katiem
09-01-2009, 12:51 PM
It was September last year that this mook showed up at my house for some good ol' dogsittin', and as you all know, never left.
He's still a jerk, but he's come so far. He's not peed in the house in almost 2 months, the dog fights are lessening, the random attacks on people don't happen nearly as often. He listens, he obeys, he respects. He's not perfect, he's still not a safe dog, but he's improving.
There were times when I (and I know many of you did too) though that it wouldn't work. I doubted my ability to help him. I doubted his ability to learn and change. Many people though I was nuts, though I should either dump him on the Humane Society or just put him down. Back before I decided he was going to stay with me I had actually thought that sending him to the Humane Society would be better, or finding a breed specific rescue so someone who knows the breed could work with him. One trip to Petfinder, seeing that in Ontario alone 600 of his breed were looking for homes put that thought right out of my mind.
There was a time when I felt it was hopeless, and he made the trip to the vets for that final goodbye. I never told any of you about this. We made that trip, I was ready to say goodbye, to give up, to finally say he's hopeless. My wonderful vet had witness a few of his outbursts, and agreed with my decision. We brought him into the room and got ready. Good Bram came out that day, gave kisses, shook paws and wanted belly rubs. Neither of us could do it, and he came back home with me.
He was kicked out of 2 group training classes, 2 private trainers gave up and a third punched him in the face.
I eventually came to find out a little bit about him. First off, his name wasn't Bram, it was Max. Secondly he was an impulse buy at a pet store in Quebec, which also means he was probably a puppy mill dog. The woman who bought him knew nothing about dogs, didn't even realize how big he would get. When she brought him home he had an accident in the house and was mouthing her, and within 24 hours he was put on a chain and left in a backyard, where he stayed with little contact until the fateful day 6 months later when she tranquilized him, stuffed him in a crate and put him on a train to Ontario, where I was waiting for him. Actually I was waiting for her little puppy, she didn't mention what breed of "little puppy" he was (she's not a native English speaker, she's from China and then moved to Quebec and speaks french, but very little English).
Well, I've rambled enough. Those who have been here for a while already know all the crazy Bram antics.
His first day with me
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z163/littlemustardseed/newdog010-1-1.jpg
Back when Levon was still a bit larger than him
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z163/littlemustardseed/newdog004-1.jpg
Standard Bram pose (Jeanie finds it funny)
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z163/littlemustardseed/dogs006.jpg
Smushface
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z163/littlemustardseed/dogs008.jpg
I love my sister, she makes a good pillow
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z163/littlemustardseed/IMG_1847.jpg
more to come...
He's still a jerk, but he's come so far. He's not peed in the house in almost 2 months, the dog fights are lessening, the random attacks on people don't happen nearly as often. He listens, he obeys, he respects. He's not perfect, he's still not a safe dog, but he's improving.
There were times when I (and I know many of you did too) though that it wouldn't work. I doubted my ability to help him. I doubted his ability to learn and change. Many people though I was nuts, though I should either dump him on the Humane Society or just put him down. Back before I decided he was going to stay with me I had actually thought that sending him to the Humane Society would be better, or finding a breed specific rescue so someone who knows the breed could work with him. One trip to Petfinder, seeing that in Ontario alone 600 of his breed were looking for homes put that thought right out of my mind.
There was a time when I felt it was hopeless, and he made the trip to the vets for that final goodbye. I never told any of you about this. We made that trip, I was ready to say goodbye, to give up, to finally say he's hopeless. My wonderful vet had witness a few of his outbursts, and agreed with my decision. We brought him into the room and got ready. Good Bram came out that day, gave kisses, shook paws and wanted belly rubs. Neither of us could do it, and he came back home with me.
He was kicked out of 2 group training classes, 2 private trainers gave up and a third punched him in the face.
I eventually came to find out a little bit about him. First off, his name wasn't Bram, it was Max. Secondly he was an impulse buy at a pet store in Quebec, which also means he was probably a puppy mill dog. The woman who bought him knew nothing about dogs, didn't even realize how big he would get. When she brought him home he had an accident in the house and was mouthing her, and within 24 hours he was put on a chain and left in a backyard, where he stayed with little contact until the fateful day 6 months later when she tranquilized him, stuffed him in a crate and put him on a train to Ontario, where I was waiting for him. Actually I was waiting for her little puppy, she didn't mention what breed of "little puppy" he was (she's not a native English speaker, she's from China and then moved to Quebec and speaks french, but very little English).
Well, I've rambled enough. Those who have been here for a while already know all the crazy Bram antics.
His first day with me
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z163/littlemustardseed/newdog010-1-1.jpg
Back when Levon was still a bit larger than him
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z163/littlemustardseed/newdog004-1.jpg
Standard Bram pose (Jeanie finds it funny)
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z163/littlemustardseed/dogs006.jpg
Smushface
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z163/littlemustardseed/dogs008.jpg
I love my sister, she makes a good pillow
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z163/littlemustardseed/IMG_1847.jpg
more to come...