Baby the Problem Dog
By Francis Battista
Like the proverbial spoilsport, Baby the dog appears to be aggravated by the mere thought that some other dog, somewhere - anywhere! - might be having a good time!
From her strategic position in the center of the kitchen floor, she grizzles and growls at the other household dogs who conspicuously ignore her complaints and preemptive snarls. If any of the many pooches with whom my wife, Silva, and I share our home at the sanctuary enter her space (and Baby, according to Baby, has a huge space!) she starts snapping at the air in the general direction of the violator.
Baby has some serious problems, but considering her background, well... why not, I'll say it, "You've come a long way, Baby!"
She first crossed our path in 1992. She'd been living with an old and enfeebled homeless person under a bridge in San Pedro, California. A member of Best Friends who had been helping the pair out with dog food discovered one day that the human half of the pair had disappeared, and the black and tan mutt was now living under the bridge alone. She had serious mange and all her teeth, despite her relative youth, were ground down to very sharp triangles. We took her in as a foster dog.
The first time she bit me I was driving her to an adoption event. I realized in a blinding flash of pain that it was probably not a good idea to absent-mindedly examine the old scar on her ear with one hand while steering through the twists and turns of Benedict Canyon with the other! I apologized, she apologized; but the early bloodletting did not bode well for the day ahead.
Baby didn't show well at the adoption. Not that she appeared to be aggressive. In fact, she would wag her tail and look appropriately pathetic and demure all the while luring her target into range and then SNAP! After a couple of near misses I decided that rather than risk legal action or some unsuspecting person's relationship with animals, Baby needed more time to heal.
She went into long-term foster care with some very kind people and their three dogs. They loved her and she them, but, alas, Baby never did get over her growl/grizzle relationship with the other dogs.
Since she couldn't even get along with other dogs, she was not a good prospect for life at Best Friends Dogtown, either. So she ended up moving into our house where she could be given occasional privacy and kept out of trouble.
Over the years, she has become devoted and gentle with us, but is still not keen on being touched by strangers. Nor has she ever accepted the existence of other dogs - except Bismark, with whom she flirts. Nonetheless, she has become a much loved member of the household, warts and all.
Why bother with a problem dog like Baby? Probably no one reading this page would ask that question, because the answer is as plain as the teeth marks on your hand. Baby is a rescue, not just from a bad physical situation, but from whatever trauma and abuse left those behavioral scars. She has become an enormously affectionate and obviously grateful friend and the minor inconvenience required to accommodate her quirkiness is well worth the effort.
Living with a Problem Dog
Obviously, it is not sensible to have a high-strung, snappy dog in a household with lots of children and strangers coming and going.
However, there are lots of good reasons to go the extra mile, and then some, with animals who have minor behavioral problems, especially if you have young children in the house.
Children often regard household pets as best friends, confidants and even siblings. What's the message to one powerless member of the family when they see another powerless member thrown out, sent to "jail," or given away for something like soiling a carpet, making too much noise, digging holes, or damaging the furniture?
You can talk all you like about the "hard lessons of life," but what is really happening is that the idea and integrity of the family circle is being subjugated to convenience and property.
Apart from anything else, dumping animals, despite the fact that they are among the most important things in a child's life, shows little regard for the youngster's feelings, dismissing them as unimportant or childish.
A family is always as strong or as weak as the value given to its lowliest member.
