Unofficial therapy dog- Roe and Tin-Tin
Tin-Tin is one of the best things to happen to my other dog Roe. To fully understand why you have to know Roe's story.
I adopted Roe when she was 7 weeks old from a local humane society. She was my first puppy but I've had dogs all my life and had done research so I knew what to expect.
Sadly however Roe's first month with me didn't go so well as she was very ill. She had to have a very special diet, had a difficult time keeping down any sort of food, and spent most of her time curled in a circle whimpering. When she began to recover I started to take her to puppy training classes. She was very smart and picked everything up quickly, I was very excited and had high hopes for my new dog.
As time progressed however I began to notice some strange things about Roe, she was a little... off. Usually she was fine, your regular average puppy. But occasionally it was like she became another animal entirely. She would bark frantically with glazed eyes at a corner or randomly be seized by fear and plaster herself to my side. Occasionally it went the opposite way and she would snarl and lash out for no apparent reason with wild crazy eyes. So many times in her youth I had to hold her down to prevent her from hurting herself... or me. Often I had to lock myself in the bathroom until her fit was over just to keep safe. It was terrible and I couldn't understand why this was happening. Roe was a healthy dog and I wasn't acting any differently with her than any of the other dogs I'd had. I thought it might be a training issue or maybe I was failing somehow? I did so much research, tried everything.
Nothing worked.
In passing I mentioned the issues to our vet. She seemed very interested and took it very seriously which surprised me. I suspected to be scolded for not training the dog properly. The vet suggested I make an appointment with an animal behaviorist who also worked at the practice. I did. After talking to the behaviorist and letting her do some tests with Roe she informed me that Roe was mentally ill and would probably never be 100% like a normal dog.
This was shocking. I'd spent so much time in vets offices and around other dogs but never had anyone told me a dog could have a mental illness. The behaviorist explained it and suddenly everything started to make sense, the hatred of touch, the random mood swings, the wild eyes, and rampant anxiety. She suggested medication and I agreed.
Now two years later and my family and I have had to make some major changes to live with a mentally ill dog. The medicine helps but to this day Roe is still unpredictable and will certainly never settle down. She needs constant stimulation and careful handling but she's slowly become a loving dog.
Recently I decided I wanted an Akita. I did some research and fell absolutely in love. I went to a local Akita rescue and met the dogs. I talked to a local breeder about litters but getting one turned out to be harder than I originally imagined.
Then I found a post online of a family that needed to get rid of their Akita mix or he would have to go to the pound. I took one look at the photo of him and that was it, My family, the dogs, and I piled into the car and drove two hours to meet him.
We drove back with a new dog.
Over the past few months Roe and Tin have become inseparable. Tin's calm, stoic demeanor can soothe Roe when all else fails. He's big enough to come between her and me if something does happen. He has taught her how to act around another dog and play, something no other dog has ever been able to show her how to do. Overall though he just gives Roe a sense of security she didn't have before and enables her to not be so afraid of the world. Before Tin-Tin Roe was alone and had to suffer through her illness by herself. With Tin-Tin she can live a better life and interact better with others.
I adopted Roe when she was 7 weeks old from a local humane society. She was my first puppy but I've had dogs all my life and had done research so I knew what to expect.
Sadly however Roe's first month with me didn't go so well as she was very ill. She had to have a very special diet, had a difficult time keeping down any sort of food, and spent most of her time curled in a circle whimpering. When she began to recover I started to take her to puppy training classes. She was very smart and picked everything up quickly, I was very excited and had high hopes for my new dog.
As time progressed however I began to notice some strange things about Roe, she was a little... off. Usually she was fine, your regular average puppy. But occasionally it was like she became another animal entirely. She would bark frantically with glazed eyes at a corner or randomly be seized by fear and plaster herself to my side. Occasionally it went the opposite way and she would snarl and lash out for no apparent reason with wild crazy eyes. So many times in her youth I had to hold her down to prevent her from hurting herself... or me. Often I had to lock myself in the bathroom until her fit was over just to keep safe. It was terrible and I couldn't understand why this was happening. Roe was a healthy dog and I wasn't acting any differently with her than any of the other dogs I'd had. I thought it might be a training issue or maybe I was failing somehow? I did so much research, tried everything.
Nothing worked.
In passing I mentioned the issues to our vet. She seemed very interested and took it very seriously which surprised me. I suspected to be scolded for not training the dog properly. The vet suggested I make an appointment with an animal behaviorist who also worked at the practice. I did. After talking to the behaviorist and letting her do some tests with Roe she informed me that Roe was mentally ill and would probably never be 100% like a normal dog.
This was shocking. I'd spent so much time in vets offices and around other dogs but never had anyone told me a dog could have a mental illness. The behaviorist explained it and suddenly everything started to make sense, the hatred of touch, the random mood swings, the wild eyes, and rampant anxiety. She suggested medication and I agreed.
Now two years later and my family and I have had to make some major changes to live with a mentally ill dog. The medicine helps but to this day Roe is still unpredictable and will certainly never settle down. She needs constant stimulation and careful handling but she's slowly become a loving dog.
Recently I decided I wanted an Akita. I did some research and fell absolutely in love. I went to a local Akita rescue and met the dogs. I talked to a local breeder about litters but getting one turned out to be harder than I originally imagined.
Then I found a post online of a family that needed to get rid of their Akita mix or he would have to go to the pound. I took one look at the photo of him and that was it, My family, the dogs, and I piled into the car and drove two hours to meet him.
We drove back with a new dog.
Over the past few months Roe and Tin have become inseparable. Tin's calm, stoic demeanor can soothe Roe when all else fails. He's big enough to come between her and me if something does happen. He has taught her how to act around another dog and play, something no other dog has ever been able to show her how to do. Overall though he just gives Roe a sense of security she didn't have before and enables her to not be so afraid of the world. Before Tin-Tin Roe was alone and had to suffer through her illness by herself. With Tin-Tin she can live a better life and interact better with others.
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