Our beloved dog, Scout, has
been with us for 6 years. She by almost all accounts has been a perfect
pet. Although she truly suffers from separation anxiety (Adam told me
that most dog owners think their dogs are this way but having known
Scout for years he told she definitely does), we have recently have two
very uncharacteristic episodes. She has always barked when someone came
to the door, but she especially hates the large UPS and FedEx trucks.
She is skittish by nature, as a Blue Lacy, but recently UPS came by the
house to drop off a package. She started barking per usual. My wife
carries our 8 month old baby to the door with her and opens the door.
Scout continues to bark and decides she is going to lunge at the door
with her teeth. She is not able to handle a lot of activity and
commotion at the front door.
My wife was frightened but we
both loved Scout and rationalized that she was just protecting the baby
from something that she was afraid of. We called Adam at Taurus to have
him come and work with us on helping us to condition/train Scout with
treats before the UPS/FedEX man arrives and to go to an agreed upon
"safe spot." Needless to say, after my wife's initial anxiety was eased
by Adam's assurance that we could work out a situation for Scout for
this to probably never happen again, we felt relieved as she is very
much a part of our family.
A bit about Scout, she is herding
dog and we used to work her out religiously to keep her happy and
entertained. We (my wife, Scout, and myself) lived a very happy 3 years
running, riding mountain bikes, swimming in the Green Belt, etc. Then my
wife got pregnant. We were obviously excited but wanted to make sure
Scout still would "fit in" with a change in lifestyle. She did
marvelously. Our first daughter, Ava, was born and seemed typical from
the get-go. Scout and Ava got on like best friends. Scout was always
patient with her and was always, always sweet to her. Ava could sit on
her, pet her what looked like too hard, or any number of very close
interactions. Scout never made so much as a mean look. She seemed to
love Ava and any attention she gave her. Overtime we discovered that Ava
suffered from Autism. This greatly changed the family dynamic again and
we wanted to see how Scout would respond to our needed increase of
attention for Ava including having therapists in the and out of the
house. Scout was great. She seemed to intuitively be kinder to Ava. The
four of us got along famously. This went on for another 3 years were we
all were very happy.
Scout recently has expressed frustration
and fear toward UPS/FedEx drivers as well as aggression. She has also
grown weary of our young children and has started growling and warning
the children. We can no longer keep her with this circumstance.
I'm completely and totally sick over this. Scout is my girl and both of
these instances happened when I wasn't around. Adam felt that he could
work with Scout on the UPS/FedEx issue but this incident with Ava
created severe doubts in Adam's mind that Scout should be around our
children at all. He said, he could never guarantee that Scout wouldn't
bite our kids. He said Scout knew she was wrong and chose to be bad.
I've cried more tears in the last few days than I have in the last 15
years. Scout has always been a loyal friend and a major part of our
collective lives. At this point, I personally, wish we could turn back
time and for this to never happen. But I can't. I can not trust her
around my children anymore. Sarah is now anxious around Scout and won't
let her near our girls. I wish there was some magical switch we could
flip to change these events.
Adam thought that you might be
able to provide a more objective behavior analysis and might be able to
help us to find Scout a better situation to live in. My heart is crushed
over this and I never imagined there would not be a day of Scout's life
that I wouldn't be a part of. I want the very best home for Scout. I
couldn't bear it if she didn't find a home where she would be loved as
she has been here. She loves to play catch, swim, run, and be a part of
the pack (meaning rarely does she leave my feet during most days). She
very much wants to please and be next to someone at all times. If we
could find a situation where someone worked from home and didn't have
children, I think that may be best. However, I'm no expert and I'll
trust any advice you provide. Please let me know if you can be of
assistance or can provide some advice as to how we should proceed.
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806 675-6181
If you want to be greeted with wagging tails…cold noses…wet kiss’s..
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~Author Unknown~