Last month, while gardening, I picked up a shovel and Bear ran. It broke my heart. This month I noticed a huge change in his guardedness. I think he has adopted us. I credit Truman for a good portion of Bear’s trusting turnaround. Truman is top dog, and Bear finds comfort in his friendly and confidnet leadership.
Bear led a complicated life before he came to our house. He loves to come up from behind walk between my legs as I walk. He happily stands perfectly still while I put on his harness and leash. He loves to have his face held and rubbed. He loves car rides. He was house broken. He came with those trusting traits. Someone loved him. Then somehow, he became a stray.
Did his owner die from Covid? He is a fence jumper. Maybe he aggravated a neighbor to the point he was “relocated”.
He came to us with many fears. If you took hold of his collar quickly, he turned his head gaping his mouth, even putting it his mouth on an arm. He never bit. He was just very defensive. The click of a pen sent him running out of the house. Touching his legs terrified him.
We had him three weeks when he decided to start jumping our fence. He would run up and down a busy highway. I have no idea how he avoided being hit. We spent a bundle on a electric fence (feels like a 9-volt battery on the tongue) and raising the height of our 1-acre dog yard fence. Bear doesn’t try to escape anymore, not because of the fence, but because he doesn’t like to go too far away from us.
In another year, this dog will be one of those heart dogs, I can tell. He is respectful. He is obedient without formal training. He loves to touch and be touched. He often has a paw touching or is leaning against us or one of our other critters. He is one of us.
Truman Blue Mysteries 