Just over three years ago, I convinced Tony that getting a dog would be a good idea. Tony was living in NY and working second shift, finding things to do was difficult. I thought a dog would be great solution. There's nothing better than coming home and there's someone there that is beyond happy to see you. Tony was hesitant. I grew up with dogs and couldn't imagine not having one. The best thing was coming home and there's a dog there wagging their tail so hard that they're shaking their butt. Tony didn't have a ton of experience with larger pets. His first pet was an ant named Chance. It was going to be a big step up from an ant to a dog.
I convinced Tony to go to Centre County Paws, a no kill shelter near State College, PA. We looked at a couple of dogs that we knew were not going to work. Tony needed a dog under 25 lbs for his current apartment. Tony and his mom also have allergies. We needed to find a hypoallergenic dog. This narrowed down our options. A puppy would have been fun but an older dog could possibly be easier. We asked to look at a 5-year-old Shih-Tzu named Junior. We were advised against it. He wasn't the most friendly and had been abused. We said that's okay, we'd like to see him anyways.
In came Junior... he walked around and wasn't really sure of what to do. Eventually, he hopped up on the couch next to Tony. Tony picked him up and held him like a baby. Tony didn't realize how big of a deal this was but the people at Paws did. Junior was definitely Tony's dog. They told us a little more about Junior history. He wasn't house broken or crate trained. He wasn't good with kids. One of the questions that was asked when he was surrendered was, "Does he bite?" The people that surrendered him answered "Only when he's about to be kicked." You have to be kidding me!! I'd bite someone too if they were going to kick me. We knew Junior had had a rough life but we wanted to try.
Tony had to go back to work and needed some time to get his apartment ready for a dog. He spent that week getting dog bowls, a collar, a leash, and a bed. The following Friday, I picked up Junior and we took the four hour drive to NY together with him sitting on my lap the entire time. This was going to be a 2 week trial to see if this could be a permanent solution.
While we're waiting for Tony to get home, this happened...
Tony get's home from work and this happens....
We tried to put Junior in a kennel Friday night. That did not work well. Once we brought him upstairs, he was happy as a clam and spent the night in his new bed.
Saturday started off great. He played around, we went for a walk. That afternoon, he was playing with a toy and had fuzz on his mouth. I went to clean it off and HE BIT ME! How could he bite me? I was the one that got him to NY. I had fed him Friday night and Saturday morning. Apparently, no one told him not to bite the hand that feeds you. I ran upstairs crying. Yes, crying. I was more in shock than it actually hurt. Tony followed and then Gizmo. He tried to get close and apologize. Once I calmed down, we realized that it wasn't really his fault. He was abused. He doesn't know any better. He does have a good heart. In reality, it was good that he bit me instead of Tony.
The two weeks went by and he was Tony's dog. He didn't answer to Junior and it didn't quite fit. He was really hairy when we first got him so he looked like a gremlin. Gizmo it was.
Where we are now.
Gizmo knew sit and that was it. Now he knows "sit," "stay," "paw," "down," "bang, play dead," and "roll over." I can put a bowl of food in front of him and tell him to stay. I can walk away and he'll wait until I say okay. He's a bright dog.
Gizmo is housebroken and really always was. He knows that he isn't supposed to go in the house and that it should be outside. From the very beginning, he would last all day without any accidents. It was nice not having to potty train him. The only problem is that he doesn't "tell" us he needs to go out. We have to be diligent about letting him out and he's usually good. Unfortunately, he does have an occasional accident.
Biting. Gizmo does still nip. There are some people that he doesn't like their feet and we can't quite figure out why. As for hands, he doesn't like people who have male dogs. If he smells the other male, females are okay, he gets very defensive. If you are first meeting him, you've got to go slow near his face. He's still not overly trusting. He's gotten better with kids (< 10) but I still stay very close. My cousins love Gizmo and he's good with them. Tony's been really good about desensitizing him. Tony plays with his face, sticks his fingers in Gizmo's mouth, and cleans the goop from his eyes.
Gizmo has been a blessing for us. When I started work and was living by myself, Tony let me have Gizmo. Gizmo was there to give me a hug when I was homesick. He knows when one of us is upset and will try to go be with them.
Gizmo is a very sweet dog. He just needed someone to be patient, love him, and work with him. If you have the time and the patience, shelter dogs can be an amazing option!
