Two Dogs For One Property Special

My pet adoption story is a bit non-traditional, but one of my favorites to tell. Our realtor set up a special rural property for our viewing. As we snaked our way up the long, coiled, pothole ridden, gravel road we found ourselves a bit concerned. The realtor's F-150 was handling it, but could our little town cars make it up that road? This was a big decision, and the outcome wasn't looking promising.

When we pulled up to the property, we found ourselves greeted by a Black Labrador. I smiled, hopped out of the truck, and gave the large fellow a pat. The realtor asked, "You like dogs?"

Feeling witty, if not charming I responded, "Yeah, but that isn't my kind of dog at all."

He said, "Oh, really? Well what is your kind of dog?"

"I was just messing with you; I like all dogs."

"Oh, really? Well how about those kinds of dogs?" the realtor responded, pointing to a kennel. Two pit bulls were contained within the extra-large enclosure. One forlorn, cautious looking red and white "pup", and another white one that exuded curiosity.

Smiling, I retorted, "Sure, I'd take them in a heartbeat!"

"It's funny you should say that. Their current owners are looking for someone to take them. I'll mention that you're interested."

Immediately, my husband shot me a long, dirty look. I realized my mouth had gotten me into trouble once again. Looking at the kennel though, I couldn't help but feel a connection to that beautiful baby girl that looked ornery as sin, and that sad, sweet, reserved soul next to her protectively staring at us.

The realtor took us inside the home. It was a modular, but that meant fewer renovations and home inspection concerns. The unfinished basement below was a blank canvas, which suited our want list. The property outside was a slice of wilderness, adjacent to a protected park. Truthfully, it was the outdoors that sold us the property. We had always envisioned our children climbing treehouses, swinging on tire swings, and exploring nature in our life plans. This place fit the bill.

As we came around from the back of the property, I attempted to pet the dogs in the kennel. The white dog came to greet me immediately. The red and white one slinked until he saw the attention she was receiving. The white dog licked my fingers through the fence and had a rotten grin. She seemed expressive and intelligent at the same time. I wondered how much mischief she could get into. The red dog had to be coaxed a little, but eventually sniffed my hands and let me scratch his ears through the fence. It wasn't long before we had to check out the next potential property, but I thought about the dogs in that kennel as we drove away.

I knew about the Pit Bull rumors. I was also aware as soon as I saw those two dogs that they were indeed Pit Bulls. Truthfully, I had wondered why they were penned instead of running about like the Black Lab. Was it simply because of their breed and reputation? That didn't seem entirely fair to me, but maybe there was another reason. I was also informed that the couple selling the home was taking the Black Lab with them. The Pit Bulls were the only ones in need of a new home. The realtor told us the couple had planned to take those dogs to the local animal shelter if they couldn't find anyone to take them.

I won't say I have a bleeding heart, but I will say I believe in giving all dogs a chance. Maybe, just maybe, I'm even a bit defiant about stereotypes and rumors. Do I think it is a good thing to take a herding dog breed and place them in a one-bedroom apartment with few walks? No, but do I think all Pit Bulls are what the media makes them out to be? Absolutely not. After owning these two, I'd be a true fool to believe such a thing. However, I knew my family was quite different from me. Even my husband, as open-minded as he was, still had his reservations about the two dogs I had openly said, "I would take in a heartbeat." (To be fair, he was angrier that I decided for the both of us without us even talking it over first.)

After checking out a few other homes in our budget range, my husband and I knew the property with the two Pit Bulls was the right choice for us. We spoke alone, came up with some numbers, and put in an offer for the home the same day. Before presenting the information to our realtor, inevitably the dogs came up in our conversation.

"You made a commitment before we even talked about it, and now we're stuck. You have to be true to your word, and now I do too even though I didn't say anything." my husband said.

"I'm sorry I put us in that situation, and that you are angry about it. To be honest, I didn't think they were going to give the dogs away." I responded, defensively.

