Posh Pup Protests
“Dogs have a way of finding the people who need them, and filling the emptiness we didn’t ever know we had.” - Thom Jones
In May this year, it will be five years now that Posh Pup aka Herbie has been a part of the family and there is no way any of us could ever have anticipated just how much this little rescue would impact our lives.
A few months before we adopted him, our young kitty "Holly" was viscously attacked and killed by our neighbours dogs. It was a truly tragic day and I am sad to say that my son Jude was witness to the whole thing happening. I know he was hurt and angry at the time, with a fair amount of that directed at me, because I prevented him from interjecting the maul between three dogs and a cat - but the reality is, I saw that situation from a mothers perspective and there was no way I was going to let my 9 year old boy get in the middle of that.
Besides, it was likely that she was gone within seconds of the staffie getting hold of her anyway. RIP beautiful, crazy little soul! The only cat I ever knew that fell off the bed and windowsill when asleep, drank from the toilet and made friends with literally every person in the neighbourhood.
My little man was heart broken! Not to mention that a few months prior to that we had lost my old kitty - Kaya, who was 18 years old. At the time we lived in a complex so after that incident we decided that getting another cat was probably not a good idea. The neighbours with the dogs were new there and unlikely to be moving any time soon... and you cannot really stop a cat from exploring.
Initially, I honestly didn't even want to get another pet... but there is a little life lesson I learned a long time ago, which may sound a little callous - but is very applicable, especially to young kids and that is replacing the fur child lost is often the fastest way to healing the wound of the loss. So, with that said - Dave was always keeping an eye out on FB to see if anything popped up. He showed me many litters of rescue puppies and I just wasn't interested... until, I saw THIS face!!!
Oh my gaaaaawd! My heart melted!!! I said YES, yes, YES! Dave opened the FB post and we took a read. The litter was called "the H litter" - so all the pups had been given names beginning with H. Herbie, Hattie, Horton etc. The mom who was a Jack Russell was with the litter at the rescue and guess what her name was... Yip, you guessed it - HOLLY!
Ridiculous or not, that felt like a sign to me. So off we went to go see the litter at the rescue centre. When we walked into the area with the litter they were all jumping up at our legs with such excitement - except for one puppy. He was hiding in the kennel and would not come out. Every time we approached him, he retracted and went riiiight into the back so we could not reach him. Well, Jude was adamant. He got onto his hands and knees and climbed into the kennel and brought the pup out.
That was it, he had made up his mind. It did not matter how much we as adults tried to steer him toward the slightly more social pups... Jude was not having any of it. This was the pup he wanted and seeing as this was all about him - it was a done deal.
“Some people see an unfortunate dog sitting in a shelter. I see an angel someone threw away.”
And so Herbie was now a part of the family! We kept his name given as it just felt right. It did not take very long for us to realise that this little dog, as young as he was... had clearly been abused to a very severe degree before being rescued. So much so, that teasingly... he eventually adopted the nickname "courage" lol - you know that cartoon with the dog that is literally petrified of EVERYTHING?! yeah... this one... lol
No exaggeration, Herbie was (and is) pretty much scared of everything. Strange noises, strange people, curtains blowing in the wind, torches at night, the vacuum cleaner cable which we now refer to as the black snake of death haha! Everything!!! Anxiety is his middle name and we have long since accepted that it is highly unlikely to change. Thankfully though, vomiting in the car from fear or anxiety is one of the things he has managed to conquer.
We never managed to get him to behavioral training because it was shortly after we had decided to do that - that lockdown hit, so any and all plans came to a grinding halt.
Herbie is a fur child that likes his world to be familiar and so, is happiest at home and with "his family". Admittedly, I will say that having a little pooch that is seriously special needs really does come with it's own set of challenges and there have been moments in the past where I think we have all had fleeting thoughts of "what on earth were we thinking" lol. But honestly, we would not change it for the world.
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Until one has loved an animal a part of one's soul remains unawakened. - Anatole France
On the counter side of that little bag of nerves is the most incredibly sensitive and loving little soul - like no other dog I have ever encountered before! Herbie is intuitive BEYOND and I absolutely love that about him. Once you have gotten to know him, you realise very quickly what a beautifully unique and intelligent little character he is and he will have you wrapped around his little paw in a moment!
Yesterday we tried to take him for a walk. Jude was not keen to join, so just Dave and I went. Well, despite brief moments of happiness and enjoyment... the further we got from home, the less he was enjoying himself and the intervals of reluctance and yanking in reverse on his lead became a fully fledged sit down protest. He was not going ANY FURTHER! It did not matter how many times we picked him up or tried to encourage him... he simply wasn't having it. So, eventually we were left with no choice but to turn around and head back home.
“You can’t change a dog’s past, but you could rewrite his future.”
We were discussing it afterward, and contemplating why he would behave that way on a route which he is more than familiar with. Suddenly it dawned on me that ANY moments in the past where we have been separated as a "pack" he has behaved in a similar manner. He does not like it at all if one of us is not with the rest... even if they are within sight - if they are out of reach for him... it is a problem and he vocalises it very quickly.
An very endearing realisation - that this little fellow who spends his every day with us, yet has never "spoken a word" holds us so close to his heart. With all his little quirks and oddities, he is the most amazing little individual and I feel blessed to have a soul like that love me (and us) so much!
“Everybody should have a shelter dog. It’s good for the soul.” - Paul Shaffer
Not unlike with our human counterparts - it is so important that we develop a level of understanding for "why" something is the way it is. The "why" someone is the way they are. Lack of understanding is what breeds impatience and unkindness because there is no compassion.
When you are faced with the challenge of embracing something or someone into your life that pushes you outside of your comfort zone or forces you to broaden your thinking... it grows you as an individual.
We may never rid Herbie of his crippling fears and insecurities, but we can continue to show him how much we love and adore him - and every now and again, he reminds us that sometimes... even if it is just for a moment - even HE forgets about his worries. Like the time he was so excited to see us all in the swimming pool that he just jumped right in. I'm guessing he never really understood what would happen in the moment that he hit the water and needless to say has never done it since haha!
“You can’t buy love, but you can rescue it.”
❤❤❤
Until next time...
Much Love from Country Bumpkinland, South Africa xxx
Jaynielea
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He seems a very photogenic Dog..Seems like he smile in every pictures here..
5 years, wow! This feeds my obsessive canine disorder just perfectly!! Definitely my most favourite post everrrrr!! I remember the day Herbie jumped in the pool, he was obviously content enough to be brave in that moment lol. Look how young and cute Jude is too, and those pup photos... My goodness 😍 Can't wait to see you Herbie boy, I miss you and your wonderful ways! You have my hooman heart forever 😁 "Hash tag", Herbie for a Steemit account including videos with voice overs! Hahaha! ;)❤️
The dwarf no longer wants to go into the water...? But he should be able to swim.
Nice bond you have there. Have a great time together!