Welcome, Shadow

Just before I was to return to Belize from my Georgia visit, Alex called me and asked, “What would you think about a third large dog?”

Tragically, the new head of the Baptist Mission across the street dropped dead in their yard with a heart attack. His wife found him a short while later. The ambulance was called. Blood was found where he had struck his head in falling on the walk. The police were called. They assumed murder and dragged the distraught new widow off to jail overnight. By the time she was released and came across the street begging Alex to take the Doberman “Shadow” they had inherited with the Manse, Alex had no option but to agree to take the dog.

Shadow was a yard dog. He never had known a collar, let alone a leash. They literally dragged the poor animal across the street with a belt. Fortunately, he has the sweetest disposition in the world. Missy immediately taught Shadow that she was the Alpha Dog. He accepted it (conditionally), probably with delight at having company for the first time in his life. Dear aging Amber was utterly unruffled at the appearance of a new member of the canine family.

Not long ago it occurred to me that there probably would be another puppy in my life eventually. It never entered my head that I would acquire a completely untrained 4-year-old animal.

 

It breaks my heart to see how starved for affection Shadow is. He has settled down fairly well, but at first it was painful to see his skittishness alternating with rapture at being given attention.

He was thin, not desiccated, but too thin even for a lean breed. Alex said his bowl looked as if it never had been washed. María had to soak it in suds and ammonia for hours to get it clean. At first Alex fed him downstairs apart from the other dogs. Now I have integrated Shadow’s feeding with that of Amber’s and Missy’s, and he is doing much better.

Missy tried to assert her control the way she has over our amiable Senior Citizen Amber, grabbing her by the scruff of her neck. I doubt that she could even feel it through her thick coat. Shadow, on the other hand, objected. We had some scary snarling sessions between Missy and Shadow—loud but brief. Neither dog actually tried to bite the other. It was all sound and fury.

I suspected that Missy was worried about being displaced in our affections. I gave her a lot of extra private attention, and I think she is reassured.

 

The worst part in the beginning was Shadow’s marking his territory in the house. The resulting bellows of “no” with frantically flying females chasing him outdoors seem to have impressed on him that leg-lifting is not an indoor activity. We now are able to let him loose in the house without worry.

At first Shadow was easily “spooked.” When he did not understand something, he put his head into the nearest corner and leaned against the wall. He was far too heavy for me to move. I had to pet and soothe and coo at him for a good five minutes before he would venture into the strange new world again. Even now I have to be careful to address him pleasantly, not with a firm command. The latter sends him into Automatic Shrinking Mode.

Once he became comfortable being in with us, poor Shadow had a terrible time trying to herd everyone into the same room. When Carli and Tom were here, someone was always wandering off into another part of the house. Then the maids were in the kitchen where he could hear them rattling around. He tried to station himself where he could keep an ear (if not an eye) on everyone.

 

I think the best way to civilize Shadow is to bring him in with the other dogs and let him learn our informal schedule. It seems to be working.

Alex and María have taught Shadow to sit, and I am continuing their good work. We have dozens of collars from former dogs, so Alex found one to fit him. I have tried a leash a couple of times, but it terrifies him. I hope to make myself start working regularly with him soon. Actually, in his case, I think making him feel at home and happy here is the priority. He obviously wants to please us. Other things will be easier to teach him when he no longer considers everything a threat.

We are very lucky that Shadow is such a loving, gentle dog. I never have known Dobermans and was a little worried about taking on an untrained one.

 

Despite their occasional differences, Shadow considers Missy his soul mate. He seems finally to have realized that surgery has made her unsuitable as a consort. I have started thinking about the two as “the twins.” Shadow is slightly taller than Missy. She is more heavily built than he. They both have gleaming black coats and similar markings, though Missy’s are far more striking. They charge up or down the stairs shoulder-to-shoulder or race across the yard haunch-to-haunch. It is a lovely sight. When a nose thrusts itself into my hand, I now have to look closely to make sure which dog is demanding attention.

 

Two was a very comfortable number of large dogs. However, Shadow is so grateful at being with us that I can’t possibly do anything but learn to love him, too.

No telling when I will be able to take his picture. Shadow is terrified of a camera. He literally streaks off if any of us even brings a camera into the room. Alex thinks it is the click, rather than the flash, that scares him.