My Dog Andy

My dog Andy…

…was very special to me. He was a little brown terrier who had some problems. I still feel very sad when I think about him and realize he is gone… but not forever.

We adopted Andy about 4 years ago from the animal shelter. They told me back then Andy, who was about a year old, was known to be a “biter” and if I did not adopt him they were going to “put him down” – in a few days – because most prospective dog owners would not want a dog with a reputation for biting.

As it happened, there is something in me that just could not let them “put down” such a playful, fun-loving young dog. I was sure all he needed was someone to give him a “second chance” at having a good life. What is more, I was sure I was the person who could re-train him and help him have a good, fun filled life. I wanted Andy to live with me and my family and get to know and trust us as people who would love him protect him and take good care him.

So, I decided back then, I wanted to give Andy a chance to survive and have a happy life. With Andy as our dog, we could help him as we nurtured, trained and gave him the best of care and love.

I talked about this with the people at the animal shelter and their candid opinion was that according to their experience with “biter” dogs like Andy he could never be changed nor corrected. Well, the more they talked the more I was convinced they did not understand Andys problem. They also did not know that I had owned and successfully cared for many other “troubled” dogs in my lifetime. In fact, most of the dogs I have owned began their lives as dogs with serious problems.

Here are two examples: one female German Shepherd we owned had been severely burned. It happened when she was in her doghouse nursing her litter of five puppies. Some neighborhood kids threw lighted firecrackers into the doghouse where they exploded! The fire crackers severely burned the Shepherd and all of her puppies. None of the puppies survived and Morgan, the mother of the puppies had to be hospitalized. The story appeared in a local newspaper, where we read it and immediately adopted the German shepherd. We knew that dog needed someone to give her a much needed “second chance.”

Another time we were given an English Bulldog by a couple who discovered that a dog of that size was just too much for them to care for in their small apartment. Her name, when we got her was: Peaches. She became, to say the very least, a very interesting part of our big family. Most of the time she was just a big slobbery, push-over of a very slow moving dog. But if she was outside, without his leash on, she could run amazingly fast when she saw kids riding by on bicycles. She would attack the tires of the bicycle and, of course, terrify the rider of the bike. One time, after she did that to one of those bike riders, he told his parents and the police came to our house and told us to always keep her tied up when we had him outside- or else! Of course we did what we were told and fun-loving Peach lived a long and happy life after that incident.

I am telling you all of this because I want you to know that as a the owner of any dog you have to be aware that owning a dog means you are responsible for the behavior of that dog. If the dog gets loose and bites someone, you will be blamed. If the dog gets sick and you do not take good care of him you are at fault. If you do not take the dog for daily walks, he could cause your neighbors to complain because your dog is always disturbing them with his constant barking.

So, no matter where you get your dog, please understand, ahead of time, you will be expected to be a responsible dog owner. You have to face the fact that owning a dog, of any size, will mean you are to protect both your dog and the people around him. You also will have to get a license for your dog as well as Rabies shots according to your local laws.

So, when I adopted Andy, I was well aware of all of my responsibilities and I was very careful to always keep him under my strict control on a strong leash. In fact, I used to put a muzzle on him before our walks together just to be sure he would not bite anyone along the way. In short, I was very careful, and always very much aware of the fact that Andy could not be trusted and might hurt someone by biting them.

Over time, I think Andy adopted me as “his man” and we became almost constant companions. I took him everywhere with me: to the Post Office, food shopping, to the beach, sailing in my boat – everywhere I went, Andy went with me.

As part of his “schooling” or training, I used to put a backpack on him and take him for long walks around our neighborhood. Funny thing is, that backpack seemed change Andy’s attitude in many ways. I think it made him feel very special and when he was wearing it, he knew he had work to do. In short, Andy just loved to wear that backpack!

While he was wearing the backpack, I was able to teach him: (1) to”heel” and (2) to walk quietly beside me, with (3) no pulling. I taught him (4) to stop at my command and (5) sit at every cross street we came to. After awhile, I was very much surprised when he would automatically sit at all of the cross streets all by himself with no commands from me! “Good dog!” I told him.

We had Andy with us for four years, but recently, he became quite sick with skin allergies and ear problems that made him shake his head constantly. We tried to put medicine in his ears, but even with his muzzle on, he fought us all the way. I put ointments on the skin on his back to treat the allergies, but anytime I tried to put the ointment on his front and back legs he would snarl and try to bite me, so I am certain he must have had pain in all of his legs.

Later, the vet at the hospital said Andy probably had some additional internal pain that could be what caused him to bite and that was his way to fight back when we touched his very sensitive and I guess, pain-filled feet and legs.

Finally, I had to put him down (euthanize) him. It was an extremely difficult decision for me to make, I loved Andy so much. All of the staff at the veterinary hospital did their best to help me understand that to put him “down” was the best way to help Andy and stop his pain and suffering as soon as possible.

Many friends and members of my family tried to help me understand that my decision to relieve Andy of his constant pain, by putting him down, was the only solution to my Andy’s apparently constant pain and other physical problems. It was not an easy decision, as you would know if you saw my tears.

I still miss Andy as my almost constant companion, but, I am sure my decision to “put him down” was the best decision to relieve the never-ending pain endured by my very good friend – Andy.

You need to remember this: a pet dog can be lots of fun, but owning a dog is also a big responsibility.

P.S. By the way, I want you to know: I expect to meet a healthy Andy again – when I get to Heaven to spend eternity – and I am sure I will find Andy right there, trotting proudly beside me – backpack and all!

Terry Weber Website:  http://www.originalsbyweber.com