The love a dog feels for its owner is a powerful thing - sometimes too powerful.  What I mean by that is a dog can become so attached to you that it becomes overly protective and potentially dangerous to others in your family, your neighbors and visiting to your home.  My friend Adrienne had just such a dog, and as a holiday treat, I thought I'd let her tell you more about her runaway Christmas dog.

THE RUNAWAY CHRISTMAS DOG

One a recent cold winter, while at my office in the countryside, I heard what I thought was a dog barking.  I went outside when the noise persisted for what seemed like days and days.  I was sure the dog wanted to be inside where it was warm.

I looked at this beautiful bright eyed animal, and knelt down to see if he would come to me. Very slowly he started to come forward and I realized he was nearly frozen to death.  I yelled to my co-workers to get any kind of cold cuts from the fridge to help me lure the dog inside the building so we could try to take care of him. Everyone scattered to get all his needs met. Very slowly we all introduced ourselves to this frightened dog that seemed to be in complete bewilderment that someone actually had opened the door across the street from where he had been begging for days

We put a flannel shirt around the dog to warm him, and called the dog warden to ask if anyone had made inquiries about a missing dog as we didn’t want to take away a pet from someone who truly loved him.  When the warden arrived, she checked him over, made some phone calls, and said that after five days we could keep him, or she could take him to the pound immediately.  Well, that wasn’t about to happen, and I told her I would leave work and take him directly to the veterinarian near my home to have him completely checked.   I offered to pay all the bills with no strings attached, and said if the dog’s owner came forward the dog would be returned to his rightful home.

The vet take good care of him. She checked him thoroughly and said if he had not been found he might not have lived more than another couple of days.  That was January 4^th and she estimated he’d been running in that weather about 10 days, which is how we decided to refer to him as The Runaway Christmas Dog.

In the last few years, Schokolada has enjoyed trips, treats and Christmas holidays neither he nor I could have imagined before that winter when our hearts first bonded.  After a year or so I began to see a pattern of protection that I did not think was necessary and that is where Ausdauer Dog Training comes into this story.  I called Dan Rossignol, explained my situation, and when he came over he was as gentle as a “Dog Whisperer”. After his short time in my home I could not believe my eyes at the command he had over Schokolada. Dan taught me how to be a better caregiver; and how to have my house back. The dog had taken complete control over everything in the house, but with Dan’s help that soon changed.  Dan explained that Schokolada thought I rescued him to guard me, so he had been on hyper alert for over a year. We began to show him he was not the leader of the house, I did not need protection all the time and I was quite capable of protecting myself most of the time. This allowed Schokolada to be a dog and have the normal down time a pet needs every day. He became a completely different dog and his personality started to shine right through even more than it already had. I was a proud “mother”.

Dan works with Schokolada on a regular basis to keep him from reverting to old patterns when he gets a little too spoiled by me and others.  He plays at the kennel well with all of Dan’s own dogs and any other boarders. He has learned his manners very well. He romps and plays at home with some protective signs but nothing as intense as before.

I have just secured a wonderful girl named Abby who owns “Diamonds in the Ruff” which is a mobile van with a complete dog grooming operation. The first time she arrived at my home, opened her doors and astounded me.  Schokolada went right in, was bathed and groomed and had his nails and teeth done.  He allowed himself to be blow dried, and when finished, he bounded back into my house with his new scarf.  I never thought I could have posed him for a picture, but he immediately threw himself to the carpet as if he knew I had the camera ready.  Of course I did, but how would a dog know that?  He lay there very still until all the photography was over and then he sighed and went to his plush bed with fleece blankets and settled in for a long nap. He must know the holidays are upon us with all the pampering he is getting.

I will end this wonderful story by telling you he just got back home from a trip to Delaware for our big family Thanksgiving at my daughter’s home. Chocky was an absolute angel all the way down as well as during the visit.  His personality delighted everyone, including all the neighborhood children and the guests who accumulated for dinner. This dog is a true joy and has brought much happiness into another home this year and I am sure he will continue to do so for many years to come.

The moral to this story is that if you open your heart for a minute and know that it is right to rescue a dog, go for it….the joy is beyond anything I could ever have imagined and maybe, just maybe you will be lucky enough to have a true Miracle at Christmas as I did.  The blessings and friendships this dog has brought will be with me for my lifetime and I know that the true meaning of love was passed down to us from somewhere above that Christmas Season.

The stars glow many evenings in the winter while we are out walking and all I do is look up and say “all shall be well, and all shall well, all things that really matter shall be well”.

God Bless you and your family this Holiday Season and we (Schokolada and I) hope you have enjoyed our Christmas gift to you.

In Christmas Spirit,

Adrienne