A Rough Start for a Rough Collie

I'm just going to copy and paste Tasha's gotcha story from her diary on her Dogster page.
 http://www.dogster.com/dogs/1254791


Natasha's Story

It had been a long and frustrating month as I searched for a dog of my own. I was new in town and I had tried to locate the local dog pound to no avail. I found plenty of pet stores filled to the brim with puppies, but not only do I not support puppy mills, I was looking for an adult medium sized dog. So, I continued my search.

After yet another disappointment, I was thinking about going to a local park in which stray dogs congregate to beg food from visitors and just choosing one of those dogs. Of course, I would be taking a chance with accidentally taking a dog someone owned that just happened to be there at the moment, or taking a dog with a history of aggression, or one with major health issues….but those would be the same chances I would take with a dog from the pound.

Stray puppies on the beach

Then, one day, I was with my dad when we saw a place that might just be the pound! We stopped at a place that had kennel-like cages with large dogs in them. As we got out of the car, the sharp odor of urine mixed with poo and dirty dog hit us like a brick wall. It only took a few glances around to realize that we had not found the pound, but an Afghan Hound breeder kennel.

We were about to just turn around and leave when the owner of the place came out and encouraged us to stay and look around. We did only out of politeness; we did not intend to purchase an Afghan Hound. He asked us a few questions, and when he found out we had a large, well fenced in yard, he pointed to a large cage with a boisterous, young, beautiful, cream Afghan Hound in it and said, “free, free!” We stood there confused for a moment wondering why on earth he would want to give away one of his expensive, purebred dogs, what was the catch? Then, we saw her. The dog he was really pointing at.

She was a purebred Rough Collie and was simply sitting in the corner, trying her best to look invisible while the boisterous Afghan Hound bounced and barked around her. She had the saddest look in her eyes, just stared at the floor as she attempted to squeeze into the corner of the cage.

The day we brought her home, after she had worn herself out running

The breeder didn’t elaborate on her past, he simply told us that his friend didn’t want her anymore and had given her to him to either sell or give away. I don’t know how long she sat in that cage before we came along, but she was obviously in absolute misery and had resigned herself to her fate. I actually hesitated when they asked if I wanted her. My dad said it was my decision since she would be my dog. I didn’t think I was prepared for such a shut-down, scared dog. How would I gain her trust or train her? I was about to say no, thinking it would be impossible for me to help her overcome her fears, but then I looked at her again and just couldn’t, in good conscience, leave her there. Since the man offered to give her to us for free, I didn’t feel any qualms about taking her from a breeder.

The ride home was pure torture, for her and us. She smelled horrible so we put down the windows, which of course made a lot of noise in the car, which she obviously hated. Half an hour later, we were home. I had made the decision to simply let her off the leash and explore the yard on her own terms. I fully expected her to skulk around and find a place to hide where she felt safe. We were in for a very pleasant surprise! After I led her out of the car, I unhooked her leash and stepped back.

Her head was hanging low when I stepped back, but after a few seconds, she slowly raised her head and looked around, sniffing the air. She took one step, two, and then looked around with surprise evident on her face. She started walking faster and faster until she was flat out running! The look of pure joy was on her face as she ran in circles around us and around the house. It was mesmerizing watching her run in wide circles until she exhausted herself. That’s when I truly met my dog for the first time. She wasn’t that scared, shut-down, shadow of a dog in a shared cage any longer. She was exuberant, friendly, playful, and full of joy. She is Natasha, my friend, my confidant, my Beautiful Flower.

My Pets

This is going to be my place where I can ramble on about different, random subjects. Mostly it will be about rabbits, dogs, and animals in general. Maybe on occasion I'll write about something completely different, it just depends on me.


Anyway...let me introduce Alvin. He is my rabbit, about four months old. He is white with blue eyes. His hobbies include many common rabbit activities such as hopping, digging, chewing, jumping, doing binkies, and more. He especially loves being rubbed on his nose, and eagerly hops up to my mom when she comes into my room because he knows that's the first thing she will do-rub his nose. I occasionally let him hop around the yard, which he adores. I don't have a rabbit pen built for him yet, so when I let him out in the yard I have to follow him around to keep him from finding a way out of the fence. He keeps me moving!

Alvin trying to beat his best time around the house.

And here's my dog, a Rough Collie. She's about 4 years old or so. I decided to give her two names. Her English name is Natasha and her Chinese name is  美花 (Mei Hua), which means Beautiful Flower. She has some trust issues due to her past, but she is slowly getting over them. She absolutely loves to run. Her favorite game is "chase me!!" her second favorite game is chasing a ball I throw, tagging it, and running around me in circles until I walk over, pick it up, and throw it again. I'll have to dedicate a different post explaining how she came to live with us.

Natasha in our spacious yard

But, that post might just have to wait a little while. At this moment, I am debating whether or not to submit an article in reply to this http://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/dog-health-care-live-outside article from Dogster Magazine. It was a very close-minded article that judged, condemned, and shamed people who keep outdoor dogs.

Natasha is an outdoor dog. I believe I take very good care of her and meet both her physical and mental needs. Alvin is an indoor-soon-to-be-outdoor rabbit. I don't think it matters whether a dog or other pet is housed indoors or outdoors. What matters is the quality of care that pet receives.

I have already written the article, but I'm just not sure I want to submit it to a "magazine" that purposely publishes articles that create strife and friction just for the traffic and comments. I will probably publish the article here, though.