Harvey and Shiloh
Sometimes, we all have higher expectations for our dogs and fellow human beings than they are ready or prepared for. Last week, Shiloh was adopted. To those of us who know him, Shiloh is an almost perfect dog - though with some flaws as we all have. He is CGC titled as of Sept. 2009. Shi jumps fences - a shock collar won't hold him; it did for awhile, then he said, "Tough," and jumped anyway. I know this because I saw the cartoon bubble above his head as he again approached the fence :). He is very congenial - he has visited the Country Club, trying to learn to golf and swim. He several times has visited Hobbs Chapel, thus a Beagle of the Methodist faith. In our neighborhood, he would stop and greet the neighbors on his rounds, get a pet or belly rub, then move on. He has a special friend in a jogger who would come by, greet all the dogs but particularly Shiloh, who, if he was in the house or yard, would zoom over the porch to meet his friend. For the past three years, Shiloh has lived to his own rules (I really did try!) here at Silverwalk with one human and a multitude of canines. However, he now is an only dog in a human family, who have differing expectations of Shiloh as "their son's dog." The humans are working creatively and gently to help Shiloh adjust to this very different new home - and not pee wantonly - sigh. We are closely in touch to help both his adopters and Shiloh find their roles. We talked about the need for a month before sending him back to Silverwalk. At the end of last week, it seemed that long! However, being good adopters and knowing dogs don't come perfectly made for their new environments, they have re-committed themselves to helping Shi find himself at home - their home.
What I want all of us to take from this experience is adjustment, tolerance, time. Bringing home a new cat or dog is not always a perfect fit. It takes time, effort, a willingness to ask for help and the gumption to either see it through or know when to call it quits. Balancing act -bringing new members into our families - our families, whether mostly human, canine or feline, are then changed. Having a Harvey would truly be a miracle - but having a Shiloh is close.
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