Dingo came to live with us after he was abandoned and left in his kennel after the 2008 flood. I found him on my mail route and after talking to a neighbor. I found out that she was in fact feeding him and was trying to find him a home. After talking to my wife we decided to give him a forever home knowing basically nothing about him or his upbringing. So began as I will call it “the education of Dingo’s parents” and boy did he teach us a lot!
We took him to Frey’s vet clinic and they told us what kind of dog he was (Australian cattle dog) and about how old he was approximately between 2-3 yrs of age, They also told us a little bit about the breed and what to expect!
- No. 1 They are a herding dog so the first 2 or 3 months we were constantly nipped in the heels as he was trying to get us in the same room. This behavior eventually quit. I guess he figured we weren’t going anywhere so we didn’t have to be in the same room all the time.
- No. 2 He was very smart! When bringing him into the house for the first time we had no idea if he was potty trained or not. He proceeded to run around our house sniffing and smelling everything. He lifted his leg once and peed on some fake plant my wife had sitting on the floor. We immediately scolded him and told him “no” and that was the first and last time he ever peed in the house!
- No. 3 Kennel Y or N. When we first got Dingo we put him in a kennel while we were at work only to come home and find him out of it. He was quite the escape artist he figured out he could get on top of his dog house and jump out. So we decided to put a leash on him and tie him in the kennel and leave the gate open for him. This was more to his liking and eventually we got rid of the kennel. I would even say I know it was because he was left in a kennel for the first 2 yrs of his life and didn’t like it.
- No.4 Don’t have a stick in your hand if you were around him! He would go nuts! We could only assume that he was beaten before he came to us. So sad! This eventually got better as he learned to trust us and he overcame his fears.
- No. 5 Maybe I should number this one 2.5 If you were put in a cage for the first 2 yrs of your life when you got out your first instinct would be to run! And run he did! So many countless times I would take him outside to go pee and he would take off , then me and my wife would take off in opposite directions to find him and bring him back. Remember me telling you how smart he was? Well after a few times of this, he figured out that I guess we weren’t that bad and he would just stick around!
- No 6 Daily walks! I don’t care how tired you are when you get home from work, how cold it is or anything else you had better be ready to take me for a hour long walk. Thanks Dingo for thinking of my need for daily exercise!
- No 7 Protection! Thanks Dingo for protecting my yard and my person for anyone or anything you felt was a threat. If they only knew that behind that gruff exterior you were a big pussycat! But you had everybody buffaloed!
I could go on and on about what he taught us but I will just let you know that I have been a dog owner for 28 years . My previous dogs were bought as puppies from breeders or a pet store . When they are puppies you teach them, but I have never had a dog teach me like Dingo did! So I will say this never again will I buy a dog from a breeder or pet store we will adopt!
I miss you Dingo!
Thanks for everything bud! I LOVE YOU!
