Dewy was ooooh so close to joining us

Well, you can't say we aren't trying everything in our power to bring Beckett that much closer to his 'true self'. Over a couple of days we went back and forth with a connection through WIN and the Greyhound rescue organization. They have Dewy, who looks to be a sweet, but shy boy.


Unfortunately amid our lamenting over the dog being the ONE, how we'd get him here, how would we know this is the right fit, etc. there was a decision that Dewy himself wouldn't travel well and there was the issue of him possibly having experienced abuse during his foster home shuffle that would have made it bad for him to even get here.


So, now I find myself going to petfinder to see if I can locate another Wheaten. I have one I'm checking out now in Montreal so we'll see how that pans out. Most importantly, I'm sure as hell not going to purchase one from an "on line kennel" aka possible Miller location. After Beckett, I'm even more convinced that millers need to be regulated. Fine, you want to start breeding dogs that you love, then do like everyone else and show you have the ability to do more than have a female dog get pregnant! People like Brenda and other responsible breeders work hard to give a quality of life to their dogs before considering the ability to make a profit from them.


Now that I have a case in hand, dogs that are 'turned over' to rescue services from Miller should be charged for abuse and through the act of handing over their non-saleable dogs, they are admitting guilt. I'm sounding like a protester but in reality people end up with dogs like Beckett and don't have the resources or the experience that we have.


Even for us, it is a full-time job and we still don't know how we've made it this far with him! Just pure luck and trial and error and the support of our circle of friends have helped us not cash in and call it quits. I can see how these dogs would just end up in a negative spiral and eventually be destroyed after living through a continued series of abuse and mishandling.

Hairless summer...

We have another few weeks under our belt now. We moved out to the cottage at the first of May and here it is the first of June already. My how time flies when you're working day and night and not getting any sleep!

Although the move to the cottage was supposed to be smooth this year, there were a few hiccups along the way to make it less than .... smooth. First was my issue with having to prepare two apartments for renting at the same time that we were trying to open the cottage and build the extension on to the house for Beckett's space. Aside from that was my need to get the horse shelter completed before I could accept the foster horses on the property. All this was delayed due to two solid weeks of wet weather. It was either raining mildly but still now allowing us to work on the grounds, or it was a downpour which made for a very interesting time getting through the mud and into the cottage.

The moving, the construction, the weather, and the lack of 'outside' time added to Beckett's setback after getting his fur cut back for the summer period. Beckett wasn't too crazy about the cottage anyway for a few reasons, or so we deduced after a spell. He didn't like not having a large open space with alternate routes of escape as he had in the apartment. He didn't like that we were able to come in the house from three directions rather than the one. He didn't like the fenced in area we built for him... regardless of the Island stone work! Most of all, he did not do well with us being away for the whole day rather than coming home every couple of hours to walk him. That on it's own seems to have set him back to week 2 or 3 with his fear of us. (It may also be his haircut... really liked him with more fur so maybe he thinks the same way LOL)

I wish I had video'd his physcial reaction about 2 weeks ago. He would run to his blanket and growl at us while physically shaking like a 4 year old who just came out of the cold ocean from swimming. He shook uncontrollabley. I don't know if it was his medication finally kicking in or if it has been the constant work we are doing with him but he seems LESS scared for less of a period but he is still in that realm.

June 13, 2011

This last weekend has confirmed that we do have a dog in need of a role model. I've seen him with other dogs and it is during these times that his true personality comes out and he is a Wheaten indeed. He romps, rolls, wags his tail, smiles and just plane enjoys his life. The problem is that he sustains this for the period that he is playing and for about a 1/2 hour after, then he shrinks back to his defensive mode and will not venture out again.

Our trainer , who has experience with puppy mill survivors, has recognized that Beckett is an extreme case of social issues with humans. She brought out her two dogs to see how Beckett interacted with them and she was completely surprised at the different dog that Beckett becomes with playmates. Like all of his other playmates, he tends to tire them out. It's going to take another Wheaten to match him and lead him onward.

I've taken it upon myself to investigate two different Wheaten organizations to see if there is a possible adoption of a role model dog that is more mature than Beckett is. I've also spoken with our breeder, or rather, potential supplier of a puppy, and she is going to check with her contacts for perhaps a mature dog that is being returned for no other reason than the people can not keep it for personal reasons. Not Personality reasons! LOL The dog also has to be okay around children because I do have my 7 year old grandaughter visiting now and then. Hyper we can deal with, aggressive toward children, not a possibility.

The horses are now in the pasture, the kennel in all it's glory is complete, the porch is screened in and for us, the summer has begun.