"You should have had a clue beforehand, why else would he ask you about it? You just had to be funny though, didn't you? Think."

"Weren't we planning on getting a dog anyway?" I responded.

"Yes, A DOG. Not two." he returned, "and I thought we would want time to get settled into our new home first not take in two additional responsibilities on top of it."

I grew up on a farm. Being a caretaker of animals was something I was familiar with. When my husband lectured me about what a "huge responsibility" taking on two dogs was, I was more than a little annoyed. Of course, I knew! I'd taken care of much more than two dogs, and he knew that! I understood why he was angry, but I also knew he was going to crumble and agree to take the dogs if we were able to close on the home.

When we presented our offer to our realtor, he replied, "I'll tell them you're interested in taking the dogs. They'll be happy to hear that."

I looked at my husband shyly and said, "maybe they'll accept our offer since we're taking their dogs?"

I received a stern look in response that said, "that doesn't justify what you did."

Surprisingly, we were able to directly communicate with the homeowners after making multiple counteroffers. The man on the other end of the phone called to ask us a single question before deciding whether to accept our final offer, "Were you serious about taking the dogs?"

My husband shot me yet another look, and spoke the words, "Yes, my wife and I were serious about taking the dogs."

This of course, received an excited cheer from me. He waved a pointed finger at me that said, "you're not out of hot water yet."

I quieted a bit, but a silly grin remained painted on my face. I felt it widen as my husband turned to me and said, "They accepted our offer. We will meet to close and sign paperwork, then move in two weeks from now." My husband, Lonzo, returned to his phone conversation with the current owner and said, "When can we meet the dogs, and introduce ourselves?"

A few days later, we met and were introduced to Gus, the lean red and white dog with amber eyes; and Remington, the white bully-pit with spots and a mischievous smile. The white dog immediately came over to me, sat on my foot, looked up at me, and grinned.

"Hi, Remi" I smiled, and scratched her ears.

"Well, I guess you're her person." the prior owner said a bit wistfully, "she's never been like that with anybody."

We found out some facts about Remington from the prior owner during introductions. Remington was an alpha female who kept Gus in line. He had owned Remington and her biological brother over a year before he brought Gus home. She was the ringleader of all three of them and told the others what to do. He said he always had difficulty disciplining her. He could yell at Gus, and he would act like he had been beat half to death. Remington, on the other hand, "[you] could beat in the head and she'd just look at you like you were an idiot." Her presence had been so commanding that he (the prior owner) never realized her brother was deaf. Unfortunately, he had to put her brother down some months ago.

I had already been drawn to the beautiful girl beforehand. Between her actions and the prior owners’ remarks, I was feeling happy with my decision to take the dogs in. Yes, she would be challenging, but I rather liked that idea. It showed that my first impressions were right, she was intelligent and fun-loving.

Gus was the dog he and his wife had brought home after they had gotten together. She babied him, and he rode on her lap for car and truck rides. Cody, his prior owner, continued to say that Gus can sound mean and scary, (you would think he was three times his size) but was incredibly submissive. He always acted nervous, but that was just part of Gus's personality, he claimed.

We did wonder why the owners wanted to leave these dogs behind. When we spoke to the owner's wife, she spoke of looking forward to getting a Rottweiler. The couple had agreed to have two dogs in their new home: the Black Lab and their new Rottweiler puppy. Cody mentioned that these dogs were just meant for country living and he was honestly relieved they would be staying with the property. He confirmed the realtor's comment about potentially dropping them off at a shelter worst case scenario. It alleviated his conscience that we agreed to take them in.

We were saddened by their reasoning, but some people view pets differently, I suppose. Gus had been a pet they picked out together, even babied, but they were still leaving him behind. I wondered how he was different from the Rottweiler puppy or their Black Lab. They informed us that Remington and Gus had never been inside and were meant to stay outdoors. Upon moving into our home, we found chewed up blinds and black dog hair throughout the house. It appeared the Lab was allowed inside, but the other two were not. This confirmed to us that to this couple Remington and Gus were somehow different.

