Wednesday, January 02, 2013

Eva Update

Eva escaped the yard today.

I noticed by about 3 minutes after the breach of security.

I'd made the ultimate mommy/ dog owner mistake: sitting down with my afternoon meds and coffee. Everyone knows this is asking for trouble.

But Jayne was doing one of his "emergency" barks (he has a full range of vocal expressions) that screams "human come help now."

I found Eva at our fence line playing with a black retriever mix just about her size. And she was playing. He was an alpha even (I've seen him play with Wash, our escape artist, before) and she play submitted properly.

Not snarling. No menacing bark. No fearful behavior. None of the behavior that got her sent to us in the first place.

She might as well have been a well-socialized, puppy-class raised, normal dog at the dog park. Or with Wash at the dog-friendly bar in town. She was being that good, at least for the all of ten minutes before I had her wrangled back on to the property.

Heart attack averted and it seems like, at least mostly, mission accomplished. From badly socialized and violent to socialized and friendly.

I still wouldn't put her in a house with the original dog in question (who doesn't even like us apparently) but an equally sized or bigger alpha dog of a bully breed... sure.

Hell, at least point she may be safe with just an owner who knows how to dominate her ala Cesar Milan as long as he kept her properly exercised and socialized and watched her carefully at the dog park.

Seems the fostering process is working out properly.

Now I just need to figure out how she breached the fence and see if she's figured out she can jump the fence because that's a whole 'nother issue.

Mel