Nature vs Nurture

After Louise displayed her fierce athletic prowess, I discussed options for fixing the fence with Ernesto, my gardener-cum-handyman.

No option would be cheap, so I decided to wait, as I hoped to train Louise not to aggressively react to Italia.

"It doesn’t matter what you do. Nothing will keep your dog from getting through that fence."

Hmmm… what does that mean?

"You can’t change her nature. It’s in her blood."

I disagreed but Ernesto raised an interesting point: certain behaviors are driven by nature. Though I might be able to manage Tommy’s powerful prey drive, I don’t think I could ever stamp it out so that he doesn’t want to chase and pounce on a squirrel. But are Louise's issues in her nature?

Before Ernesto left, I reminded him to check in with me before going into the backyard on his next visit.

"Of course. Your other dog, he’s okay. But the new one, I have to be careful of her." (He hadn’t yet seen Louise, but formed his opinion based on the Tasmanian devil story.)

He parted with these words, "That dog is like me: dangerous."

A few days later, Ernesto looked surprised when I came into the yard with Louise.

"My neighbor has dogs just like her."

I learned his neighbor lived on El Sereno and Woodbury, which sounded familiar. Hadn’t I just read of a drug bust there?

“An FBI SWAT team detonated flash-bang grenades about 5:30 p.m. Thursday as they forced their way into a home at El Sereno Avenue and Woodbury Road, officials said.” (You can read more here.)

Yep, that was the house with the dogs that looked like Louise. Ernesto and his teenaged son had watched the drama unfold from their front lawn.

I’ve driven by many times, but I haven't seen the dogs. And I haven't detected a hint of recognition from Louise, no whining or cowering in fear, no heightened sense of arousal.

Whatever Louise’s past, she clearly has a defensive posture around any threat, perceived or real, from another dog. Can I train that response out of her?

Jenina came by on Saturday and gave me some tools for counter conditioning. I’ll write more in an upcoming post, but here’s a hint: our session was all about Tommy (well, almost - chewed post compliments of Louise).

Issues

Once in a while Tommy surprises me with an impressive zen attitude, like when he lounges on the patio ignoring Italia, the neighbor’s German shepherd, barking through the hole in the fence—a hole, I might add, that she created.

Unfortunately, Italia is a trigger that sets off an aggressive response in Louise.



Hear that whining? That's Louise on a leash by my side.

A few weeks ago, when Italia stuck her snout through that hole and roared, Louise flew over the patio fence and shot straight up into her face in two seconds flat. They fought a quick, fierce battle through that hole, tearing into each other with terrifying sounds. I thought Louise was going to climb through that hole and wreak havoc in my neighbor's yard.

Somehow the fight ended and I got Louise into the house. She was back to her sweet self, but my view of her changed slightly. Holy moly, she's got a bit of the Tasmanian Devil in her. She's not really alpha, but she's extremely reactive to any provocation from another dog.

The dogs stayed at Starcrest in side-by-side kennels while I was out of town. I picked them up yesterday, and Louise cowered when she saw me, trembling outside my car just as she had at the shelter. She warmed up as soon as we got home, but her distrust of people is another issue.

Next Saturday, I have a training session at my house with Jenina Schutter from Smart Paws Dog Training. When I described the problems, she said it sounded like Tommy was an insecure leader, "the worst kind of leader, same as with people." What an astute point.

So, we have a house full of issues. I wonder if I should go back to therapy.

Is Louise My Foster Dog?

Last week Aleksandra, whose wonderful blog, Love and a Six-Foot Leash, chronicles adventures with dog fostering, emailed me and asked why I foster. I responded, “Am I fostering? I’m not sure!”

And my ambivalence continues.

Tommy and Louise have had two fights. She’s not as submissive as I thought. Tommy is a bully and she fights back.

It's been challenging. I keep the dogs in different rooms. My house is like a zoo: the cats in the three bedrooms, Tommy in the living room, and Louise in the kitchen. I walk them separately. When I return from a 45-minute walk with Tommy in the morning, I set out to walk Louise. In the middle of the day when it’s hot, I let them take turns in the yard. The routine is exhausting.

But there’s positive news, too. My friends have generously given their time to walk Louise while I walk Tommy beside them. And the dogs get along great on these walks. 

Louise is as sweet as can be with me. She's like a duck who has been imprinted by my presence. She adores me. I adore her, too.

Still, this way of life is not sustainable. I need to be able to walk the dogs together by myself. I need to get them to the point where they can be in the same room without fighting. I'd hoped they'd be best buddies, but maybe it'll never come to that.

I'm going to hire a trainer who can help me manage them, and I'll just have to wait and see whether she and Tommy can live in the same house without making me insane. If not, I'll find her a great home. She's a fantastic dog, eminently adoptable, so I'm confident a kind person will fall in love with her as I have.

Despite my uncertainty, Louise and I got featured on Love and a Leash's post about dog fostering. Check it out: Dog fostering – it’s infectious!

If you're a local, can you recommend a good trainer? 

Louise in her Bonnet

The memory card on my camera filled up just as I was saying "good girl!" But see how she snaps to attention? I think she lived with a stern human. At least she learned some manners.

