This time of year is not dog walking time in the Florida Keys. Especially this Summer that is proving to be so hot and muggy is not a time when Cheyenne wants to go out and take a stroll. Air conditioning works well for a dog in a fur coat.
When we got Cheyenne the workers at the shelter told us Cheyenne only liked playing with rawhide and even though my wife likes buying stuff Cheyenne has proved impervious to the stuffed toys and rubber dust catchers. She likes her rawhide.
We were also told to get a crate to get her used to being at home. We were dubious as we've never crated dogs but one day in the pet store Cheyenne saw a crate and walked right in. Our compromise is that we leave the door open and she can use it when she wants to be alone or eat something messy. Like a rawhide or a smoked pig knuckle which Winn Dixie sells for a buck apiece. Rawhide is still her favorite.
We've had Cheyenne for nine months so she must have hit her 9th birthday by now and she is settled into her new life. I have no idea if she spends much of her time pondering life as it was or if she has nightmares while she twitches and snores remembering what happened to her in the bad old days. She isn't giving anything away. I know she had a great time in the woods of North Carolina but...this is her home.
We had dinner with Chuck and Wayne a while back and they enjoyed having Cheyenne over as she was showing their rescue dogs Zuzu and Tootie, how to be a dog.
They saved a couple of Vizlas from a puppy mill, a gruesome place that kept them in pig crates for 6 years and never trained them, played with them or treated them like anything other than cattle.
My wife and I haul our dog with us pretty much wherever we go and it becomes a habit to see Cheyenne at our heels when we go out to dinner or to an event.
She has put on a few pounds despite the massive amount of exercise she gets. We are still looking for suitable food, Iams, Science Diet and so forth, she doesn't much care what it is. Chuck and Wayne boil rice and carrots for their dogs whose teeth rotted away in their puppy mill cages but Cheyenne is rather more robust. 
She spends a great deal of time hunting for disgusting things to eat and drink. She prefers puddles when out walking and will only drink water in the car if it is ice cold. When home she prefers the toilet to her water bowl which is her last choice. Go figure. 
These days Cheyenne gets a walk when I get home from work before the sun is properly up. She spends the rest of the day sleeping and waiting for the sun to go down. She doesn't much like to go out when the sun is up and hot. When the weather was cooler we'd sit together outside and she would lay on the cement under the house watching me garden or read or clean the motorcycle. These are the dog days of summer. 
If it's not the crate it's the wood floor or if she's cool enough it could be the bed. 
When we got Cheyenne the workers at the shelter told us Cheyenne only liked playing with rawhide and even though my wife likes buying stuff Cheyenne has proved impervious to the stuffed toys and rubber dust catchers. She likes her rawhide.We were also told to get a crate to get her used to being at home. We were dubious as we've never crated dogs but one day in the pet store Cheyenne saw a crate and walked right in. Our compromise is that we leave the door open and she can use it when she wants to be alone or eat something messy. Like a rawhide or a smoked pig knuckle which Winn Dixie sells for a buck apiece. Rawhide is still her favorite.We've had Cheyenne for nine months so she must have hit her 9th birthday by now and she is settled into her new life. I have no idea if she spends much of her time pondering life as it was or if she has nightmares while she twitches and snores remembering what happened to her in the bad old days. She isn't giving anything away. I know she had a great time in the woods of North Carolina but...this is her home.
We had dinner with Chuck and Wayne a while back and they enjoyed having Cheyenne over as she was showing their rescue dogs Zuzu and Tootie, how to be a dog.They saved a couple of Vizlas from a puppy mill, a gruesome place that kept them in pig crates for 6 years and never trained them, played with them or treated them like anything other than cattle. My wife and I haul our dog with us pretty much wherever we go and it becomes a habit to see Cheyenne at our heels when we go out to dinner or to an event.She has put on a few pounds despite the massive amount of exercise she gets. We are still looking for suitable food, Iams, Science Diet and so forth, she doesn't much care what it is. Chuck and Wayne boil rice and carrots for their dogs whose teeth rotted away in their puppy mill cages but Cheyenne is rather more robust. 
She spends a great deal of time hunting for disgusting things to eat and drink. She prefers puddles when out walking and will only drink water in the car if it is ice cold. When home she prefers the toilet to her water bowl which is her last choice. Go figure. 
These days Cheyenne gets a walk when I get home from work before the sun is properly up. She spends the rest of the day sleeping and waiting for the sun to go down. She doesn't much like to go out when the sun is up and hot. When the weather was cooler we'd sit together outside and she would lay on the cement under the house watching me garden or read or clean the motorcycle. These are the dog days of summer. 
If it's not the crate it's the wood floor or if she's cool enough it could be the bed. 
The thing about taking a dog from the pound is that whatever life she has is better than it was. Cheyenne spent six weeks in jail for no better reason than her previous owners wanted a younger dog and she had outlived her welcome. They were from Louisiana; good riddance, I'm happy to have their cast off.
10 comments:
Cheyenne's daily routine sounds like my current routine. Do as little as possible during the day and be more active in the eveninng hours when it should be much cooler.
Cheyenne reminds me a little of my Chocolate lab Tootsie. She didnt spend time in a pound, but was rescued from a back yard breeder. She only carries around a stuffed Tootsie Roll, doesnt know how to play.
Cheyennne is probably dreaming about the future and past walks you have taken her on. She seems to have settled in nicely.
Thanks for adopting a dog, they make the best pets.
I feed Tootise California Naturals, just a thought, its the only thing she can keep down....because of her past abuse, she gets stressed with any change in her routine.
You have about the coolest dog ever. Say hi to Cheyenne for me!
She likes finding deer bones in the woods and will happily sit in the shade, just like Bryce, and crunch.Rachel Ray's dog food is too greasy for her but other than that she is a good doer.
And she likes riding in the car again after all those miles across country.
Conch,
I recently switched my pup Fast Eddie to Fromm's foods after his previous feed started giving him tummy trouble. No problems since, and he loves the stuff.
A lot of the grocery store foods are mostly made of corn meal and other mill leavings. Not the most nutritional, especially for an active dog like yours.
We got our pup from the pound as well. Never regretted it, he's such a character.
D
First, I read your blog daily and truly enjoy your photos and essays. Nice piece on Cheyenne. Eight years ago I rescued a St. Bernard from a really awful situation. So I can relate to the "I'm happy to have their cast off" sentiment. He was the best dog I ever had. I'd call his previous owners scum of the earth but I wouldn't want to insult scum of the earth. Thanks ago for your blog and keep up the great work.
Margaret in PA
Good people. Good dog.
scum of the earth all.dogs are far better than people on the whole. perhaps we should put them in charge of the banks.
Nice to hear Cheyenne's story. What a sweetie!
Our little terrier, Cookie, came from the humane society. We adopted her right at a year ago. We feed her science diet and too many scraps from the table, but she seems to do well with what she's getting. Now I can't imagine gaining a pet any other way than to adopt. So many that need homes.
I've been enjoying this blog enormously. Besides the back streets of Key West, we now get the back story of Cheyenne!
My retriever has the same problem with water. His favorite sources are:
dirty puddle > clean puddle > toilet > water bowl
He likes to drink out of an old tupperware container instead of the metal bowl (metallic taste?), so that's some relief. After a Giardia treatment, puddles are off-limits ...
Post a Comment