We are going on our 4th year with John and he is as unpredictable as ever... Or maybe I can say he is predictably in a bad mood for whatever reason he thinks is good.
When we first got John, when he was already eight or nine, and he would lunge and attack and had me jumping up onto chairs to stay out of reach of his teeth. He growled when we walked by, he tried to bite when we picked up anything from the floor, he barked constantly and he couldn't be touched. The vet who had given us John heard of our plight and she started coming to the house weekly to help us train him... though I think the ones who got trained were the humans! The vet still comes weekly but we don't need to spend much time talking about John anymore and just enjoy English time and coffe. Tetsu and I no longer take John so seriously when he growls or feigns biting and he quickly changes back to a better mood. I think the humans have got the upper hand!
I feared for our cats' lives for the first few months, but the cats too showed John who was boss and after three years, he leaves the cats alone. Barking has never been resolved and while he could be considered a great watchdog as he barks when someone comes to the door, drives noisily down our street or calls on the telephone (the last isn't so endearing), he barks when he is put in his kennel while we eat meals. Better than having him beg and getting angry when we don't pass him something, but not much better.
We discovered early that John considers the kennel his territory and he would growl whenever anyone walked by, when we would fill his water dish, when we touched the door. For the first year John would try to bite the person who closed the kennel door locking him in, but we noticed a few months ago he now happily goes into his kennel and waits expectantly for treats which he always gets when he's behaved obediently. And for proof that John's behavior has gotten better, he is getting very fat with all the treats he is getting!
We still can't really touch John though if he sidles up to me, he will allow me to pat his head and on my braver days or when I read his mood as good, I will pet his back and neck and... FACE!!! My what progress! That's only me though... Tetsu still can't touch John.
Here too, John has decided that he will accept me as his superior and he rarely growls at me and will follow me around the house to sit at my feet, but if Tetsu steps into the room a growl rumbles. John KNOWS that he's not supposed to growl at Tetsu and so immediately after the growl he will disgruntedly head for his kennel providing his own punishment. A few seconds later he decides he's done his penance and comes back to sit beside me.
John hates going for a walk (another reason for his increasing girth) and as he doesn't want to go with Tetsu and I can't walk him now, John is not getting much exercise... which he is happy about. John loves food; his food, cat food ("Don't eat that! That's expensive cat food! That darn dog just ate ￥500 worth of cat food!) and the cats' milk, but he can actually wait patiently until whichever cat is finished before lapping up all the milk.
John can still be a handful, but we would be very lonely without him even with the heavy cat population!
That's John these days! Onery but loved!
Very nicely designed autumn quilt. I especially like the colors of the leaves. I'm not sure increasing John's size on the quilt would improve it when viewed from a distance...optical illusion of some sort?
ReplyDeleteThat's a delightful quilted panel! I'm so glad to know that John has improved so much - he must have been positively anxiety-inducing when you first had him!
ReplyDeleteYour patience and perseverance do you credit. We've had several rescue dogs over the years, after the first two which we bought ourselves. They are all so different. We now have a pug, after Lucy, the golden retriever we inherited from a couple who died within days of each other, also sadly died this year. We've always had big dogs, so Peggy is a big change and a real character. She goes for long walks every day with other dogs and is not scared of anything. My daughter says it's because her head is so small she has no brain! She is a terrible yapper at everything and nothing, though I tell myself it's their only way of expressing themselves. I like the little Autumn quilt and hope you are feeling a bit better. xx
ReplyDeleteI like your autumn quilt. It is the season for the falling leaves. I think it's funny that John gives himiself a 'time-out' when he growls at Tetsu. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHard to believe that John came before your grandson!!! and that it has been 4 years..... glad to see you quilting..... and this last quilt is grand!!!! you do great work.
ReplyDeleteJohn was so lucky to have you pair care for him. Thank you Irene from N Ireland
ReplyDeleteLovely quilt! I didn't even notice the size of John in relation to the leaves. Looks great to me! sounds like John and his owners are settling in together. Four years has a way of flying by.
ReplyDeleteThat John is quite the character and to put himself in a time out is so funny. You two are amazing to have stuck with John and given him such a wonderful life.
ReplyDeleteFour years passed so quickly! As I mentioned before, I love the look of John...black and tan. We bought our black/tan short hair dachshund and she'll be 2 in December. John and Millie are opposites in personality. She LOVES to play ball. When it comes to chasing a ball, she is faster than our lab. We're on acreage and it's Millie's mission in life to kill every squirrel, rat, or bird that comes within her reach. She does bark when a stranger comes to our gate but settles down quickly. She does keep a keen eye on the stranger. In the house, she is a love bug. She sits on the desk in front of the computer begging for belly rubs. I'm sure John wasn't given much attention or it was all negative in his early years. Thankfully you and Tetsu are trying to cope and give him a good home.
ReplyDeleteI've wondered if part of John's attitude might stem from his having ongoing pain or discomfort somewhere. That breed is very prone to back/spine problems. That would make me cranky too.
ReplyDeleteThis has nothing to do with this post, (even though I admire both yours and Tetsu's courage to deal with John) but I found an article that might interest you about the Japanese Americans that were in camps during WWII. You have bloged about your Grand-father and how beloved he was and how the people from his town preserved his business. The article in the Guardian explain about a book put together with all the names of all the people put in those camps: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/11/japanese-americans-incarceration-second-world-war?fbclid=IwAR1R35JERzJswzvJcjt9Bts6Wrxf_XVyQi59Vib8QHPmb0STJ1Vx6ql5w20
ReplyDeleteThis was done to honor the memory of all those who were relocated. Maybe your brother in California can go and look in the book and find your family and appose the stamp. The size of the book is truly and sadly very huge. Annick H.
I really miss having a dog. Only one of ours was bought at a pet store, and that on was the easiest to train above all. When they come with "issues" it is harder to work around them, not knowing the cause that sets it off. I admire your patience to keep up with John's challenges.
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