Dogs are funny creatures. But, humans are funnier. And, by "funnier" I mean quirkier...weirder...harder to decipher. Henley, the Great Dane, was an awesome pup. He was big and slobbery and loud and big and hard to deal with and big and ate a lot and big and ... I miss him terribly.We rescued Mick and Stevie (previously known as Mick and Maggie...how predictable!!). They desperately needed a home. When Henley died, he left a huge void in our lives and we desperately needed a 4 legged friend.
I admit that I'm having trouble loving them as I did Henley. Mick is full of spit and vinegar, ready to go after the wayward squirrel and defend us! Stevie is sweet and lovely in spirit. She's always at hand for us to love on.
Neither is Henley. Neither is big and slobbery and loving as he was. I keep giving them time. I do love them, just not as much as I did Henley. Maybe it's because we had Hen from the time he was just a pup (even
though he also was a rescue). Getting a dog at 2 yrs old (as Mick and Stevie are) is one thing. But, getting 2 at that age is quite another.Both dogs are good. Both are sweet. But, neither have made the heart connection. Both now have routines. At bedtime they head back and jump up on the bed, waiting for me to finish with my bath. Then Mick usually jumps off and Stevie stays until David comes.
But, there's no Great Dane "hmph...." as they lie down. There's no real connection yet. I'm praying for that. I mean, look at how cute they are. I do love them, but they're no Henley.
4 comments:
As an Airedale lover, I find it incredibly sad that after 9 months you aren't in love with these two adorable pups! As a rescue volunteer I've had dozens pass through my house and each one takes a piece of my heart with them to their new home. This may mean that you are just not an Airedale person and perhaps you should think of placing them in an Airedale home and getting another Great Dane?
I worried when I posted this that people might feel like we didn't love Mick and Stevie. Honestly, though, nothing could be further from the truth. I think we're still grieving over the loss of Henley.
We do love them dearly. Stevie is such a sweet girl and Mick is so full of life and energy. It has taken this long to get them to begin to trust us (especially Mick). We honestly wonder if they weren't abused in some way because of the way they will shy away from us. We can sit next to him and he'll scamper away with that usually curled tail hanging between his legs. We're working on it and he's opening up more and more. He's the one who gives us sweet pup sounds when he allows us to rub his belly or scratch his ears.
Please understand, though, this post has less to do with the Airedales and more to do with the grieving process of losing Henley.
Forgot to add (and I hope you do ck back and read these comments) that we're so grateful for the work you do with rescue. It takes a very special person to open up their homes temporarily to foster pups.
I'm the other part of the couple who chose to adopt two Airedale pups who have apparently had a pretty tough first couple of years before we drove 250 miles up and back to bring them home. One had been snakebit. Neither was up to date on their shots. Both were fearful of being approached and flinched when you reached out to them.
So you have two people who have lost the most loving dog we've ever known - lost him tragically to cancer - lost his big body beside us on the couch - lost his leans and slobbers - lost his silly noises - lost his puppy-like zooms - lost the sound of him getting up and following us back to the bedroom... who have a huge hole and have received two dogs that because of what they have been through - can't fill it.
We're working HARD on making them know we can be trusted - that we will never hit them, leave them outside, or do anything other than love them fiercely. And they've made great strides. But we are trying to overcome their prior socialization and it's really hard.
But here's the real deal.
They are not Henley. And we know they never will be. So the problem is we are still grieving. Still.
The last thing that needs to happen is that Mick and Stevie go to their fourth home in less than 3 years. They need us and we need them. We'll heal together.
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