The final dog Lori groomed last week was our blind Husky Mitch. That's what was left on the laundry room floor when we got done. In years past, we always took Mitch to our veterinary clinic for his summer haircut, so he could be sedated during it. That's because, as I wrote in a post back in 2009, Mitch had "dominance" issues and didn't like people to mess with him, i.e., do something to him that he didn't want them to do. In his mind he was always the alpha and 'pack leader,' a notion that didn't go over very well with us when he arrived. As I wrote back then, he was a sweet, delightful dog 99% of the time — but it was the 1% that was a problem.
We have come a long way with him since then, though early on things got really ugly a few times between the two of us. I had to teach him that if I was going to mess with him, he was going to accept it. I'd win, he'd lose, and over time he came to accept this new pack hierarchy — one in which he was not, and never would be, No. 1.
Yet he didn't necessarily regard any person as an alpha, and that meant taking him to a groomer in Missoula wasn't an option. Hence the annual trip to the vet clinic for what our vets called his "lion cut" while sedated.
But I had sensed that the passage of time and consistently enforcing the rules with him had changed our boy dramatically for the better. I figured that with me holding him, Lori could give him a summer haircut and he would do just fine.
Which is exactly what happened. He certainly didn't like having his mass of thick Husky fur shaved off, but he sat there quietly while I held him and Lori clipped away. No muzzle, no restraints, just me with my hands on him. I was so proud of him. To be honest, I wouldn't have had Alayne or Kate hold him — Mitch still isn't sure that women can be alphas, though he is much more respectful than he once was. But considering where we started with him, it's a night and day difference.
Here is a photo I took yesterday afternoon of our sleeker Husky, sitting and extending his paw out (irresistible, and he knows it):
He's also gotten a lot better about being with other dogs, though again we have to choose his yard mates carefully. A couple of years ago he couldn't even be in a yard with others, and now he shares one with several dogs.
Having said all of this, though, I need to point out that we have never considered Mitch an "aggressive" dog. For example, if he rolls another dog and pins it to the ground, as a normal pack leader would do, he never hurts the other dog. There's a lot of sound and fury, but having taught the lesson, Mitch promptly releases the other dog. No blood was drawn, no harm was done. If a dog foolishly fights back, though, Mitch will go all out — and that's when you can see some blood drawn.
He would never attack a person — good grief, if we had ever worried about that, we would have euthanized him long ago. But he had to learn where he fit in the larger pack, and how to respect people as his pack leaders. I know this sounds a bit nuanced, but that's how behavior issues often are. And ultimately, for Mitch that meant learning to accept people "messing" with him. A snap or a growl to tell people to "back off" is, he discovered, not something he's going to get away with here.
Here's another look of Mr. Handsome with his summer look:
All that bare dirt is mostly from Mitch scratching at the ground; a couple of his yard mates are also "earthworks specialists," so we try to confine most of the damage to one yard.
Now if only we could find someone who'd like to buy 14 pounds of sheared Husky fur and turn it into a unique sweater for that special someone.
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Thank you so much! We just won $1,000 for getting the most votes in week 3 of the Shelter Challenge!
The current Shelter Challenge started on July 4th and ends at midnight on September 18th. Grand prize in this round is $5,000, plus $1,000 for weekly winners and $1,000 for state winners. There are also other categories … please see the Shelter Challenge website for details.
And remember, you can vote every day, so consider bookmarking the voting page to make it easy.
You can vote in the Shelter Challenge here.
Please note: Use Rolling Dog Ranch for our name and NH for the state and our listing will come up. [Yes, we are still listed as Rolling Dog Ranch for the purposes of the contest, not Rolling Dog Farm.]
Because of your votes, we just won $1,000 as a weekly winner in this round of the Shelter Challenge. Please help us win more money for the animals here by voting every day, and by encouraging your family, friends and colleagues to vote every day, too. Thank you!
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