I am a cat lady. I love everything about them and cannot find fault with any aspect of their design or function. Sure, I had dogs growing up and I loved them, but as an adult I much prefer cats.
My husband is a dog lover. He mentioned over the years how nice it would be if we had a dog, but our lives would never support dog ownership. We both worked very long days not close to home, and we knew it would be grossly unfair to have an animal in our family who needed more time and attention than we could provide. I also wasn't excited about dog claws on the hardwood floors or having to get out of bed super early to walk, and don't get me started on picking up poop. Oy.
Then came pandemic. Suddenly, I wasn't working away from home anymore. This seemed like the perfect time to him, but I was not ready. I lost my beloved heart cat, Camille, in January 2020 and in February brought home Scout. Scout had a number of medical and anxiety issues we had to work through and bringing a dog into the mix wasn't going to help her. So...no dog.
In March 2022, there appeared to be some light at the very far end of the pandemic tunnel. My office was going to reopen at some point (spring, then summer, then September) and I would very likely not be going back more than one or two days per week. So we looked for a dog.
Criteria. Not a puppy, no more than 50 pounds, cat respectful, and cat savvy
Result. Peggy
Peggy is a 6-year-old "guard" (formerly bully)/cattle dog mix who weighs 50 pounds and is cat savvy and fairly respectful. She's a cattle dog so herding is what she does with us and with the cats. She likes all her "sheep" to be safe and accounted for.
She's got a DNA profile that's crazy....21 breed mixes: 38% guard, 25% Asian and Oceanian, 22% Herder, 7% Sporting, 4% Companion, 3% Terrier, and 1% Hound.
I knew from adopting rescued cats that life can be horrible for these animals. They are throwaways, strays, and many have no idea what love it. Helping a cat is one thing but helping a 50-pound dog who thinks she's a cat and suffers from reactivity and anxiety is something very different.
What I've Learned.
Reactive is not aggressive. She is the spokesmodel for reactivity to dogs, people, the FedEx and UPS trucks, and doorbells on TV. She reacts by barking really loudly and by sometimes lunging. It's because she's afraid. She isn't sure if who/what she's facing is going to hurt her or hurt her sheep, and she's letting the potential threat know she's there and watching. If the person in front of her hands her some treats, she'll sit like a good girl, eat them, then bark more. An aggressive dog isn't sitting and eating out of a stranger's hand. Always ask an owner before you advance or reach for any dog.
Dogs love new days & have no concept of time. Every single morning this girl greets me with her butt wiggling and kisses and excitement for our new day. I try to take this lesson from her. No matter what happened yesterday, today is new and we should wiggle our butts and get to enjoying it. When we aren't together, she isn't aware sometimes of how long or short a time we have been separated. She's usually super excited to see each of us when she thinks she has not seen us in a long time. A long time to her may be 20 minutes, but I melt at how happy she is when we are reunited.
She makes me brave. I'm one of those people who loves being home. Pandemic didn't hurt me there. I'm fairly introverted and working alone all day is like a dream. But I also became one of those people who didn't go out much unless I had to because I would get anxious out walking alone in the middle of the day. Not anymore! Peg makes me feel so brave. We start most days with a 2-mile walk. Because she's reactive, I need to get her out while the world is still asleep. We also walk in cemeteries when we can and when we are alone. We are not afraid!
The Dog Community is huge. We have met more people and learned more about people we know who have dogs because of Peg. Customers my husband has known for years are different people when she goes to work with him. Suddenly they're on the floor playing with her and bringing her gifts. It is an amazing network.
She isn't too old to learn. She's 6 we think and had what might have been zero training at any time before her foster mom, Donna, trained her. She's in the middle of her second training class now, and she's learning so many new things! These new skills take time, and we have to practice with her consistently, but she's doing great and she's learning.
Dogs are not cats. My vet has told me this 500 times. Every time we discussed something, and I would describe what I do or how I'm thinking, she smiles and reminds me that dogs are different from cats and it's OK to feed them more and give them treats. And the supplies...my cats don't need much but this dog...oy. Every time I turn around, I'm ordering her something (thanks Chewy!) and I can't stop myself.
My cat stalks her. Cats are not pack animals, and my Winnie is very fine pretending to be an only child. She ignores Scout and Peg and just wants to hang with me. Scout, on the other hand, wants nothing more than to be Peggy's BFF. Every night they snuggle after Scout (noisily) grooms Peg's face. It's really sweet. Scout is so happy to be with her.
What Makes Me Sad.
She's pretty isolated. I walk her in the dark in the morning, so we see as few people and dogs as possible. I walk her in the cemetery, so we see no one. We are her only friends aside from two dogs who live next door. In addition to being reactive, I do not think she likes other dogs. She's ok with our neighbor dogs, Noli and Mazie, but after a few minutes of being friends, she's done and ready to go. She doesn't want to hang once she knows she's safe.
She can't go places like other dogs. Until she's better about reacting, she can't be near other dogs casually. We can't go to Pet Smart because she'll lose her mind, so I do all her shopping. I can't bring her to my friend Sarah to be groomed, because if there are other dogs in the salon she'll lose her mind. I currently have a mobile groomer come to her we I can help keep her anxiety down. I know at some point we will get her to a better place, and I don't care if she never goes to the store, but I want her to be groomed by Sarah (at All that Jazz), who is a kind and gentle and beautiful soul and would make Peg feel so loved and safe.
She has a sad past. She has no recorded history until the day the San Antonio dog officer grabbed her off the street (April 17, 2021). No one was looking for her and she was not chipped. They made that her birthday and shipped her to New Hampshire. Between June and November 2021 no one wanted her. We know she had puppies at some point. We know someone tied her up and left her, because if we leave her leashed and have to walk away, she begins to cry and whine. We know someone scared her so that she's afraid of every stranger. We know a man wasn't kind to her, because she's most afraid of men. We know that the person who finally adopted her in November 2021 treated her OK. but when he overdosed in February 2022, she was again homeless. On the bright side....we know her foster mom Donna taught her what love meant and how to be a good girl.
Looking forward with hope.
She's made me love dogs. I'm now a dog mom, and while I am also a cat lady, my heart can manage it all. I now must speak with every dog I see (after asking if it's ok first) and I must tell them how perfect they are.
She brings out the good in all of us. She has brought out the dog-dad side to my husband I hadn't seen before. He's so in love with her and she with him. They are adorable together. She reminds me to face every day with a butt wiggle and a new attitude. I have solved more problems and written sermons in my mind and had all kinds of fresh ideas on our walks. They do not just help me physically but spiritually and mentally. She has also made Scout braver. Scout was doing OK with us, but she's a different cat because of Peggy.
They know their name. Peggy was her shelter name, but she knew it, so we kept it. It was my grandmother's nickname, which I took as a sign. She will also answer to Pegasaurus, Pegasus, Pegs, Pretty Girl, and Pegaroni.
It's never too late. One year ago, if you told me I'd have this 50-pound dog laying at my feet, I'd have told you to shut up because that wasn't going to happen. Sometimes I forget we have her then suddenly there's a Pitbull in my kitchen. We were not sure a 6-year-old could learn new things at training, but she can and is!
I say to you - if you want a companion, head to the nearest shelter with an open mind and an open heart and you will meet your new best friend.
xoxo
