Crazy dogs and the people who love them

A couple years ago, Tom & I lovingly adopted a 4-month old pit bull mix from the Humane Society in Michigan.  We called her Zula, and she became our own. 

Yesterday, Zula rolled around on her back in poop.  She came running in the house as normal and ran over to me, sitting down so very nicely so that I can pet her poop-stained back.  Awesome.  Hmm.  “Babe, can you give the dog a bath tonight?”  : ) 

The day before that, she bit me in the leg.  To give some context here, Zula doesn’t play very well with other dogs.  In fact, she attacked another dog a few months ago when she got out of our yard.  When Tom heard someone yelling and came out to see what was going on, poor little Zula tucked her tail between her legs.  Such shameful behavior!   A little bit of dog blood and one vet bill later, and we were on our way to trying to find a dog trainer in DC that could help us out.  Anyway, I digress.  This time, when she saw that other dog from afar, she barked, I pulled back on the pinch collar, and she bit me in the leg.  Sigh.  I wish I could say it was the first time, but it’s not.  I know that it’s misplaced aggression, but it’s really annoying.  It makes for a particularly bad day when you go to work thinking, “My own dog bit me today.” 

A few days before that, she barked at a man walking past us.  I was sitting on some steps, and she pulled me over.  I was determined not to let go, so I skinned my knee and hands. 

All of this happened within one week.  So all of this information begs the question- why in God’s name do I still have a dog? 

And the answer?  Because we love her.  We rescued her and gave her a home.  Someone before us didn’t love her, and we’re determined not to give up on her.  Besides, what would happen if we gave her up?  Is a 3-year-old dog with dog-aggression tendencies and impulse control problems going to get adopted?  It’s more likely that she’ll end up dead.  And that is something we couldn’t possibly live with. 

I happen to know I'm not alone here.  I just happen to be one of the people who love crazy dogs.  In our home, we can’t let her socialize with other dogs.  But we have a really great dog.  She can have her own little spot in our house.  She can chew on her bone.  She can get really, really excited when other people come over.  She can sneak onto our bed when we’re not home.  She can sit at the bottom of the stairs at 8pm every night, whining to put herself to bed.  She can chase her tail.  She can stare out the window.  And she can show those squirrels who’s boss. 

So we’re doing what any crazy dog-lover would do in this situation….working with a trainer who knows more about dog aggression than we do and sending her to boot camp in order to control her anger management issues.  : ) 

I can't help but wonder whether this whole blog post begs the question:  is it that I'm a crazy person who loves dogs?  And she's not giving up on me? Hmm. 

P.S.  My organic no-stir peanut butter is now in the refrigerator. So all of you who were worried, you may now sleep at night.  And you’re welcome.