Jiggy Jag and his Warning (label) Vest
The weather is having an identity crisis because I just drove through a sun belt, a rain shower and some pea soup fog, all in the same block. It's cold and windy, too. I am ready for summer as I can no longer tolerate this atmospheric tomfoolery. Spring needs to get get sprung and stay there.
Let's see.....On last night's dog walking adventure, Jagger tried to murder a pedestrian via a stealth maneuver wherein he sits angelically and obediently waiting for the passerby to get two feet past the beast, then launches forth with atomic pit bull force which wrenches the shoulder area and scares the victim absolutely senseless. This dog is not reliable. Of course he is scolded for this and immediately returned home to do severe time out, but this guy has a screw loose. For all I know he wants to kiss the stranger but from the looks of it, he probably wants to jump on the bloke or mow him down - or kill him. Pick one.
I have him in "reactive dog" class with specialty trainers and we are working very hard on his many disorders. I leave it to bigger brains than mine to determine what to do about a sweet, handsome, melancholy dog with bipolar tendencies and nose for trouble. Last night he woke me up at 3 am, just crying and whining and suffering. I took him outside and he did his business and then Jagger came and sat on the outdoor steps with me and we looked at the moon. Well, I looked at moon. Jagger's eyes darted around the yard like he was waiting for a runaway Prius to bust through our fence.
I love this dog. He has spooks in his head and I understand this. Don't we all? Right now he's sleeping and I think he might be happier asleep.
I don't fear him, because Jagger would never hurt me. He's not a hostile animal, just a nervous wreck. He was born with a poor set of nerves and would never make it in the dog park circuit. He is a crappy dog with horrible prospects of adoption unless I can use my writers finesse to pen the perfect advertisement. Let me try:
Beautiful, but, mentally fragile -strong as a bus, male 1 year old pit bull with tragic past looking for perfect home! Always unhappy, barks at old people, lunges indiscriminately, hair falls out when he gets nervous which is all the time, throws up on Fridays and thinks it's funny to hide in the bathroom when you call for him. Jiggy with strangers, mail personnel and birds. Great in the car!
I have my big opinions on spay and neuter, and not breeding and reclaiming the pit bulls from the politicians and the criminals because of dogs like Jagger - who came into the world innocent and full of promise, only to live a shit bomb existence and come up damaged. Rescue is about throwing all of that in reverse. Sometimes, the job is big and impossible - but I believe in Jagger's ability to heal and move forward. Time, patience and training will correct what hurt him- and I won't adopt him out until I'm convinced he's safe to live in the world. Today is not that day. He may be 15 years old when the time is right and that's OK with me.
Love is a verb.
Let's see.....On last night's dog walking adventure, Jagger tried to murder a pedestrian via a stealth maneuver wherein he sits angelically and obediently waiting for the passerby to get two feet past the beast, then launches forth with atomic pit bull force which wrenches the shoulder area and scares the victim absolutely senseless. This dog is not reliable. Of course he is scolded for this and immediately returned home to do severe time out, but this guy has a screw loose. For all I know he wants to kiss the stranger but from the looks of it, he probably wants to jump on the bloke or mow him down - or kill him. Pick one.
I have him in "reactive dog" class with specialty trainers and we are working very hard on his many disorders. I leave it to bigger brains than mine to determine what to do about a sweet, handsome, melancholy dog with bipolar tendencies and nose for trouble. Last night he woke me up at 3 am, just crying and whining and suffering. I took him outside and he did his business and then Jagger came and sat on the outdoor steps with me and we looked at the moon. Well, I looked at moon. Jagger's eyes darted around the yard like he was waiting for a runaway Prius to bust through our fence.
I love this dog. He has spooks in his head and I understand this. Don't we all? Right now he's sleeping and I think he might be happier asleep.
I don't fear him, because Jagger would never hurt me. He's not a hostile animal, just a nervous wreck. He was born with a poor set of nerves and would never make it in the dog park circuit. He is a crappy dog with horrible prospects of adoption unless I can use my writers finesse to pen the perfect advertisement. Let me try:
Beautiful, but, mentally fragile -strong as a bus, male 1 year old pit bull with tragic past looking for perfect home! Always unhappy, barks at old people, lunges indiscriminately, hair falls out when he gets nervous which is all the time, throws up on Fridays and thinks it's funny to hide in the bathroom when you call for him. Jiggy with strangers, mail personnel and birds. Great in the car!
I have my big opinions on spay and neuter, and not breeding and reclaiming the pit bulls from the politicians and the criminals because of dogs like Jagger - who came into the world innocent and full of promise, only to live a shit bomb existence and come up damaged. Rescue is about throwing all of that in reverse. Sometimes, the job is big and impossible - but I believe in Jagger's ability to heal and move forward. Time, patience and training will correct what hurt him- and I won't adopt him out until I'm convinced he's safe to live in the world. Today is not that day. He may be 15 years old when the time is right and that's OK with me.
Love is a verb.