Advice on Pets, Life, Love
By Monica Collins
Dear Dog Lady,
About a year and a half ago, I adopted Maltball, a short, squat (but not fat) brown-haired mix from a shelter in Missouri before I relocated to Massachusetts. All I knew about her was that she'd been surrendered by someone who had moved out of state. I was advised she would probably do best in a home without children. Maltball (I kept the name given by her previous owner) has turned out to be a total sweetheart. She's very well-behaved and friendly. I'm a single woman who works in local television news so my stress-level is high. I wanted a dog for companionship and for decompressing during walks and romps. I couldn't have gotten a better playmate than Maltball. The vet estimates she's about seven years old.
When I recently went back to St. Louis to visit my sister, I dropped by the shelter where I got Maltball. I wanted to report my success story and thank them again. We were chatting and one of the staffers dropped the bomb that Maltball had been given to the shelter by a defense attorney after the former owner was convicted of murder and sent away to prison. Knowing Maltball was raised and named by a murderer shouldn't make a difference, right? I can't help being a little shaken by the news. Maybe I've worked in TV too long.
--Mary
Dear Mary,
Nope, shouldn't make a difference at all, although Dog Lady completely understands your tremors. Silent sad-eyed dogs are not transparent. They reflect back to us all our fears and joys. Looking into Maltball's face and wondering what she knows has probably become more laden with mystery. Dogs live in the moment and Maltball lives with you.
Dog Lady chides the gossipy shelter worker who spilled this juicy but irrelevant tidbit. Ideally, shelter staffers should relay only cogent behavioral information on the history of an adoptee animal to better guide a new caretaker. Forget about your dog's past. You've saved Maltball from death row and given her a new life sentence.
Dear Dog Lady,
Oscar my bearded collie has very, very long fur. Every two weeks he is groomed professionally to keep him looking smart but in between sessions he looks very unkempt as he loves to play in the mud with his doggie friend Tess. The other day the groomer found a dead frog hidden in his coat, she has also found burrs and bits of bushes and trees. My question: Should I restrict his exercise so he gets less filthy? He seems happy enough, although I have to say my husband isn't terribly pleased about the amount of foliage our dog regularly imports into the house.
Free and filthy? Or confined and pristine? Is there a happy medium?
--Beverley
Dear Beverley,
Filth and frogs are fantastic. Dog Lady loves to see dogs getting down and dirty to revel in the muck they love so dearly. They are not porcelain figurines and they must be allowed to wallow with the best of them-in this case, doggy friend Tess.
You can help Oscar to shed less debris and create more harmony in your home if you monitor his play dates with Tess. He doesn't have to roll in the mud every day. You can control his activity by keeping him on a leash and walking him vigorously. Stop him before he rolls. After he's been a pristine little angel for a day or two, allow Oscar his mud flings with Tess in the shrubbery. You might keep some doggy Wet-Naps-available at larger pet supply stores or through catalogues on line-to wipe him down outside or in the foyer (lucky if you have a mud room) before he shakes off the frogs and foliage.
Dear Dog Lady,
My husband I are considering adopting a toy breed dog. I had a dog when I was a child but my husband never has. We recently took two bichon frisees for a brief walk as a trial at the local humane shelter. It quickly became clear to me that he is unfamiliar with handling even a small dog. While my husband is willing to have one as a pet, I am concerned about our ability to be consistent with training and to have the dog interact well with both of us. Also, I want the dog to feel equally confident and at ease with both of us. Do you have any thoughts, suggestions, or recommendations?
--Ruth
Dear Ruth,
Your adopted toy dog will inevitably bond immediately with one of you. In this case, it sounds as if you are more relaxed about keeping a pet, so you will be the Chosen One. Please don't worry about how your husband interacts with the animal because as long as he is willing to have a smallfry underfoot, things will all work out. Just make sure he is consistently involved with the training and walking - and carries a pocket full of tiny treats to hand out for good behavior.
Please see askdoglady.com for more, including the blog "Shorty Knows."