The bonnet is actually old news; she managed to weasel her way out of it over the weekend. Her wound has healed enough so I didn't bother putting it back on.

Sunday morning I discovered she also chewed the edge of my brand new papasan chair. She's definitely feeling better. Now she's like Tommy when I first got him, with boundless energy I need to help her burn off.

While I showered, she started chewing the bottom of the kitchen cabinets. I had to go out to the westside for a few hours so I put her in a crate that I bought for Tommy and never used. She wasn't happy but I didn't want to return to my house in shreds.

The adventures continued, but I'm too exhausted to write about them. Soon.

Tommy & Louise

Jen Byrne demands a pupdate, so here it is.

She's the sweetest girl ever. When I picked her up at the Pasadena Humane Society, her whole body shook with fear. Two hours later she did the pit bull wiggle when I walked into the kitchen.

I thought it would take a lot of work to bring her out of her shell, but she made it so easy. Her temperament and manners are exemplary. It makes me wonder whether she's been trained. It certainly seems so. What was her life like before she ended up on the streets? 

Unfortunately she has an infection from the spay surgery. I have to clean the wound twice a day. She doesn't like it, but she stoically lies still while I do it.

She also has a bad case of kennel cough.The vet said her lungs are filled with fluid so I have to be careful she doesn't catch pneumonia.

Poor Tommy. Louise has taken over his favorite room in the house, the kitchen. He tries to get a glimpse of the action underneath the barricade.

I've been keeping them separate so she can heal and so he doesn't catch her kennel cough. Is it inevitable?

Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps

When I first saw Petie, he was dodging LA Animal Services down on Marengo. I stood at the corner with Tommy, hoping he’d come to us, but instead he ran into a backyard, as terrified of Tommy and me as he was of animal control.

A few days later I saw Petie in Farnsworth Park. He was still fearful, so I put a bowl of kibble on the ground and stood at a safe distance giving him the space to eat. After he heartily finished the food, we did the same dance with a bowl of water.

Once I gained Petie's trust, he blossomed into an entirely different dog—playful, loving, happy. The moment he saw a tennis ball on the ground he pounced on it with a burst of joy, as if he’d discovered a long-lost friend.

Even in the shelter his spirit shined—and that did not go unnoticed. Petie was adopted over the weekend, even before we posted this video, shot by Karin Bugge. (Check out Karin's Patch article about Altadena’s animal shelter dilemma.)



Unfortunately the light-colored pittie’s story is different. She was timid from the start. I only got her into the car because of her attachment to Petie: she just followed his lead. Alone in her kennel at the shelter, she’s been emotionally shut down, unapproachable. No one has been able to lure her out of her shell.

The verdict is she isn’t adoptable. The verdict is they have to kill her. Last resort has arrived.

So, Friday she gets spayed, and Saturday I pick her up and bring her home.

Honestly this is not cause for celebration. I’m not thrilled with this plan. I’m tired. I want to focus on my new house.

I want to have friends over for brunch, set up my home office, start a regular writing practice. I want to buy a couch.

But I can’t stand the thought of having led her to her death.

And perhaps, ultimately, she’ll lighten my burden.

Perhaps Tommy will frolic in the yard with her instead of sitting at the door, pathetically waiting to get back in the house only moments after I've let him out.

Perhaps, ultimately, she will again follow Petie's lead, and shine.

What's in a name?
As Veronica points out, a pit bull shouldn’t have the reserved nature of a lion. This girl needs a new name.

Juliette is sweet but her fate is too tragic.

My sister, Lynne, detecting a purple hue in the photo, called her Iris. I like Iris. I also like Trixie. Trixie sounds like a sweet goofball, just what I'm hoping her true nature turns out to be.

What do you think? What shall we call this gorgeous shy girl?

Last Resort

I talked to a friend Saturday who asked what I’d been doing with my day. I hesitated and then said, “I spent the morning catching two stray dogs.”

There was dead silence on the other end of the phone. “One dog is enough, isn’t it? Tommy is enough, isn’t he?”

“Yes, yes. I brought them to the Pasadena Humane Society.” 

At some point I’ll tell the full story of how I stumbled upon and caught these dogs...

But there’s no time for that now. Now I need to get down to business.

The dogs have 5 days to be claimed by an owner. If no one claims them after 5 days they are available for adoption.

How long will the dogs remain up for adoption before being killed? That depends on 3 things: temperament, health, and how much space is available at the shelter.

I filled out a form with some checkboxes. One of them said this:

“I understand that this animal may be euthanized and that I will not be notified.”

I didn’t check it. Instead I met with an adoption counselor and I signed up for “last resort” status.

If all else fails, they will call me before killing each of the dogs. I will then have the option of adopting him...

This is Petie. He just wants to be one of the gang. Show him a little kindness and he will shower you with love and adoration.

And her...

This is Elsa. She has the beauty and reserved nature of a lion.

Elsa is in love with Petie. (Can you blame her? Look at that face!) I'm in love with both of them. 

Here's Petie's info: A291038

Here's Elsa's info: A291039

Please spread the word.