This is Trudy. More specifically, this is Trudy's butt. Her preferred sleeping method is head half under the bed, butt half out. This is not all that unusual for dogs, but it still makes me laugh.
In the two months since adopting Trudy, we have laughed many times at her antics. Getting asked not to return to dog daycare was not one of those times.
The Elegant Canine (TEC) was Trudy's first venture into daycare, as well as some one-on-one obedience training classes with the owner. The training classes went fine. The daycare did not.
As with most rescue dogs, we are clueless as to Trudy's life prior to being Trudy. She was found trotting through the neighborhood by a kind neighbor who rescued and fostered her until she was eventually initiated into the Saab household. Truth is, we suspect she was kind of a badass dog. Weighing in at a svelte 45 pounds, she doesn't cower from any one or any animal. I have this vision of her roaming the streets with nun chucks, sniffing out criminals to take down.
It boils down to the fact that Trudy is an alpha and while she gets along with ninety-five percent of the dogs she meets, there are a few nemesis dogs we try to avoid. As an alpha, she doesn't back down. So put her with another alpha and you see the problem. The is exactly what happened at TEC and when the worker reached in to separate the dogs, her hand ended up in Trudy's mouth and that's just not good. (For the record, the worker completely understood, but the owner/trainer was not so accepting.)
Upon final payment for training, it was suggested Trudy might do better at a bigger facility. TEC is actually a house where the daycare is in the attic.
Fine. I'm not a ridiculous dog owner that thinks my dog can do no wrong. I know she's...what's the word....challenging.
But I can't help but think there are a fair number of alpha dogs out there. Are these dogs just not welcome at doggy daycare? Imagine the sign: "Dog Daycare, 7am-7pm, Submissive Dogs Only." What's a working, dog owning, fence-less couple to do?
Trudy tried out her second facility for a weekend we were in Colorado. Dog Pawz Stay 'n Play in Leawood is a much larger and better smelling facility. However, I was still a little nervous. I know she's a great dog. Most people who meet her think she's great. But we were 0 for 1, so I wasn't overly optimistic.
Fortunately, she fared all right. When I took her back this morning, she trotted right in. No separation anxiety. No peeing on the floor. Most importantly, no call today from Dog Pawz. I've learned no news is good news in dog daycare. I might silence my phone this afternoon, though. No reason to ruin a good thing.
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