01/02/2017
We are aware that we are making ourselves very rare these days.
Our rescue dog and meanwhile family member, Maya, first needed a long rehabilitation period that proved to be far more complex than initially anticipated. As much as she was on her best behaviour towards us, from the very beginning, she was and is one of the most 'stubborn' dogs we ever encountered. Only through applying 'reveres psychology' in many cases, we got through to her to make her change her ways, which seemed to have gotten stuck in her head during her life on the streets, until well into adulthood.
She was about 2 years old, when she was rescued, and had probably lived through two or three pregnancies by then, as well as several serious illnesses, making her "experienced" in her own way. She obviously did not know the first thing about being pampered as a family dog, and her adult age made it far more difficult then convincing a puppy that there was a different kind of life.
The difference became all the more apparent through her co-rescued daughter, Nikita, who was only about 6 weeks old when both were found in mid 2015. Nikita soon forgot her street-existence again and grew up having her mom's patient and protective supervision, next to living the good family life together with the required education from puppy-hood. She developed at the normal pace at the normal time of her life, and now, aged almost two and spayed in the meantime, is a lovely, lively companion to have around.
Nikita too has a very expressive character of her own, looks nothing like her mom, not even in size, but is very energetic and, at the moment, is trying her luck at outsmarting the adults, like most creatures at the doorstep to adulthood do. Her mom, Maya, though, is still drawing the line when her playing gets too rough or Nikita is overstepping her boundaries of respect and of her position in the small pack, which also includes our JR mix, Speedy.
He is the only non-neutered male in the group, and although older, much smaller and much more obedient than the girls, he is the boss - whatever he decides goes, and none of the girls argues about that.
Even Maya respected him right from the start, which has never changed, although it took him well over half a year to acknowledge her and to welcome her into the family. I still try to pinpoint what made him change his mind but with Speedy it can well be that it were more 'human' things, like finally giving up being jealous and recognizing that Maya tried very hard all that time to impress him by accepting his authority without a shadow of a doubt.
He eventually relinquished some of his former 'jobs' to her that he had regarded as his duties beforehand although nobody forced him to, and Maya learnt from him, which situations warranted being on the alert and bark.
I eventually had to put a lid on the latter, as the barking times two, and sometimes times three, when Nikita was here, got a bit too much for my liking. Since then, Speedy is my 'alarm' alerting me to irregularities, like e.g. someone being at the door, while Maya is the 'guard', silently observing, until she finds reason to call or join Speedy for support.
Nikita observes what the other two are doing and then adds her voice and puts in her own pound of flesh.
Before we knew it, Maya and Speedy formed a pack and worked as a team, welcoming Nikita in their midst every time she came for a visit.
That was certainly something new to me, as I well knew dogs forged bonds and friendships, but I had not seen a pack expanding and shrinking at will and in irregular intervals. Nikita sometimes came every day of the week, although at different times and for different durations; at other times, she did not come for a few weeks at all, and then again only occasionally, every few days. But every time she came here, she automatically became part of the pack.
Nikita knew this was her second home, she was always welcome to the home team (even before she could greet me) - and that was that. She became the 'remote' pack member that was immediately, without the slightest sign of hesitation or welcoming ritual, absorbed into the team whenever she appeared.
So far, so good - one might think but this created another problem for Windhoek Dog Care.
Never mind that Nikita was parked with us whenever her dad-owner needed to see clients where she was not welcome - Maya had decided that, - as much as Nikita was a natural extension of the pack -, she would not tolerate any other dog in the pack and with that came no tolerance for any other dog on our erf!
We tried on various occasions with visiting dogs who came for a prior test and needed a place to be looked after while their owners would be away. We tried all tricks in and out of the books - no chance. As calmed down and friendly Maya appeared at first glance, she had decided that no other dog would be at home with us, even for a minute. No other dog was to disturb the pack, every other dog was regarded and treated as intolerable intruder.
It worked out on only one occasion where the visiting dog was of the same size and speed as Maya, and the other female dog knew and loved Speedy from staying here before while growing up, so there was no danger of our little one being tackled by the larger one, four times his size. Since Speedy had a negative encounter with a large dog he tried to greet friendly, and was still a bit hesitant, if not afraid, and also grew older, we had already resolved that guest dogs would have to be about his nose-level or smaller.
No chance with Maya - to her, although also spayed and supposed to be easier-going, size did not matter at all. The other dog was an 'intruder' of the pack to her, and she would have none of it!
We can only assume that life in the streets and in the bush made Maya's explicit pack thinking and behaviour that much engrained in her brain that it will take a very long time and many more family experiences to change, if it will ever at all. With the same intolerance, she also treats other animal and insect 'intruders' in our home, and can't be stopped, until she got rid of the intruder.
She is a wonderful dog in every other respect, super-loving, super-tolerant and super-easy-going towards her pack-companions, be they humans or Speedy and Nikita. She learnt a lot in these one-and-a-half years with us, including walking without leash where it's safe for her to do so; she has no desire anymore to leave the family and the yard to look for the once-familiar surroundings and dogs; she gained trust in people and chose a few favourites, who understood that she is not a dog to be shunted around or spoken to in commands but that she will listen to and follow everything spoken to her in a normal voice; she carved out her niche in the pack she created and whose defender she wants to be, without anymore testing the boundaries of her human leaders. She became relaxed, enjoys being lazy and having unworried sleep times, instead of being on edge and on guard all the time, as she used to be in the beginning.
Maya is now, as all dogs should be and live in their families.
We wanted and managed not to break her spirit in the process, which was as often difficult, as it was hilarious, frustrating, and most enjoyable ... that bit of pack 'intolerance' is a small price to pay for all the good that came out of giving Maya a family and a home, which she so much deserves to have.
