My Dog's Name
Maddie
When I Adopted My Dog
September 25, 2009
Where I Found My Dog
Rescue Shelter
About My Adopted Dog
Maddie is always so happy, a lover. Having spent almost the whole first year of her life attached to the end of a chain, she is hungry for attention. She gets easily over excited due to her need for attention, but we are working on her behavior. She has also become extremely protective of me during the past few weeks. I suppose having someone love her, feed her and treat her with respect has brought the protective side out in her. She has a side that cowers down if you raise your voice, or when I get to talking I talk with my hands and she will duck away from me. There's no doubt that she's been abused. So sad.
My Dog's Adoption Story
We have a four year old Border Collie named Rodeo who is extremely spoiled - imagine that! He is an outstanding cow dog and goes with my husband to cowboy on the weekends all of the time. However, when he was a puppy he broke his right rear leg and we had to have it surgically pinned. The leg healed straight out and doesn't bend but it never slows him down. He is one the best cow dogs around. The problem is that he never quits or slows down, so by the end of the weekend, he's hurting in his hip and leg pretty good.
We've been wanting to get another Border Collie puppy for a couple of years now, so that Rodeo could start training her and he could have a playmate and companion during the week. Rodeo is a very active dog that requires a great deal of exercise but I'm not always able to keep up with him due to health issues.
After two years of searching for a Border Collie puppy, we just kept coming up empty. Then one day I was online doing a search and this picture of a Border Collie puppy who wasn't quite a year old yet popped up on my screen. That was the first time I saw Maddie. She was a rescue dog that was at a shelter only 40 miles away! I picked up the phone and called my husband immediately. I then called the shelter and explained my situation and my interest in Maddie. They of course gave me her background, which consisted of being rounded up with many other dogs in a run down trailer court and she had been stuck on the end of a chain her entire life. She was too thin, no grooming and in need of training, but had the face of an angel.
We made arrangements to come and meet Maddie. We took Rodeo with us so that we could see how they would get along. When we got to the pen she was in, I couldn't believe how pretty she was, but how bad she needed to be cared for. The sad part was the shelter had already cleaned her up some. She was so happy to see us and so friendly. Even though I knew it meant a great deal of time and work, it was love at first site. Even Rodeo, who can be rather picky about the canine company he keeps, was quite taken with her.
Normally you have to wait for your adopted dog to go through being spayed and getting shots, etc. before you are allowed to take them home, but because my husband and I have extensive backgrounds in the pet industry and training we were allowed to bring Maddie home that night. She loaded up in the Durango as if she had arrived in it and it's been a wild ride ever since.
Advice
- Be prepared for dealing with the baggage from their past such as abuse
- Adjust their diet gradually so as not to upset their digestive system. Switch to a better food a little at a time.
- For a younger dog like Maddie who wants to chew on everything make sure that you give them adequate chew toys and bones such as pressed bones to chew on
- When introducing a new dog into your home & you already have another dog, give the new dog their own food bowl. By allowing them to eat out of the first dog's bowl, you are disturbing the first dog's ability to maintain their pack leader status
- Puppy Proof Your Home
