I've really enjoyed having most of my foster brothers and sisters live in our house (except the ones that steal my bed - or worse - pee on it). We've had a lot of adventures and I always like the extra paws on squirrel patrol. Something, however, has been bugging me a bit. Some of our foster guests come with more manners than others. Consider our beautiful Delilah:
She was turned in as a stray to the Fort Worth Animal Shelter. As I mentioned in an earlier post, she was nasty dirty and covered in mats. Mom even pulled a wire out of her beard that had become snarled in a mat. The thing is, she knows how to sit. Mom plays this game with treats - whichever dog sits first gets the first treat. She wins every time! Sometimes her rear end hits the floor so fast it makes a thump.
So here's what's bugging me: Why would a human teach a nice dog like Delilah how to sit and then let her end up in a shelter matted, dirty, and on the euthanasia list? Maybe she got away from her humans and got lost. It could have been totally innocent - one of those twists of fate that indiscriminately sweeps people and dogs into bad situations. It just seems like we get a lot of dogs at our house who have better than average manners. More than could be explained away by coincidence. It makes my Mom really sad to see them sit so nicely - knowing that someone taught them that trick in their former life. I told her that us dogs don't really dwell on the past. That's why there are no doggie therapists. Still, I do wonder a little what has happened to some of these dogs before they come to live with us. I'm happy to share my toys, treats, and spare beds with them.
Woofers,
Zeus
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