Nearly 5 years ago I adopted my big boy, Dreamy the greyhound. From the beginning it was hard for me. I had lived alone for 30 years. My house was mine, and everything had a place – until I brought Dreamy home.
While we were on the 5-hour drive home, he got his pointy little nose into a bag of food and managed to consume 250 grams of mettwurst (smoked meat)! I was alerted by the strong smell of garlic coming from the back seat.
Within the first few minutes of arriving home he drank from the fishpond and peed on my precious purple rose bush. The assault on my home continued when he ventured inside where he peed on an ottoman and jumped on my precious, clean bed.
After changing my life to accommodate my new partner, we managed to forge some peace at home, albeit only when I was there. In my absence he ripped apart 4 beds, tore a leather bag, scratched the walls and chewed the door frames in the laundry where I gave him access from the outside.
He was ruining my home but taking my heart. Eventually I realised with some help from his vet, that he had separation anxiety and we put him on some medication. He wanted me, to be with me, to smell me, to see me and for me to give him attention. I let him inside to sleep on my bed when I was away and arranged for him to be with someone a couple of days a week. Thankfully, he has bonded with this person who is one of his other favourite people. He only pees inside infrequently nowadays.
My main lesson from this has been to be calm and persistent, above all to love. Dreamy was feeding off my anxiety about having a dog for the first time in my life. I learned to be calm around him and calm him with love and affection. Now we are best buddies, and we adore each other. He loves sleeping on my bed, cuddles on the couch together, having his bum rubbed, puppachinos, long walks around the lake, meeting with his special people and roast chicken.
I never gave up on him and I am so glad I didn’t. In the same way, I am so glad my closest friends never gave up on me when they first met me. Because I was much like Dreamy, afraid to be alone, homeless, feeling unloved and behaving badly.
Never give up.
In love, Jenny
