I am in the doghouse

I am in the doghouse

By Maggie Gray

When I left the Twin Cities to move to a more rural location, my heart sank a bit knowing my beautiful son Adam was no longer a 15- to 20-minute jaunt over to his home I would now know the arduous journey of almost a two-hour drive when traffic was at issue to visit him. I am now a first-time grandmother to a beautiful baby girl. It never occurred to me that I wouldn’t be able to find someone trustworthy and kind to watch my dogs while I made my weekly visits to see my granddaughter.

I now find myself in a quandary as to why I have been so unsuccessful in finding a fellow dog lover to watch my pups in my home. After running ads in various newspapers and advertising on Facebook, I was amazed to find that there are others in the same predicament as I find myself. They love their dogs as family members and, unless family or friends can assist, also find themselves trapped from travel because they have no doggy care.

MY DOG TUCKER. Let me introduce my hound dog Tuck aka Tuckaroonie. This was a dog that if ever needing rescue, he fit the bill. He’s one of those hunting dogs that have now been labeled “obsolete”. He doesn’t hunt any more, isn’t e-collared, and in the south (he’s from Arkansas), they cut them loose or shoot them in the field when they’re no longer necessary. I did enough reach outs to people in Arkansas and other hunting dog rescue and shelter groups to get an education I didn’t want.  He was cut loose and ended up a stray at a shelter in Arkansas. They’re so overrun by stray hound dogs, they end up unadoptable or euthanized. He was transported to Minnesota by the Humane Society and I adopted him from the Golden Valley location. He was high-strung, high-energy, not house-trained and a full-time outdoor kenneled dog. Sure, in the south maybe that works. I called his former shelter and found out he had been there for over two years, completely passed by as one of over three dozen hounds. I can’t imagine that life. No air conditioning, outdoor kenneled, wind, rain, and bugs…….his life 24/7. His life was worthless to his prior owners or anyone walking through that shelter for TWO years. He was invisible and just a mouth to feed until they ran out of reason to keep him alive.

When I brought him home, he had no idea that my home was NOT his larger-than-life new kennel. He jumped on furniture, counter tops, running rampant through my home and lifting his leg to “mark” his new kennel. No one prepares you. He thought he had landed in doggie Disneyland with heat and air conditioning, sherpa blankets, soft beds and treats galore. What do you MEAN I can’t lift my leg here? They called him Houdini in Arkansas. He was their escape artist. And I found that out on a daily basis when he kept trying to scale my 7’ privacy fence. Today? Housetrained, treat-driven, and wouldn’t DARE jump over a 3’ high baby gate! Amazing what love, trust, time, patience and a lot of crying (on my part) can do. I made him a vow. After being cut loose by his former owner and surviving (not living) in a cage for over two years, I told him I would NEVER again throw him into a caged lifestyle or boarding situation that comes with boarding facilities. I have toured enough to see it. I needed to know for myself that he would never end up back in a cage which would probably terrify him that, once again, he had been abandoned. When you adopt an abandoned dog, a rescue, they often come broken and need things from you that you can’t anticipate. They and you are adapting to each other. Not every dog fits the mold. Never let anyone tell you what your dog needs. You be the judge and be their rock. You are now their world when their other world threw them out. Remember that….YOU are now their world.

Moving to Fairfax I thought once I settled into my little home that finding someone to care for my pups so I could travel would be an easy thing. I have never been more wrong! I have used word of mouth, newspaper ads, Rover.com, Craigslist, Facebook, the list is endless. I’ve called Vet Clinics in the surrounding five cities hoping that I could learn of a reputable dog sitter from their network of clients. I have hit walls time and time again.

What I’ve learned. There are a lot of pet parents out there like me - in Fairfax, Gibbon, Morton and Franklin who want to take day trips or travel for a few days or week. They do not want to board their beloved pets for whatever reason. They may not have family or friends who can assist in the care. I now realize there is a huge need out here in these communities for a network of pet sitters and I am determined to create that network. I want to find a way to be the conduit for the pet owners to find the right person to assist in their pet sitting needs.

DEFEAT. I refuse to be defeated. I refuse to believe there aren’t dog and cat loving people out there that can find a way to connect and help each other. I believe in paying it forward.  So dear readers. At this writing I am literally in the dog house. I have three dogs and am urgently seeking the right person to trust with my pups and stay in my home if I travel or need day trips to the Cities. I know there are more people like me out there. I would love to hear from you on tips, ideas, suggestions or just talking to me about your pets. I would even do a feature story on your beloved pet. On behalf of my beloved Odie Toadie, Tuckaroonie and Chico Bandito, they are hoping someone wants to meet them and put up with their shenanigans! There are three wet noses here in the doghouse waiting to be smushed against your face and paws waiting to be shaken. Till then, woof woof and Happy New Year!