Regardless, we asked for the usual pet adoption information, veterinarian care, likes, dislikes, etc. We were told they did not like Milk Bones or eat treats. This, we found, was false. Our new "pups" were total "beggar butts" for treats. We called the only veterinarian's office they had been taken to previously. It had been three years since they had vaccinations. We scheduled an appointment and found out that the dogs were three years older than we were told. As silly as it sounds, my husband and I both cried thinking that meant fewer years with them. We made an immediate decision to make their lives better. We wouldn't bring any more dogs into our home until they finished their lives, and we would be sure to give them the care and attention they deserved.

When we moved into our home, we added dog beds, a friend's free couch, rugs, treats and dog toys to our basement. Even now, a large part of our basement is dedicated space for the dogs. Remington even found my old saucer chair from back in my college days, and claimed it. It was funny to watch her sleep in it.

We bought new collars, dog tags, and leashes for our pups. Walks were a part of our new family routine, and also how we met many of our neighbors. The dogs love it, especially Remi. I'll never forget the day one of our neighbors commented that it was good to see the dogs and us walking so frequently, and that we had "no idea how much better their lives [were] now." Another neighbor commented that it was rare for a Pit Bull to attach to a second owner, but that these Pit Bulls seemed incredibly attached to us. Based on what he saw, he said those dogs would probably never give us any trouble. It made us swell with pride, but also feel sad about how their lives may have been before. What we were doing seemed normal.

I will say earning Gus's trust was more difficult than Remington's. He did not immediately attach like Remi, contrary to what our neighbor saw a few months after moving in. Whereas Remington never gave her owner's disappearance a second thought, Gus was originally very confused, understandably so. He was incredibly skittish, especially if you raised your hand, voice, or were simply carrying an object. He was also afraid of most men. Aside from my husband, Gus showed a strong preference for women. After we spent more time with Gus though, he seemed emotionally better. My husband, also a bit on the sensitive side, and Gus relate well to one another, and connected swiftly. We found that Gus loves cuddles, affection, and attention. He now loves to "paw at" people and snuggle into them for that attention. He wants to be on your lap or nuzzled in close to your legs and body. He will knock you over or fall into you. What was once a standoffish pooch, has now become our "baby."

We are always glad we took Gus in. Gus would have been your typical tough to adopt shelter dog. We were told by the prior owner to keep him away from dogs, cats, other animals, and kids. Apparently, he would fight with the neighbor's dog if they were walking on our road, and almost killed him. We worried that this was the reason he was kept in the kennel, so we talked to our neighbor about it directly. Our neighbor mentioned that his dog, Rocco, was the one who initiated the fight and ran at Gus. He said they would be careful if they saw Gus outside afterward, but that he did not feel personally threatened by Gus or adverse to us walking him on a leash past his property. This was a relief for us. We then felt our pup could be socialized at a gentle, progressive pace.

It took a great deal of work and introductions to other family members' dogs to get Gus acclimated to canine friendships outside of Remington. The process took about three years. However, he eventually found a playmate in my mother-in-law's dog, Ollie. They play and roughhouse for hours. When Gus has had enough, he goes to an area away from everyone and lays down. He catches his breath and returns when he is ready.

