Adoption of a dog named Black Jack
It is not really known what Black Jack is or where it came from. He’s just a 14 pound black puppy with poor social skills. They moved him from another foster home that he couldn’t keep him because he was too energetic for the other fosters who were too old to want to put up with a young dog. He and my chihuahua started playing immediately and it was obvious that they would be friends.
I started him walking twice a day as he was said to be very energetic. Turns out he’s never actually been out for a walk and I almost lost him when he slithered down the neck to escape a charging Labrador. Our next trip was to the pet supply store to buy him a harness. I had to take him inside because obviously his neck was too loose and I had no idea how he would react. He did well in the shop and I used his training room to test the harness on him so he couldn’t get away from me.
We took several walks after that. I was afraid of the barking of the dogs, of the vehicles and of the people that passed by. But over time, she learned not to be so afraid. It was clear that he had never been properly introduced to the different things and he didn’t really know how he was supposed to react. I found out that he had a very bad sounding bark when the doorbell rang and that he was definitely afraid of our two hunting Labs. Good thing he was house trained and just had one accident on the mat and that was my fault for not getting him out sooner.
I was interested to see how my little chihuahua would react to having another dog in the house and he seemed happy from the start. I would jump on Black Jack from the couch. She would chase him around the house and all the sudden toys she hadn’t touched in a year were exactly what she wanted when Black Jack had them. At one point I thought I had two darlings in the house with me as Black Jack became more and more relaxed and my Chihuahua became more and more like a big brother. Black Jack started playing as rough with Leon as Leon was playing with him and it made 5 pound Leon furious. So I had to referee every game session until Black Jack learned not to play so hard and Leon learned not to ask.
When that was resolved, Leon decided that the Kong he had bought for him two years ago and never played with was suddenly his favorite toy when Black Jack began to show some interest in it. Leon would wait until Black Jack got distracted and stole the Kong. Black Jack then started growling at Leon when he had Leon’s Kong so he wouldn’t get it stolen. Again, I had to step in to make sure Black Jack understood that growling was not okay and Leon knew that all the toys are actually MINE and they can both be taken from him.
As he tried to teach Black Jack not to bark at every noise he heard, Leon seemed to goad him on and barked just the same. At one point, they were both placed in their kennels to “think about what they did.” I don’t know if it worked, but at least I had some peace and quiet for half an hour.
After two weeks, Black Jack becomes less fearful and more socialized. He is barking less and playing with Leon as if they have always known each other. I know that one day soon he will be adopted by a family that will love and care for him. They will take him for long walks every day and help him deal with his insecurities. I know that adoption by a good family is the last happy ending for him. But I can’t help but wonder if they’ll really love him the way I do. I have to believe they will.
Because when he goes to his final home, our house will be injured with another adoptive plagued with his own problems and quirks. And we will love them and teach them how to be a good dog so someone adopts a happy, well-adjusted dog forever.