Almost every one who has adopted a rescue dog, has lots of questions about what their "before" life was like. If your dog has some quirky behaviors, you tend to think that somehow it came out of that "other" life.
For instance our Stella spent three months in the shelter waiting for me to come along. This is what she looked like:
She was afraid of thunder, of big bang noises, was clueless as to how to do a leash and never wanted to go outdoors again unless she absolutely had to (and she did!) Now when we go walking, and kids approach her, she couldn't be happier, she loves them all. Yet when we walk past a pickup truck that looks like it belongs on the farm, she is all over it, sniffing everywhere, wanting to look inside, and I often think if anyone would open the door, she would jump right in and not even wave bye-bye.
Don't you wish sometimes your dog could tell you something about his/her past? What do you think they might say? Lots of kitties rescued too, what do they remember? Zkhat loves to find woolen fabric with little pills on it, that she can suck and use her paws like a kitty nursing. She must remember that and silly as it sounds, it gives her real comfort.
I would love for you to share what you think about this!
Jo, Stella and Zkhat, adoptees all!
Oh I used wonder so often about Hamish's past life on a farm, and what gave him such a strong fear of ironing boards. Unfortunately the farmer who gave him away spoke on the phone in such a strong Aberdeenshire dialect that I, being newly arrived from London, could not understand a word he said but was to embarrassed to admit it!
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Gail.
We'd wonder about Pip as she was petrified by wrapped presents. Christmas was a nightmare until we put treats in them and it helped. At first she'd never walk in front of you going up the stairs. That has disappeared too. Molly had her tailed docked by someone and it must have been a male as she hated men as a puppy. She would not go near them. So many quirks but most have gone now. Have a super Saturday.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes Molly & Pip adoptees too.
i do wonder about what my current 4 had endured before they came here. only BB i know about. she was given up with her littermates at 6 weeks of age to the shelter (apparently, they thought they had purebred rottweilers and ended up not...) she was fostered for a while by a lady who taught her good manners, then taken back to the shelter. she was the last of her litter to be adopted - by me - at 8 months of age. she is a smart one...
ReplyDeleteWell, none of us are rescues in the true sense of the word, but Mom often wonders what went on in the days before Lightning came here because he has so many very odd quirky behaviors.
ReplyDeleteAnd about that truck - we don't think you ever have to worry about Stella leaving - she knows where HOME is - and it is right there with you.
Woos - Phantom, Thunder, Ciara, and Lightning
Well, I'm not a rescue, so all my odd behaviours are MA'S fault!!! BOL!!! hehehe
ReplyDeleteKisses,
Ruby
pees: I would join you in the truck Stella!!
I wonder too, but unfortunately, my expectations as to what I would be told are not too good. It's wonderful how Stella has blossomed under your love. Dogs are willing to put their pasts behind them... so, in some cases, maybe we should too. But, we still wonder...
ReplyDeleteHow interesting about your girl and how lucky she was to have found you--It was worth her wait, that's for sure!! I have wondered more times than I can count about our foster dogs that have come to us via the shelters. Many of them do have some fun little things about them, some afraid of ordinary things...But one of our dogs could balance a treat on his nose, toss his head back and catch it, another loved the laser pointer, and then there was our boy Lucas who just passed that was obsessed with cats.... But most of all I have wished they could tell me how they ended up the shelter and how they managed courage when life dealt them a bad hand--Someday I hope to be able to find out all those things!
ReplyDeleteMetallic sounds make me feel very stressed. My mom wonders what could happen before I came to live with her that makes me act in that way!
ReplyDeleteTake care
Happy weekend!
Kisses and hugs
Lorenza
Miss Stella, yeu were as bretty then as yeu are now!!! I fink yeu were juss waiting on berfeck timing on a counta yeu are where yeu were meant teu be!
ReplyDeleteI whas a little 6 monf old adorable butt hellion bubby running loose in a nice neighborhood. The Mom wonders if (1) I was dumbed in a nice neighborhood on burbose, or (2) I whas a Christmas bresent and one day after the kids went teu skool, daddy left the gate oben on burbose.
I ain't telling on a counta Cha-Ching... I lubbs it here!!!
wif lots ob the lubbs fur yeu, Little Reufus
hello stella its dennis the vizsla dog hay i no that my mama and dada shoor do wunder wot happend to me before i wuz reskyewd!!! i am terrified of beeping noyzes and am verry suspishus of peepul wot ar loytering arownd holding objekts in there hands so dada thinks that sumwun wunse yoozd a beeping shock kollar on me and maybe hit me with things but i am like the girl frum the faymus dokyoomentry dont say a wurd and i wil never tel!!! ok bye
ReplyDeleteI wish dogs could talk. I'm sure we'd learn a lot about ourselves as well as about them.
ReplyDeleteDaisy came to us at 6 weeks old, so there's not much mystery. But we once had a dog since she was a pup and she suddenly developed a phobia about thunderstorms. So, who knows? If only she could have told us what she was thinking!
The White Dog Army's biggest mystery is Quinn's past. Momma sometimes gets sad that he came to us without even a name or birthday. He was on deathrow in LA picked up as a stray. He runs from cameras (all kinds and not just flashes). Someone told momma once that maybe it is best that we don't know those stories and that maybe Quinn is happy to forget who and what he was because he is at peace with being our Mighty Quinn.
ReplyDelete