When Gus's prior owner mentioned that he should be kept away from children, we did worry at first. My husband and I wanted to have children in the future and had friends who already had kids. We warned our friends and kept measures in place to ensure he would not be left alone with our friends' children when they came to visit. Gus seemed to be afraid of hyperactive little boys. He would bark or run away from our friends' sons. Gus was easily overwhelmed, and their boys did not know how to be cautious. We pulled Gus out of most of the situations, even though we felt bad for it. What surprised us, however, was what happened when Gus met one of our friend's little girls. Kenzie was terrified of dogs, especially "big" dogs. Her father was trying to get her more accustomed to them since he wanted a larger dog to protect his family. Remington was the perfect "big" dog for children, and children usually loved her. This may have had something to do with her cute bulldog underbite. She loved kids; however, Remington's friendly personality was too overwhelming for Kenzie. She did not want to be licked or pestered. She would shake in fear, despite Remington's good-natured intentions. Gus, who usually shies away from new people and children, gently approached their daughter. He sat across from her and laid his head down close to her on his paws. Kenzie calmed down. Once she was calm, Gus placed his head under her hand, and looked up at her. She began to pet him, and the usually fearful Gus let her. He was gentle, kind, and patient, and continued to be for the duration of their visit. In the weeks that followed, he would meet our neighbor's daughters on the road. They would pet him, and he would try to climb on their laps. This surprised us and gave us hope for his adjustment to children.

A couple years later, we found out I was pregnant. I wasn't worried about Remington's reaction; she would be ecstatic. I also wasn't worried about Gus's adjustment to a daughter. However, I was pregnant with our son. Our little guy is a hyperactive little boy, and can be a lot for any dog to handle. Many times, we feel the dogs need protection from him. Remington does a great job at handling all his quirks. He will pull her ears, tail, try to ride on her back, and feed her all sorts of things including rocks! She handles it all like a champ. To our pleasant surprise though, so does Gus. Gus prefers to watch at a safe distance, but occasionally we'll find him asking for attention from our little one. Gus likes to play tug of war, and our son noticed this. He will run to Gus with a stick in hand (or to our chagrin, he'll place it in his mouth) and shout, "play!" Gus does play. He plays more gently with our son than with us, thankfully. When he has had enough, he lets my husband or I know. We also find that Gus looks to protect our little boy when he is crying or stands guard in front of him when a delivery driver pulls up our driveway. We're proud that a dog who used to be afraid of little boys is attached to ours. In fact, we're very proud both of our Pitties are protectors of our new family addition.

While we have been able to adjust Gus to many things that were previously out of his element, one thing hasn't changed. Cats and small animals are still a problem for both dogs. Remington, true to her name, is an excellent hunter. She is always finding moles, squirrels, rabbits, opossums, raccoons, and the like. We even have a video of her bringing a snapping turtle from the creek below our property and tossing it in the air on our front lawn! While many people might be appalled to hear this, where we live a certain level of pest control is very important. Certain animals bring in other unwanted guests that are dangerous, particularly bears, packs of coyotes, bobcats, and the occasional mountain lion. Gus, who was apparently bit by a snake as a puppy, will even go after the ones he sees, includes poisonous copperheads. Thankfully, he also seems to be strategic enough to ensure their heads get nowhere near him (though it doesn't make us any less nervous as pup parents).

I love to say in jest, "We have a Remington for that" when other people bring up rodent or snake problems in front of me, but we did not name her. We didn't want to confuse either dog by changing their names, but we did give them nicknames. I usually call Remington, "Remi" or "Rems" when I call for her. I feel like they have a more playful feel, and it adds our own personal touch. Gus has a variety of names he goes by, usually "Gus-Gus" which always reminds me of my favorite Cinderella mouse, "Gusileupagus" or "Snuggle-up-a-Gus" after Sesame Street character Snuffleupagus, and "Gus-topher." When I think of the nicknames we gave him, I can always hear my middle school teacher's voice in the back of my head telling me, "a nickname is supposed to be shorter than the actual name, Erica." However, those nicknames suit him because he is, in fact, snuggly, and child-like.

Remington and Gus stay on our property while we let them outside, but do enjoy exploring it. They obey voice commands and listen well. They trust us and let us know when another vehicle or animal is near. They stand watch as sentinels over our front yard and home entrance. Remington also steals our patio chairs, and if you don't watch her carefully she will steal your drink. We love our dogs and their quirks, and they love us along with our quirks. They are truly a part of the family. I'm so glad we made and accepted the two dogs for one property special!