can be overstimulated and in turn react to certain triggers. Some dogs bark and jump purely out of excitement to see other dogs. They can’t contain it, and don’t quite know how to act appropriately. Others react out of fear, so they may bark to try to scare away the trigger because they are uncomfortable. If the trigger is too strong it could escalate a dog to aggression, in which case they snarl, snap, or even bite.

To most people, it doesn’t matter what you call it. If a dog is willing to bite, it’s aggressive. Regardless of your stance on the definition, know that this blog is from my personal perspective and experience, and it all can be taken as that. It can give you insight on life with a reactive dog, or how to support a friend with one. Maybe you will gain some insight on what to prepare for if you decide to rescue a dog. Let me give you some background on how we got here.

The truth is, I’ve researched getting a dog for years and have waited for the right time. Then a pandemic hit, and while it was everything short of perfect, I found myself scrolling through rescue dogs and saw this boy.

Now, I grew up with dogs on a farm, but never had gone through a rescue. Personally, if you like going to reputable breeder, I support you. I’m not standing on a hill with an “Adopt, Don’t Shop” sign. If you have it in your heart to rescue, that can be very noble. I had friends who had positive experiences with it, and simply was looking for an older dog so that I didn’t have to be home to potty-train him. I had recently gotten a new job during Covid, and was going into the office for work. It made sense for me. Sure, I knew there could be challenges like chewing on the furniture, or a few accidents at home, but we would work through those things if it came to it.

My roommate, Purvasha, supported my decision to get a dog. My siblings, Brittany and Mitch, lived on the same street and could be there as backup to take him out. Britt brought her golden retriever puppy home the year before, and I knew she would help me get set up for the new addition. I had come out on the other side of furlough and was bringing in a regular paycheck again as a design consultant. I WAS READY FOR THIS! At least…that’s what I thought.