Did you train your dog yourself or did you get outside help?

We had Gunner, whom we rescued from a campground. He is a mix of chow and American Eskimo. He loves us and he adores cats, but he didn't want another dog anywhere near his territory (meaning us). Well, we discovered a little Cairn terrier mix in a grocery store parking lot, half-starved and pitiful, so of course, we adopted him as well. In order to keep them from killing each other, we had to seek training from a professional. Fortunately, my daughter has a friend who is a trainer, so she offered us her services for free! long story short, no bloodshed, but plenty of glares still.. LOL At least they both know their boundaries now, and they are much better behaved with each other.

 

I think its wonderful that you adopted them! They're lucky they ran into you. A lot of people would have ignored them, or gone out of their way to not get close, instead of showing them compassion or giving them a loving home.

 

Thanks. I can't ever walk away from an animal in need! Almost all of our pets over the years have been former strays. What's heartbreaking is when they're feral, and they won't let you near them to help them. In that case, I just try to put out food for them, and hope for the best.

 

If everyone could be like that, I suspect we wouldn't have so many problems with over population, and stray dogs and cats. Those videos that show the people rescuing stray dogs and cleaning them up? Those make it really hard not to cry. So your experience is very nice to hear. You should feel really good about yourself.

 

I couldn't agree more. Rescuing stray cats and dogs is a beautiful thing to do, Thegrey1 I wish more people were like that. This world would be a much better place if we all tried to help animals.

 

It infuriates me when people, instead of helping, decides it would be fun to hurt them instead. I used to have an indoor/outdoor cat that came home doused with paint thinner. This is when I discovered that giving cats a bath isn't as easy as you may think. If they can't do what @thegrey1, then they can at least leave them alone. Anyone who can be mean to an innocent animal deserves to be locked in a cage and tortured.

 

It sounds like you did an amazing job balancing a tricky situation! Training can be such a lifesaver when introducing new pets, especially with territorial dogs. I love that you gave both dogs a second chance at a happy life—Gunner and the little Cairn terrier mix are lucky to have you! Patience really pays off!