Lucas is a remarkable dog.
He’s well-trained, playful, and downright silly. He’s brilliant and loves to learn; his only limitations are physical ones. He’s happiest when he’s running, top speed, ears flapping, or wrestling with his brothers. He loves to have his ears rubbed and his butt scratched, and when you settle in to watch TV or read at night, he places his massive paws on your thighs as if to say, “I’m here for you, lady.” In short, Lucas is a gem.
But, unless you’re someone who’s spent much time at our house, you would never believe me. If your only encounter with Lucas was to stop by once to, say, drop something off, or you saw us walking down the sidewalk, or you saw us training in the park, you wouldn’t see any of those sparkling, gregarious, joyful parts of his personality.
Instead, you would see a nervous, skittish, possibly snarling and lunging, unfriendly dog.
Or, you wouldn’t even see us at all because we would’ve spotted you, done an about-face, and hauled off the other direction!
What you wouldn’t see, though, is the miracle behind the fact that we’re even out working in the park at all. You wouldn’t see the dog who was afraid of the TV, of plastic bags, of bikes and strollers and cars. You wouldn’t see the dog who couldn’t make a full lap around our city block without completely losing his head, snarling, snapping, and lunging at the end of his leash trying to get at the dog that was at the other end of the block.
You wouldn’t see the hours and hours we’ve spent working with him, the classes we’ve taken, the trainers we’ve hired. He’s spent more hours in formal training than Emmett and Cooper have combined. He just struggles with keeping his emotions in check when he gets scared, and you know what?
That’s ok. That’s why he has me.
I will always load up the treat bag/can of cheese/clicker/spray deterrent. I will always scan the horizon and reroute us as soon as we see a possible trigger. I will always champion him in the face of idiots who let their dogs run up to his face. And I will always be there to love him with my entire being, even in those moments when he loses it completely. Maybe especially in those moments because I know who he is at his core and I empathize with his fear.
So, what is it like to walk in my shoes?
It’s like walking a tightrope where one tiny misstep could mean a catastrophic fall. But, man, when you get to the other side, even if you wobble along the way, the rush of pride erases all that fear, all that risk, and sets us up to walk the rope again the next day.
It can be a tip toe can’t it. Hopefully we all are going to learn from this hop, and be wonderful dogs, and owners.
Yes! I’m a little behind on reading through the hop, but I’ve learned so much already from the few I’ve gotten to!
You are something, Maggie. I have two reactive dogs who have very iffy backgrounds. Nothing as extreme sounding as what you expressed, but I can totally relate. Someone once asked me why we don’t return the snappy one to the shelter and get one who doesn’t bite. I almost asked her why she doesn’t return her child when he’s not perfect. Instead, we just do what needs to be done to make him feel secure and keep others safe around him. And yes, my dogs have me! Well done as always!
Like you, I couldn’t imagine ever having given up on Lucas. They need us, and even though it’s a difficult journey, I wouldn’t have it any other way! And thank you for the kind words!
I’m so glad he has you!! The fact he can go to the park is amazing, and a tribute to you and your devotion to him.
All dogs deserve that.
Thank you, Jodi. I totally agree: All dogs deserve a chance at a happy life! For some, like our foster dog, it comes naturally. For others, it’s a struggle, but every moment is worth it!
Wow. Poor Lucas. You can only wonder what he went through BEFORE you got him. It seems like in all your efforts so far, he has come a LONG way. That is terrific! It is great that he has an understanding owner who loves him so…and will help him on his journey to overcome his fears.
Thank you so much for joining our hop and for sharing your experiences with us.
Gina and Oz
Thank you SO MUCH for hosting such a valuable hop. I’m so excited to read through everyone’s posts because there’s so much we can learn from each other!
Love this. And I’m glad to see someone else admit to the snarling, rather than just barking. One day a jogger reached out to pat Silas on the head as he ran by (we were standing on the side of the trail) and Silas let out a terrifying snarl. It was so bad that the jogger behind called out “Dude! You almost got bitten!” In hindsight, I was glad to go through it, because I was so relieved that Silas did not bite, but that perspective didn’t come for a while.
Oh, yeah. It’s definitely snarling. Sigh. Twice Lucas actually made contact with someone who got too close… once it was the person’s fault, once it was mine. Knowing the reality of what can happen definitely keeps me on my toes and motivated to work, work, work!
I’m so glad you joined the hop, Maggie. You work so hard with all of your animals to help them through whatever they need to get through.
It is so difficult when we know what loving, wonderful dogs we have, but others only get to see the fearful side of their personalities. Understanding them is half the battle….I have a lot of my own fears too, and I always say that Cricket is shy. I relate to that because I’m shy too. I think our pets ended up with us for a reason, because we will love and understand them like perhaps some other people couldn’t.
You nailed it!! I truly believe I ended up with Lucas because he wouldn’t have had a shot if another unsuspecting family had adopted him. I’m an anxious person, in general, and I think that helps me empathize with him for sure!
I just adore this post – it brought tears to my eyes. I’m so inspired by the progress you’ve made with Lucas.
That is very kind of you to say. You keep me inspired as well! I’m SO GLAD that I discovered your blog and that there’s now a community of people to lend the support we all need!
And I think the rope gets sturdier and wider each day… 🙂
YES! Excellent point!!
Thank you for sharing Lucas’s story. He sounds like a gem! Good boy!
Thanks, Kari! He really is my little (well, pretty big, actually) angel!
I love this. Thank you for posting it. How wonderful that you and Lucas have come so far.
Thank you for the kind words, Rebekah! I’m so proud of my boy for working as hard as he does… we wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for his hard work!
Great metaphor about the tightrope. It’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it. Keep up the good work, and pride yourself and Lucas on every accomplishment, no matter how small. If we go on a walk where Spartacus reacts, we can still rejoice in all the dogs we did pass this week without issue.
That is SUCH an important point!! We all need to celebrate every victory, no matter how small it seems, because each little step forward leads us toward the end goal. Thank you for making that point!
What a lucky dog he is and how great that he has found someone like you. This was such a beautiful expression of love
Awww! That is so nice of you to say. Truly, I feel lucky to have HIM!
Wow. I’m so happy to be part of this blog hop. If I wasn’t I wouldn’t have discovered this amazingly written post about a complicated but hugely lovable and loving dog. I really enjoyed it and have signed up to your mailing list,
your newest fan,
Jo 😉
Hiya, Jo! Thank you for the kind words, and I”m so glad we’ve connected! I’m still making my way through the hop posts, but I’m learning so much from everyone else. I look forward to reading yours!