In honor of Guard Dog, the formerly (!) chained dog in MUTTS, we're sharing happy stories about real-life rescue dogs. This story about a special heart dog named Coco comes from author (and friend of MUTTS) Glen David Gold.
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By Glen David Gold
My Shiloh shepherd, Coco, was a dog that some breeders had, when she was too old for them, turned loose in a field in the desert somewhere. She had just arrived at Westside German Shepherd Rescue and they were still bathing her when I visited her for the first time. They guessed she was about four years old. But they didn't know much about her. I kept discovering things peculiar to a dog that had never been out of the house and what I'm guessing was a small back yard or run. Not quite Guard Dog's life, but close.
When I took her to the car for the first time, I opened the hatchback. She just stared. She'd never been in a car before. After I encouraged her to jump, she jumped over the gate and onto the roof of the car. When I got her home, I tried to get her onto the bed, but she wouldn't hear of it. She'd never had dog bed before, and I had to give her treats while she stood in one until she finally relaxed and realized she had something that was hers.
She'd never seen another dog before that wasn't a Shiloh shepherd. So she was VERY CONFUSED to see there were dogs that didn't look like her. And any dog that was smaller was clearly a puppy. Cat? Absolutely puppies. She fell in love with my spikey kitten Charlie and they were inseparable. She'd never seen a toy, and never really understood what they were for. The seven years I had her, she only barked twice.
But the biggest change for her was walks. No one had ever taken her on a walk before. The first couple, she didn't know she could leave the yard without coming back immediately. But then when she realized it was allowed, she could take in the whole world and it was a joy for her. There was a stream by our house and our walks always began and ended with her standing in it and having a very satisfying drink.
A few days after I got her, I tried to take her to a training class. I say "try" because when we arrived, and she saw all the other dogs, and heard the commands, she lay on her back on the floor, all four paws in the air. She refused to move. The trainer took the leash from me and worked with her for a few minutes. Then she refunded my money. "This dog was trained harshly — I don't think you can teach her anything new."
Well. Sort of. She was still able to amaze me. When I'd had her for about six years, one day we were walking down a country lane. The local utility had put up a series of road cones along the side of the road. When we walked past, Coco threaded through them.
I was so startled I stopped dead, and then I turned around and walked back the way we came. She threaded through the cones again.
So consider this a vote for getting a dog with a past. They know stories, even if they can only tell them when you're paying close attention.
To learn more about Guard Dog and how you can help chained dogs, visit www.the-mutts.com/GuardDog.
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