Adventures of Titan and Choctaw

My wife and I wanted to introduce Titan and Choctaw as soon as we could.  The introduction took place in our backyard and we decided to put leashes on both of them in the event the first meeting went south. My wife went to retrieve Titan from his kennel and I brought Choctaw outside.  As Titan exited his kennel, he was very curious about Choctaw.  He wasn’t showing any aggression so that was a plus. Choctaw pulled me through the backyard so that she could get a little closer to Titan.  Both of their tails were wagging and Titan seemed smitten with Choctaw.  Choctaw did not seem a bit bothered by Titan or his size.  She made herself right at home.  After a short period of time, we felt comfortable enough to take the leashes off to let Titan and Choctaw play.  It was like they had know each other forever.  Love at first sight!!

After meeting Titan, I brought Choctaw back into the house for some treat time.  When we adopted Choctaw, the volunteers told us to continue to work on her commands that she learned while in the Paws in Prison program.  I don’t know if I was saying the commands right, but I’m sure the treats helped.

As the day came to an end, Choctaw started to relax.  She really did not miss a beat in getting familiar with her new home or meeting Titan for the first time. When it was time to go to bed, Choctaw went into her kennel and feel asleep.  She was exhausted with all the excitement. Tomorrow is another day.

Next up, the friendship between Titan and Choctaw begins.

 

 

My wife and I went downtown to the place where the Paws in Prison dogs were being introduced to the general public. I noticed four to five dogs but did not see Choctaw. I asked one of the volunteers if Choctaw had made the trip. She stated yes and pointed toward a tree line area. One of the other volunteers had walked Choctaw over to the grassy area to take a needed pee break. As Choctaw ran back toward the large tent that was set up, she ran straight to me and I felt myself melt. I had watched Choctaw online for eight weeks and now we had the pleasure of meeting. She was adorable and had a “sassy” attitude. Choctaw weighed about 20 pounds, brindled colored, with gold/brown eyes, and wearing a bright pink Paws in Prison bandanna. In my opinion, she was perfect. My wife looked at me and said, “I knew we were coming home with a dog today.”  I asked my wife to walk down to a nearby breakfast spot so that we could talk about the pros and cons of getting another dog so soon after Bady’s death. We ran into some friends of ours who sat with us and gave us their opinion on whether or not we should adopt Choctaw.  None of us could come up with a reason not to adopt Choctaw.  Needless to say, breakfast did not last long and we ran back down the street to get Choctaw. After signing the appropriate paperwork to adopt Choctaw, one of the volunteers gave me a harness with a leash along with a journal of her vaccinations and of her activities while she was going through her training program at the prison.

My wife and I loaded Choctaw into the backseat and we made our way to the nearest pet store to pick up a few things. I know Choctaw had to be a little nervous with new people and her new surroundings, so I sat in the backseat with her to make her feel a little more secure. When we arrived a the pet store, I let Choctaw pick out her own toys which she gladly did. We also purchased a new inside kennel for Choctaw because she had been trained to sleep in a kennel and that’s where she felt secure. When my wife and I arrived home with Choctaw, we introduced her to her new home.

As Choctaw roamed around the house checking everything out, I started thumbing through her journal. At the front of the journal was an information sheet that documented Choctaw’s journey. Apparently, Choctaw and her sibling, Cherokee, were abandoned on Choctaw Ridge in Union County, Arkansas. The information sheet also stated that “Choctaw is the boss” and plays a little rough with Cherokee. It also stated that Choctaw had the biggest heart and just wanted to love you. Two inmates had been assigned to her training program and both of them made notations in the journal of their time they had spent training Choctaw which I have included.  The first inmate listed Choctaw’s training commands that she learned and stated that “she’s a ball of fire” and wants to “lick” all the time. The second inmate stated that Choctaw was so love able and gets along great with other dogs. He also mentioned that Choctaw “never” wears down and can out play any other dog and out run any human in the “yard.” (I deliberately omitted the names of the trainers for this blog because I did not want to publish their names without their permission.)

Next up, Choctaw is introduced to her new brother, Titan.

 

Hello world!!! I wanted to start a blog about a unique friendship between a police dog and a rescued dog that captured my heart in August of 2016 and continues today.

My family was going through an adjustment period after our German Shepherd, Bady, died in February of 2016. Bady was a retired police dog that spent nine years patrolling the streets with his handler who is also my wife. Bady was retired from service in the Spring of 2015 after his age became a factor. After Bady’s retirement, my wife was paired with a new canine partner named Titan. Titan is a brindle colored Dutch Shepherd. Needless to say, Bady WAS NOT happy about Titan being on “his” property and riding in “his” patrol vehicle. Over the next 11 months, Bady’s health started deteriorating and we made many trips to the vet trying to figure out what was wrong with him. It wasn’t until the night of February 13, 2016, that we found out what was wrong. My wife and I went to eat dinner and when we returned home, Bady wasn’t acting like himself and seemed lethargic. A short time later, Bady collapsed in our bedroom and could not move. I will never forget the scared look that he had on his face as we tried to lift his 80 pound body off the floor and into our vehicle to rush him to the vet. Once we arrived at the vet, we were told Bady was bleeding internally into his stomach which was due to a cancerous tumor rupturing. We had no idea Bady had a tumor in his stomach but knowing this explained why he hadn’t felt good. The vet told us Bady was suffering and the best thing we could do was euthanize him. My wife and I were devastated but we knew what we had to do. As word spread of Bady’s condition, police officers that worked with my wife and Bady on the streets showed up at the vet so they could say good bye. Bady was surrounded by so much love when he left this world. He had given his heart and soul to so many people for so long and now it was time for him to rest. After Bady passed away, he was cremated and his ashes were placed in a bottom container of a flag box which displayed a folded American Flag with Bady’s name and his years of service inscribed on the box.  After Bady’s death, my wife and I really struggled. Bady had been transitioned into being an inside dog since his retirement so our house felt empty. My wife and I agreed we wouldn’t get an inside dog for a while. But that was soon to change.

In June of 2016, I started following a program in our state called Paws in Prison. This is a program that allows inmates who are incarcerated to train dogs that have been rescued from various shelters around the state and placed in an eight week training program. The inmates train, feed, and sleep with the dogs that are assigned to them. This is where I first saw Choctaw. She was approximately 20-25 pounds, brindle colored, and listed as a pug/terrier mix. There was something about Choctaw that just made me smile. So, I started following her online as she went through her eight week training program. After eight weeks, Choctaw graduated from the program and became available to the general public for adoption. On Saturday, August 13, 2016, I saw an advertisement online stating Choctaw and the other Paws in Prison dogs would be at a location downtown so people could come look at them. I asked my wife if we could go because I wanted to meet Choctaw. My wife knew if we went to “meet” Choctaw, more than likely we were coming home with Choctaw. And, that’s exactly what happened. More to come on this unique relationship.