wRiver joined us just 6 months after Soli; like a fool, I'd been looking at the freeads out of curiosity and I spotted this little dog who looked just like Opi. I started talking to her owner, who was heartbroken about needing to rehome her due to family illness. I didn't plan on taking her to begin with; I was trying to persuade the owners to have her spayed and help them find a suitable home for this possessive little dog. Of course, she ended up here!
She's been a challenge - she can be a bully, very possessive and short of temper with other dogs. She doesn't suffer fools gladly but for the most part, she is these days a lovely dog. She LOVES people - too much so, she continues to try to jump up in very enthusiastic greetings despite having a slipped disc diagnosed last summer! Like Remy, River showed immense promise as an agility dog - far above and beyond him, actually. She's a natural - super fast, fearless and she absolutely loves it. I'd just started training her up with competition in mind in 2012 when she was attacked by a great dane; no external damage done but he exacerbated the slipped disc. Up til then I had no idea anything was wrong with her apart from her front feet (she has deformed toes that have now gone very arthritic); after that attack she began to show signs. Initially she was diagnosed with hip dysplasia, but after 4 months of hydrotherapy having no effect I got her MRId which identified the offending disc. There went her agility; her career was already over before it had begun with the diagnosis of arthritis in her feet, but she could still have done low-height fun stuff. But with that disc discovered, all agility was officially off the cards forever. I did shed some tears that day. Not for the loss of a potential career dog - but because she loves it more than anything. But she doesn't know; we are working on some low-impact stuff indoors now and she's enjoying that immensely.
Interestingly, when the disc was found, it was also discovered that she has narrowed nerve root canals in her vertebrae, putting some pressure on the nerves as they come out into the body. When River went on strong painkillers for the disc, her bullying behaviour all but disappeared, emphasising the fact that unpleasant behaviour often does have a medical cause and that it isn't always an obvious one. And, that it can be there for life and still have an effect - River was born with this condition.
These days I monitor her body language and behaviour daily, as that bullying behaviour is the first indicator that her pain has increased and at present, it is fully controlled.
She's been a challenge - she can be a bully, very possessive and short of temper with other dogs. She doesn't suffer fools gladly but for the most part, she is these days a lovely dog. She LOVES people - too much so, she continues to try to jump up in very enthusiastic greetings despite having a slipped disc diagnosed last summer! Like Remy, River showed immense promise as an agility dog - far above and beyond him, actually. She's a natural - super fast, fearless and she absolutely loves it. I'd just started training her up with competition in mind in 2012 when she was attacked by a great dane; no external damage done but he exacerbated the slipped disc. Up til then I had no idea anything was wrong with her apart from her front feet (she has deformed toes that have now gone very arthritic); after that attack she began to show signs. Initially she was diagnosed with hip dysplasia, but after 4 months of hydrotherapy having no effect I got her MRId which identified the offending disc. There went her agility; her career was already over before it had begun with the diagnosis of arthritis in her feet, but she could still have done low-height fun stuff. But with that disc discovered, all agility was officially off the cards forever. I did shed some tears that day. Not for the loss of a potential career dog - but because she loves it more than anything. But she doesn't know; we are working on some low-impact stuff indoors now and she's enjoying that immensely.
Interestingly, when the disc was found, it was also discovered that she has narrowed nerve root canals in her vertebrae, putting some pressure on the nerves as they come out into the body. When River went on strong painkillers for the disc, her bullying behaviour all but disappeared, emphasising the fact that unpleasant behaviour often does have a medical cause and that it isn't always an obvious one. And, that it can be there for life and still have an effect - River was born with this condition.
These days I monitor her body language and behaviour daily, as that bullying behaviour is the first indicator that her pain has increased and at present, it is fully controlled.