Snoop!

Currently, my cats don’t recognize me. When Cricket jumps up on my lap, she crawls up my chest, staring intently at my face, displaying such a comical expression I want to laugh. However, laughing hurts right now.

I look amazingly like a technicolor raccoon. She wants to comfort me by head-bumping me. The goose-egg on my forehead discourages that idea. I chastise her gently, reminding her that the way I look is because of her and her sisters.

But this story isn’t about me. It’s about an amazing Australian shepherd owned by a friend of mine. He is a tri-color brown. He is purebred. She has had him since he was a puppy. Now because of an unfortunate accident, she will not be able to come out of the rehabilitation center for over a year.

She called me a few days ago. Pleading with me to find a new home for him. Immediately, I told her not to worry. I would do the best I could to find him a forever home. She lives within walking distance of me, him and Kota are buds. She had told me he has been alone in the yard with only neighbors to feed him since her accident. That worried me we have been having extremely hot weather.

Snoop Dog is 3 1/2 years old. He is very friendly. He likes people,  likes cats, likes dogs. I figured he would fit right into my  home. I wasn’t prepared to find out my cats would not like him.

Flash was the first one in the house when he arrived. She ran to greet me and Kota. They are best buds, too. She skidded to a stop when she saw Snoop, then skedaddled out of the room.

I put Snoop on a long lead and attached the lead to the coffee table next to my chair. That’s when I saw my three girls return. They were literally stalking him as they would a mouse or other prey. A cat rumble was in the making. Flash had brought reinforcements.

Quickly, I moved into action planning on taking Snoop into the bedroom until I could sequester the cats in the back of the house. He was already showing signs of anxiety. He got scared and ran between my legs; that’s when I fell, hitting the edge of the coffee table so hard I tore a chunk out of it. I don’t remember how but I somehow got Snoop into the bedroom, called a friend and off we went to the ER.

Long story short. I have finally found his forever home. It took a few days. The Internet was the catalyst for finding his place.

He is living on 20 acres away from town up on a mountain. They have horses, chickens, sheep. They have a 12 year-old Australian Shepherd, who gets along fine with Snoop.There is a large family all of them love him. They have been in constant contact with me.

It hasn’t been easy for any of them. Due to his current circumstances, Snoop has PTSD. But I have to give them credit. They are working through it all. His occasional messes in the house, his sometimes unruly and unexpected behavior. I suggested instead of giving him free run of the home at night, they should probably put him in a large crate. (Dogs don’t usually poop where they sleep.) They  also calm down if they are crate-trained, and he has been crate-trained.

I have directed them to several websites which deal with Australian Shepherds with PTSD (who knew?) and I found a forum where they can connect to other Australian shepherd owners about the issues the family now faces.

Through it all their love for him for is apparent. He has decided his person is Shelly. She’s the wife, mother, grandmother. I’m not surprised that he has attached himself to her. He lived with my neighbor his entire life until she got injured. I do wonder if Shelly’s tired of texting me. She is excellent at staying in touch with me, letting me know what’s going on.

I am still praying that this wonderful dog and his new family can work through his issues. Shelly refuses to give up on him, and I love her for that. He has been through so much in such a little time. I am hoping and praying he finds his balance soon, living happily ever after with a family who fell in love with him the minute they saw him.

I hope all of you enjoy the photos of Snoop in his new home.