Wednesday, January 23, 2013

First they're sour, then they're sweet.

Ryan's immediate family. I can't count that high. 





So GQ. 





Don't let the girly pink coat fool you. Dobby is a beast.
When we adopted her, the shelter didn't have a ton of information about her past -
just that she was picked up off the street somewhere in South Central.
If you're not familiar, it's an area of LA with a pretty bad reputation. 
But from the moment we met her, Dobbs was super affectionate.
She loves cuddling, so much so that if I'm sitting on the couch with my laptop
in my lap, every single time she'll nose her way onto my lap, so that I have to move
to computer to make room for her. She snuggles with us in bed, she loves Yoshi...
she's just generally a pretty big sweetheart. 
But she also has a fierce protective streak, and she's especially protective of Ryan.
If she's laying with him and I try to pick her up, she'll growl at me. 
And she really freaks out if anyone comes to the front door.
Dobby met my mom for the first time over Christmas break and she loved her right away.
She remembered my dad and brother, and all was well, 
until my Aunt and Uncle arrived to stay the night on Christmas Eve.
Our normal protocol when someone comes into our house is to hold Dobby for a few minutes 
until she calms down enough to meet them. That's what we tried at first, but she
just wouldn't stop barking and growling. 
Finally, with my dad and Uncle sitting in the living room and Dobby being mostly
quiet, we let her go - and she made a beeline for my Uncle 
and bit him in the arm. 
Easily one of the most embarrassing and awkward situations we've experienced lately.
It was just a small bite, but we felt so bad
And on top of that, we didn't understand it. My uncle likes dogs. And he didn't provoke Dobby.
For the rest of the time we were in Mexico, Dobby was inconsolable any time
there were visitors at my parents' house (don't worry, this time Dobby was firmly leashed).
We tried punishing her with "time outs" when she barked or snapped,
but it didn't seem to help. 
We assume some of her protective instincts and the fact that she's so easily startled
stems from bad things that may have happened in her past, 
but of course we can't know for sure.
She's a stinky little handful and we're working to try to train her
(tips are welcome!) but we can't help but love that furry lady...
problems and all. 

5 comments:

  1. Your dress is fab Andrea and your hair looks gorgeous all straightened like that! My dog has always been weary of new comers too ;P.....goes ballistic!

    xo
    summer

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  2. it kills me that that dog's name is dobby.. why didn't i think of that?!

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  3. our pug mix really responds to a spray bottle of water as way to tell her *no*. even the threat of getting *spritzed* makes her back off, but it's totally harmless. good luck!

    ps lovely pics!!!

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  4. oh Dobby!
    And you look great in that outfit!

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  5. My Pom is the same way, very weary of new people and very protective. found that if I have company over I put a muzzle on him for the first 5 minutes it calms him and when he realizes no one is going to hurt him he is fine. Once I take it off he has even laid on the lap of those strangers. Think he just needs the time and space to realize on his own that he is ok.

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This is the part where you tell the pups how cute they are.
...but seriously, thank you so much for stopping by and for your wonderful comment! I read them all and try to respond as often as I can. We hope you visit again soon :)