Well, Butch was back with his buddies. We watched him just for a few days to be sure of his behavior was good before we put him up for adoption again. Of course, there were no issues. He was the same sweet, lovable guy. He hadn’t changed, just his choice of play toys had changed.
After about a month, in early May, we got another call. This time, it was single male in San Francisco who had previously owned a Cairn and had worked training dogs. Perfect. His last Cairn had died in his sleep some 6 weeks prior and he needed a little buddy to share his time with. He called again and we talked again. I went over all of Butch’s history. No details left out.
When Tim showed up, he was driving his blue Miata. He came in and fell in love with Butch. Tim was more than up to the challenge of dealing with the alpha issues. Tim’s partner in the City had a pair of Pugs but they didn’t live together so there should be time to get acquainted.
San Francisco, here I come!
We spent almost 3 hours going over details, Butch’s history, and techniques to employ to correct his behavior. This looked like a perfect fit. By the end of the interview, Butch was belted in that blue Miata and was driving down the road to SF, with his wheaten coat blowing in the evening breeze.
Why wasn’t I surprised when the phone calls started? It turns out the Butch absolutely loved the Pugs, loved them as his personal play toys. His personal choice was to chase them and bit at their butts. This was extremely stressful on their owner. So, after another week of calls and counseling, it came down to a familiar choice for Tim, “It is either Butch or me. He can’t stay.” I told Tim the same thing I had told the young couple. He is a great dog, but he is a dog, if it is a choice between Butch and your family, it isn’t a choice.
For Butch, it wasn’t the old alpha issue, he recognized Tim as the pack leader. He was glad to do as asked, most of the time. It was just that those skittering little Pug butts were too tempting.
So, once again, Butch was coming back. Once again, Butch absolutely broke someone’s heart. Once again, Butch is back with the tag of incorrigible home wrecker. Once again, a big strong man was walking out my front door with tears in his eyes. Once again, Butch was back with his buddies, loving every minute of it. Once again, we would be in the hunt for a suitable home.