Beware of the Dog

[Raven Wolf]

I've often identified with The Old Man.... Isolated in a backwards, narrow-minded town....

In a small, ugly looking "shack"....

Now.... we have the dogs.

Our landlord had one, old, ugly looking big dog named "Buster", who's actually very calm and good natured. Then, his wife came home with a beagle and a mix of about the same size. Then, she got a beagle puppy. They kept us up most of last spring (07) barking at the squirrels that keep breaking into the roof of the house. Then, something killed the beagle pup. Now, a week or two ago, 2 larger breed mix pups showed up at our house after a storm... and will not leave. They aren't friendly. Won't let us anywhere around them....and just seem to keep crawling under our house...barking, whining, growling, and making our dog Spencer go nuts. (these 2 have also brought out an aggressive side in "Buster" we've never seen before) Now....for the last few nights, I've started hearing large packs of dogs off in the distance....back through the woods...probably the road behind our house. Each night, the pack seems to grow larger, and louder and closer. Meanwhile, the 2 girl pups here, despite my not really showing them much affection (they seem half wild), are determined to stay....and have started barking and growling at me and Spencer when I take him out to walk. It's like we get pushed back into a tighter, smaller space every day.

(before anyone says it... I am NOT calling animal control. Those butchers don't need 2 more to slaughter)

Anyway..... does my life sound like a scene from Millennium yet? I'm thinking of putting up a sign that reads "Welcome to Buckstort". Even though no one would get the joke but me & Terry.....

(from behind the "Beware of the Dog" sign on my front door....."signed")

RavenWolf

[Guest SouthernCelt]

Are you feeding them? If so, you might try putting out food in the open with no other animals around and then staying there until they come out to eat. Once they will come to eat with a human close by then you can start talking to them w/o sounding threatening so that they identify you with food and can feel comfortable in letting down their guard a bit. Then you can begin moving closer until you eventually can touch them. I'm guessing that they were either born as strays or were driven away by their owner because he/she didn't want more mouths to feed. They may have been threatened or beaten to drive them away and probably were driven away by other people or dogs in their roaming. Consequently they don't trust anyone but each other.

If you can win their trust, you can then set about introducing your older dog to them. Of course you'll have another challenge then to get your dog to accept new ones that he'll have to share attention with.

One caveat...this works with most dogs but there are some that seem to go back to wild ways and can't be domesticated unless you can start at the early puppy stage.

Also, this will not work for cats as I can attest seeing as how I've now been feeding about 8 strays that have accumulated around here for the free food. Not a single one will let me get within 3 feet even after 6 months or more.

[Guest Laurent.]

I second everything SouthernCelt just told you.

[Raven Wolf]

Oddly enough.... I actually got this to work with cats before. 5 feral kittens that were born under the house next door to the house my mom is still in (when I was still living there).... It took months of time, & patience, but they all came around... and 4 of them still live there as happy members of the family. (one died)

So, yes... I could use that tactic & keep them. I just hadn't considered it a viable option, since we're already stripped bare, financially speaking.... And have been trying to find a place to move to, since this hole is intolerable.

And, now that Terry's mother has cancer.... I've just gotten too overwhelmed with all the sh*t going on (I'm already in therapy to try to get MySelf better)... so feeling just a bit too overwhelmed to bring back the "Dog Whisperer" part of me that I've used so MANY times before.

I still may end up doing that. I don't want to see anything bad happen to them.

Just thought it was funny how my life is starting to look like an episode of Millennium. If you could hear all the barking and growling I hear in the night (that's not the pups....it's some pack that just appeared a short time ago. I never used to hear that).... you'd laugh, too.

....from the fringes of society...

RavenWolf

[ethsnafu]

I'm thinking of putting up a sign that reads "Welcome to Buckstort". Even though no one would get the joke but me & Terry.....

Erin,

I know you're only joking but you SO should. Think of the upbeatness it would bring every time you looked at it. If my place wasn't stuck in the middle of Boringsville County left of Shallowminded City I would have painted my house yellow long ago.

Smiles,

Eth

[Raven Wolf]

Y'know... I might just do it. You can get little signs like for Yard sales pretty cheep. I might get one, some spray paint, & either stencils or stickers for the words. Then, I could put it up at the corner (which is the edge of our yard) where our landlord has all his "In God We Trust" signs.... (freaking war supporter.... grumble)

Yeah, that might fun!