Margo Is Adopted!
This adoption story takes us on a journey of twisted fate. We rescued Margo the first time back in July of 2021. Unfortunately, shortly after her arrival, being an escape artist, and even though we took all measures to keep her secure, she managed to slip away. Our search for Margo never waned. In our hearts, we clung to the hope that she was receiving the basic necessities—food, shelter, and some love. We knew that if she became lost again, her microchip would be her lifeline back to us. Then 2 years later, that is exactly what happened. Margo showed up at the same shelter we originally rescued her from. When Margo came back with us, our focus was finding the right person - one that would see she is given the love and attention she deserved.
Dana and her dog, Baxter were out walking the beach one day, at the same time one of our foster families was out for a walk with one of our female senior dogs. Dana stopped to talk with Jenn, and wanted to know more about her, and to also learn more about the breed not having a GSP before.
Dana and her husband Jeff, submitted an application right away. During several conversations with their adoption counselor, and learning more about Baxter’s personality, and whether or not they would be a good fit, it was noted and mutually decided that the two dogs shared a common trait of resource guarding toys, and Dana and Jeff decided to wait for another senior that would be a better fit for Baxter.
It was right about that time that Margo came back to us, and we felt that she could be the one. And as it turned out, she was perfect!
“It's been just shy of 3 months with Margot. We had a rough start ... our 9 year old Lab mix, Baxter, whom we've had since he was a puppy, was trying to establish that he was the boss, but 11-year-old Margot clearly didn't accept that. Besides knowing she should be in charge, she also has a bit of a fierce street fighter in her and will not back down. The advice we got from Greg was truly instrumental in getting us through that period -- making them do something (usually just "sit" and "wait" for everything from pets to treats to walks) seems to do the trick in keeping the peace in the house. And on walks, the two have been perfect together all along.
With us and our family and friends, from the beginning, she has been a hilarious little joy. She is glued to our side and races to be first in the kitchen, first to get her harness and leash on, first to the couch, first to bed. She behaves perfectly, racing to be first at the designated spot and then sitting at rigid full attention for whatever is being asked (like bath time) or promised (like a treat), with the only movement being in her little wagging tail. She curls up on the bath mat while I shower, and pulls her bed alongside our bed to sleep next to me. About two weeks ago, she started playing with the toys in the house (which we'd hidden for the first month or so, to help avoid any friction points between the dogs), and had a wonderful play period with toys and playing chase with us and Baxter. Progress! She's also starting to curl up closer to each of us when we're on the couch at nighttime, watching TV, and rolling over to let us rub her belly.
Other than adapting her and Baxter to one another, the challenges we've been facing have been things that I think we would deal with any time with any dog who doesn't quite know yet that they're in their forever home, or just getting to know her and figuring out how to work with that to keep her safe and happy. For example, one day we took her and Baxter to Fiesta Island, and let them off leash to play in the water. She started swimming (yay!) and kept swimming (oh, no!) AWAY from us, seemingly to the opposite shore! It appeared she had spotted a bird in the sky and was just chasing that bird. Thank goodness our son had come with us ... he stripped down to his underwear to swim after her, caught up to her, and guided her back to us (where the leash went on and didn't come off again until we were home!). Another thing we've been learning about her is that she's always looking for something to eat and even though she's small, she can stretch her little body to grab things off the counter... and she will. So now we close the doors to the bathrooms and put anything that she might perceive as edible (like garbage, toothpaste, and medicine!) in drawers and cabinets.
One of our concerns about adopting a GSP was that we wouldn't be able to keep up with her energy and exercise needs, but having adopted an older dog with arthritis, Margot has really turned out to be perfect for us (to be clear, though, we're treating the arthritis with pain meds and joint supplements, and she's doing great). She wanders around our fenced-in back yard hunting lizards and rodents, and gets one or two 30-minute walks a day, and so far that seems to be just the right amount for her.
Jeff and I have fallen in love with her and while still keeping an eye on the challenges described above, are thrilled to have her in our family and to watch her get comfortable in our home”.
