Growing up we always had dogs. As I got older and got married a wanted a dog again but the couple of times I tried it did not work out for various reasons. Then we moved to Hawaii and in to my in-laws house. We were fortunate to be able to bring our cat with us from California. We have been here three years now and have slowly been incorporating animals back in to our lives again. I wanted a dog but knew it would be a big commitment especially since although we have three acres it is not fenced. None of it, not even a yard. Also I was not sure how my father-in-law would like having a dog in the house. So I waited.
About a month or two ago I read an article about diabetic alert dogs. I started researching more about them and their training. Dangerious ideas started to form. I could train my own dog. My poor husband has been waking up multiple times every night for the past 10 years to check on me, he could finally have a break. I would be able to take the dog with me everywhere, especially important when I travel by myself. The cat could have a buddy. So many reasons this is a great idea, so I approached my husband about the idea. He was supportive, but tentative and encouraged me to keep researching. I did. I began drawing up the ideals for a dog for myself while scouring the animal shelter's website. Then by chance I mentioned the idea to my friend, N. Just so happened N had a friend looking to rehome one of her Labrador retrievers.
Enter Etta. She is a one year old chocolate lab. N's friend RM, had got Etta and her sister from a breeder on the island. Unfortunately the sisters were so obsessed with each other they were almost unmanageable. With each having to be kenneled separately, it became quite a task to offer each one enough attention.after chatting on the phone we agreed to go meet Etta on the husband's next day off.
The two biggest stipulations were A) she had to get along with the cat, tricky since the cat had never shared the house with anything but a fish, B) she must learn to alert ( in a reasonable amount of time) or she will be given back or rehomed. These rules were standing well before hearing about Etta. We looked up aptitude tests for trainability, things to look for, to avoid, anything I could look up to keep in mind when meeting new dogs. I am not a complete novice but I always feel better when it is all in the forefront of my mind.
Then we headed out about 15 minutes away to go meet Etta.
Posted with Blogsy
No comments:
Post a Comment