A Dog’s Life
(Part Two)
By Kate James
(and contributed to by Harley and Logan)
As a quick recap, they came into our lives unplanned. They were fourteen and sixteen months respectively when we first met them, intelligent and with great temperaments. Although they were never abused, their behaviors were greatly influenced by having spent their "childhood" exclusively in kennels.
Here’s an update on how we're doing.
Crating, Then
I never crated a dog before, but Harley and Logan needed the comfort and security, as that's all they'd known before us. I had hoped that in six months to a year, the crates could go. A year later, they still loved to spend time in their kennels, but preferred to curl up, or stretch out, together in one kennel.
Some things haven't changed. We still haven't been able to remove the crates from the breezeway, despite having luxury dog beds throughout the house.
It's their happy, "safe" place. And they still prefer to share a single kennel. What has changed is that Logan occasionally likes to redecorate...or perhaps let us know that the top beds need to be washed!
Logan was generally quite good outside. Harley was the challenge. He'd see a butterfly, a little switch would go off in his head and the rest of the world would cease to exist as he chased it. We had to fence our property to keep him from running over the back into the valley, where there is a steep incline. He stayed safe, but our gardens suffered.
Outside Behavior, Now
Logan is still (mostly) an angel. Harley still has his obsession with butterflies. But now he'll also cry like a baby, in addition to dancing around in hot pursuit. (If you heard him, you might call the humane society on us, thinking we're hurting him!). The good news is that he is starting to listen (a little) when we call him. Also on the plus side, our front gardens are in tact.
Inside Behavior, Then
Despite not having met until they were fourteen-and sixteen-months old respectively, they established a close bond very quickly. They would routinely lie on top of each other, snuggle and seek out the sun. On the negative side, Logan used to get up on furniture.
Also, because they didn't really have toys to play with as pups, anything on the floor was fair game to be swallowed. Finally, Logan thought he was a lap dog, and on one occasion when he tried to climb into my lap while I was writing, his tooth happened to connect with (and destroy) my laptop screen.
Inside Behavior, Now
Logan no longer tries to get up on furniture. They still like to sleep together and snuggle.
Although Harley and Logan have come so far in the time they've been with us, yes, they still have a few idiosyncrasies due to how they lived their formative years. The constant is that they continue to delight us each and every day, and the unconditional love and affection they bring into our lives is limitless and unparalleled. Idiosyncrasies and all, we wouldn't trade them for the world!
Do your pets have any particular idiosyncrasies that make life interesting for you?
(Published in Still Moments Magazine digital September 2017)
© 2017-2018 Kate James All Rights Reserved
Along with being Harley and Logan’s Mom, Kate is a civil engineer by profession. She has had a fun and challenging business career, but she always loved to read and, for some time, she’s had a strong desire to write. It was her husband who started her down the path to publication when he gave her a personal laptop for the sole purpose of writing. She was fortunate to get a publishing contract for her first manuscript, which was released in September 2011. Kate loves to hear from readers and interact with them! www.kate-james.com
