With Great Doggies comes Great Responsibilty

So for those of you who don't know, I am the proud owner of two very amazing dogs. I love them dearly and give thanks all of the time for having them in my life. Their names are Trellis and Trina (Hey I didn't name them, they were named when we got them.) Having them has taught me many things over the years, but the past few weeks have taught me a very large new life lesson on responsibly.

As some background, we got T&T almost a decade ago now when a good friend of my wife's told us about this dog that was going to be put to sleep because no one wanted to adopt her. The reason was that this dog and her siblings had been horribly abused as puppies and were simply terrified of everyone. People wanted dogs they could play with not dogs that would hide in fear. So I told the friend that I had a massive half acre fenced in back yard and I was damned if I was going to let a dog be put to sleep simply because it was scared. So that was how we got Trellis. A few weeks later, my wife decided Trellis needed a playmate so we also adopted her sister, Trina.

Over the years since then, these two amazing dogs taught me many lessons in both patience (Getting them to slowly trust us) and frustration (How far we have to go before they are over their terrors and as happy as they could possibly be. But the past two weeks have taught me a lesson in responsibly and how hard it can be to do the right thing.

More background, recently my wife I committed to a major move across country so that she could get a better job. This meant moving our 5 cats and the two dogs a very long distance. The cats were moved with relative ease, but when it came to moving over a 100 pounds of frightened dogs, things were not so easy. It took two tries, two trips and a whole lot of pain (Literally) and effort to finally get my dogs from their previous home to their new one. We will leave off the very large monetary costs of moving them, getting them new houses, new dishes etc. However, it is finally done and my two dogs are adjusting to their new home.

At least twice during this whole business, I pondered just how much easier it would be to just give up on them. Either send them to the pound with the vain hope that someone else would take them in or do like so many horrible people do and simply abandon them to fend for themselves. They cost hundreds of dollars a year in Vet bills. They eat like small ponies and they require flea/tick and heartworm meds every single month. Then there is the fact that even after nearly 10 years, I still haven't earned their trust to the point where they aren't fearful around me.

So because of all of the above, after my first attempt to bring them with me failed (Believe me when I say it was a spectacular failure involving an escape from an “Inescapable Harness” and busted lead leash and being tackled and knocked down by one to help the other escape.), I pondered letting animal control take them. I was so hot, so tired and frustrated that it kept playing through my mind. How much easier my life would be if I just gave up on them. I love my dogs more than anything, but why keep getting beat up over the frustration? I mean so many others give up on their pets so why couldn't I?
The simple answer is responsibility. I knew when I got them that there were going to be frustrating times. I knew that there would be times I would be angry. In short, I knew it wasn't going to be easy. But I accepted that and I still accept it. The abundance of stray and feral animals roaming our country prove that a lot of people have absolutely no problem abandoning their responsibilities as pet owners. They get tired of a pet or don't want to take the pet with them, so they just leave it. If the pet is very lucky, the owner leaves it in a place where it can at least fend for itself. Many times, people leave the pet locked up in their old home or apartment to slowly starve to death.

Now I admit, I could have “Owner Surrendered” the dogs so they would at least been safe, but even if I was tempted, I knew that this idea was a surer death sentence than abandoning them. They are still fearful and shy (Not nearly as bad as when we first got them, but they still aren't the happy interactive dogs most people want.) I knew that if I turned them over Animal Control or even a Pet Rescue Group, eventually someone would have had to have them destroyed to make room for more adoptable pets.

So like I said, this past two weeks have taught me an important lesson in consequences of actions and taking responsibility for those actions. I made what I felt (And still do) was the right choice 10 years ago. I accepted then that the path I had taken wouldn't be easy (And boy was I right), but I did it anyway. The past two weeks have tempted me to abandon this choice to make my life easier. Like most temptations, this one was bright and shiny. I argued with myself that I had done more than enough to help the dogs. I reasoned that after many years, they were never going to fully trust me so why keep trying?

The answer really is as simple as I took on the responsibility of caring for these dogs knowing that it would be for their entire lives. No one forced me to take on this responsibility. I did it of my own free will. I still accept that responsibility with all of the complications and pain that goes with it. I know that there will always be complications, but the rewards I get are worth it. If more people accepted their responsibilities we would have a lot fewer miserable animals roaming and dying in our streets.

As a final note, so far both dogs are doing okay. They are understandably nervous and scared since they have been moved from the only home they can remember, but I have every faith that they will adjust and that we will all be better off for this move. So I will leave you with the immortal words of Trellis MacLeod when her food is late. “Rowr rowr rawr, wuffle wuffle woof.”

Brew long and prosper.