Diego paced around the back seat smiling from ear-to-ear, looking at his surroundings through the window as I sat next to him. Is this real? He’s mine?
Brittany pulled my car into the garage, and we opened the door to his furever home. He lightly hopped inside and went up the stairs where he would find his bed covered in a stuffed gorilla, koala, and dragon. Treats and doggy bags littered the dining room table, and I already had a soft fluffy blanket covering the ottoman that I had bought for when my sister’s adult-sized puppy, Benny, came over.
Purvasha and I got settled in, staring at our new roommate and taking pictures of that big grin while he chewed on his rope toy, and Brittany went over to her house and picked up her golden retriever. She came back and walked him inside on a leash to introduce him to his new cousin, and then—CHAOS.
Diego instantly lunged at Benny’s body, bit him in the side, and released a deep growl. Benny yelped and a war of barking broke out. Noise echoed through the room as Brittany towed my nephew toward the front door on his leash while Diego demanded from the top steps that he get out.
What just happened?! Is he okay? He’s supposed to like dogs. Benny and Diego are supposed to become best friends.
Brittany took Benny home to give Diego some distance. I text the foster and she sent me information about letting a rescue decompress. That meant giving him a month without a lot of stimulation and reducing his exposure to new things. It would take several weeks for one to acknowledge a new place as home and relax. He just needs time to decompress. That’s all. This isn’t unheard of…
Once things calmed down, I picked up a leash to take Diego on a walk. He launched into the air, weightless, as though he was going to fly above the door. His reaction was pure joy, bouncing repeatedly as I connected the leash to his orange harness. Purvasha and I met Brittany in the street to go on his first walk together. He stopped in the grass so we paused to talk, and then I looked down mildly laughing in surprise. He was peeing on Purvasha’s leg! He marked that territory…and everything else when Britt and I took him the rest of the way. He happily trotted along the sidewalk sniffing everywhere he went, and silently jumped towards strangers from time to time as they walked by. I held tightly to the leash, but his tail seemed to be wagging.
My brother came over to introduce himself later that night. We watched Pride and Prejudice of all things, and Diego curiously stepped a paw onto Mitch’s lap and stared an inch away from his nose. Mitch held his hands open, just letting him sniff around. I think he likes him! Then Diego curled up on the ottoman to rest; he looked like a little fox.
It was strange watching a movie knowing that Brittany couldn’t be there because she needed to be home with Benny, and that he couldn’t come over because Diego needed to decompress. We wouldn’t be ready to bring them together for a while either. Nobody wants their pet that they’ve been trying to keep alive and well to be in danger.
After a full day it was time for bed. It seemed too soon to shove my new pup alone in a closed crate, given that he had been free roaming and sleeping at the end of the foster’s bed. I let Diego sleep in my room for the first few nights while he adjusted to his new home. I turned on a lamp, deciding that total darkness was not the way to go. I do not fall asleep easily, so the extra light was going to be a bit of a challenge, but I needed it to be safe. I had heard a couple horror stories about dogs attacking people while they’re asleep, and they ended up needing plastic surgery on their faces.
I need my face. I’m single with a troubled pet. I need as much going for me as I can get. AmIRight? Plus, I don’t have a savings account for that kind of surgery.
The crate was in my room, but he wasn’t going inside. Eventually, I laid some towels on the floor where he could see me and I him. I pointed to the spot and said to go lay down. He listened! Brilliant. I got into bed and seconds later turned my head to the side to see a pair of eyes inches away looking back at me. I stood up, pointed to his spot, and told him to go lay down. He went back. I crawled into the sheets and after a moment heard stirring at the end of my bed. A fox was curled up by my feet. Man, that’s cute! No. This can’t be a thing. I stood up again, pointed to the towels, and said to go lay down.
We went through that pattern several times over the next couple nights. Being a new parent is exhausting when you are sleep training…I will say that for as painful as it was and as tired and cranky as I got, the repetition was worth it. After the first week, he stopped jumping on my bed. He still gets to go on Purvasha’s bed––she’s nicer to him when it comes to that––but he knows to stay off of mine. When you’re building a relationship with your dog and teaching commands, do your best to be consistent even when it’s hard. Forgive yourself when you don’t have the energy to do it right and try again the next day.
To all of you who love sleeping with your dog cuddled up by your side, good for you! That’s just not my style, particularly with a dog that I don’t know. Number one is safety. Number two is cleanliness and shedding for me. Someday, I hope he is comfortable sleeping in a closed crate since he has been crate trained in the past. I want that to feel safe for him so that if I ever get to go on a vacation and find someone willing to watch him, that he can feel at ease and they can feel confident because he has a place to stay.
Megan Kiecker 