I love rescue dogs. Mutts are great and, truly, a lot of the “mutts” are no different than the designer dogs that you can end up paying a lot of money for. It’s fun to set aside breed expectations and take a chance on a pup that is really in need of a second chance.
Truth time. When I found out that Ricochet was a border collie I got SO excited. Border collies are geniuses! I could teach him to do anything. He would love to learn and be quick to master whatever I threw at him. I had instant visions of dog agility and fancy tricks. He would also be an excellent frisbee player. I just knew it.
Fast forward to reality: Ricochet is a lovely and adorable mutt (a designer dog!). He is over a year old and seemingly has never lived in a house before. He was found as a stray so I have no knowledge of his history with humans.
Ricochet didn’t know any commands, tricks, or house skills. The tasks that I thought he would attack with vim and vigor he approached with caution and reluctance. He is smart. Oh so very smart. Unfortunately, this means instead of excitedly awaiting my next instruction, Ricochet cocks his head to the side and looks at me seemingly saying, “aaannd why would I want to do that?”
This can be frustrating but it certainly doesn’t stem from lack of intelligence or potential. Ricochet just doesn’t know what it means to have a relationship with humans, to trust them and be a team. I know this relationship will take time. It will take time for him to fully bond with my family and me but, when he does, all of the work an effort will be worth it. This is part of the challenge and fun of adopting a rescue dog. You are taking a chance on them and working with the dog that you get, not the dog that you expect.
The Heralding Hound 