Here she is, Coconut, the newest member of our family: 

I know you’re saying, “Aww…she’s so cute!”  That’s what we said too at Atlanta Rescue Shelter.   We hadn’t come in for her; we had seen two other dogs on the shelter website that we were interested in.  The first dog that we met shed too much and triggered my husband’s allergies.  The second dog was too hyper for my daughter.  Just when we were about to give up hope and come back another day, we spotted a sweet white dog just laying on her bed, relaxed, but alert watching all the other dogs jump up around her.  We took her in an isolated cage and got to know her; she was so sweet, gentle and loved to be petted.  She was perfect for my daughter, who is really sort of afraid of dogs.  My son was worried that she was too gentle to play, but when offered a few toys, she played a little bit.  At five years old she was a much older dog than we had anticipated getting, but she seemed healthy enough.  That is, until we read her history: she is being treated for mange…oh, that explains why she was practically bald with patches of complete hair loss.  And she limps on one leg, perhaps the result of an improperly healed injury.  Not what I wanted…an older dog with problems.  And she had zero curb appeal.  But she was sweet and by now the kids had fallen in love with her.  We took her home.

And at home is where we found out that she completely snowed us in the shelter; she’s the direct opposite of how she presented herself.  Some dog on the outside must have said to her, “You’re an old dog; people go for the puppies. And let’s face it, with that mange, you’re no beauty queen.  If you want to break out of this joint, your best bet is to be as sweet as you can.  Yes, I know your true personality, but I promise, if you put on this act, they will love you.  Once they get you home, then you can show them who’s boss.”  

That is exactly what she’s trying to do; she is NOT a sweet, gentle dog, but a feisty tyrant who jumps up, barks and growls at me and wrestles with her leash.  Despite living with other dogs in the shelter, she growls at every dog she meets. My daughter is terrified of her and my son gingerly pets her from as much distance as he can manage. He was afraid that she wouldn’t play with toys? –Ha!  She tore up a tennis ball in 15 minutes flat.

My husband, who is not an animal person and didn’t want the dog in the first place, is saying “I told you so” and no help at all.   Both of my kids, while liking the idea of a dog, have never been around animals before; they are afraid of her and not petting or playing with her like they should.  Who does that leave?  Me!  The mangy, limping, barking, growling, bully dog is mine to take care of all day.  I am the only one who can put on her leash, brush her, take her in and out of her crate and try to train her.  All of the things that I wrote in this post, have come to a grinding halt right now as all my attention is focused on taking care of the dog, getting her used to our house and making sure that she learns some manners.  

I have a long road ahead to take the “nut” out of Coconut.  So, the question of the day is: is it possible to teach an old dog new tricks?

*Update on Coconut 1/29/09: With a heavy heart I returned her to the shelter today.  She had several medical problems (more than the shelter knew) and the behavioral issues were actually getting worse.  It was not an easy decision, because despite her many issues, she had grown on me.  It is a rescue shelter, not a kill shelter, so I am confident that she will find a good home that is more suitable for her.  She just wasn’t a good fit for our family.    This whole experience was rather harrowing for me.   I need a minute to re-claim my life and then we will talk about getting another dog, perhaps a puppy.

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