My Rescue Dog, Stark, Continues to Be an Enigma

Last week Stark had a bad day.  I'm not sure what was wrong with him, but that boy did everything in his power to worry me to death.  The last straw was when I turned my back for less than a minute when the dogs were eating.  Stark ate all his food and then he finished eating Dolly's food too.

Poor Dolly.

I was so upset with him at this point that I yelled, "BAD DOG!" at him for the first time ever.  

You would not believe his reaction.  If I had hit him, he would not have been nearly as upset.  He looked like he lost his best friend, and it made me feel so very bad.  I felt just terrible!  I had no idea he knew what "BAD DOG" meant, but someone somewhere in his past had obviously called him that and it made him feel very very bad.  

Poor Stark.

It hurts my heart to think about his reaction.  I will NEVER call him that ever again.  

When I adopted Stark in 2013, the SPCA said that Stark was three years old at that time.  He was a grown dog, so they could be correct.  If they are right about his age, then Stark lived with at least one other person for most of those three years.  I wish I knew more about his life before becoming my dog.

Stark came to me knowing how to walk on a loose leash.  He was already very well mannered when groomed: nails clipped, ears cleaned, etc.  He knew how to fetch and LOVED playing fetch.  He could sit on command.  He was used to being allowed on the sofa and automatically laid his head on a pillow like a human.  He loved to take a bath and would get in the shower with you if you let him, which I did NOT, as I'm usually running late when I shower in the mornings.  He was used to riding in the floor of the car and was confused when I allowed him on the back seat (covered with a hammock for the dogs).

Stark knew all these things and more.  Somebody loved him.  Someone taught him these things.  Someone took him on car rides with them.  Someone cleaned his ears and clipped his nails and took showers with him.  

I've been told by several vets and other dog people that they suspect Stark was originally a show dog, as the training he had when I adopted him seemed to be limited to what he would need to know to be in a show ring.  Plus, he is a fine specimen of an Australian Cattle Dog, a Red Heeler.   

Yes. Someone invested a LOT of money and time in my boy Stark.  

Someone loved him, and he loved that someone so much that it hurt him when they called him a, "BAD DOG!" and when I said that to him, he remembered, and his reaction hurt ME so bad that I will never call him that again.

It breaks my heart that Stark lost his human that was his first love.  I believe he loves me now, but I know he loved that human that left him at the SPCA.

Who did that to my boy??? 

The SPCA told me two different stories.  I'm not sure which one (if either) is true.  They said at first that Stark belonged to an elderly couple who had to go into assisted living due to health problems.  If that is true, then I can understand, but it still hurts my heart to think of them leaving him at the shelter.  

The second story the SPCA told me was that Stark was a stray and they didn't know anything about his original owners.  I suspect this is a lie because Stark was already microchipped when I adopted him, AND his microchip came from Canada!

You see, Stark was very sick when I adopted him, and I spent a good bit of time trying to locate his original owners via that microchip because at that time I was afraid Stark was supposed to be taking medication and I did not know what medicine to tell my vet that he needed.  As it turned out he needed Baytril, but that is a story for another day.  

I did know from Stark's paperwork that Stark was at that shelter off and on for months.  He was first adopted by a man in October 2013 and brought back to the shelter in November 2013 (probably because he was very sick).  

It puzzles me as to how anyone could keep him a whole month and then give him back, but I'm so glad that man did.  I adopted Stark in December 2013 and now he is happy and healthy and sweet most days.

It is okay for Stark to have an off day now and then. I have them myself.  From now on I'll remember to be less reactive when that happens, and I will NOT call my boy mean names.  

Poor boy.  My poor poor boy.  He is such an enigma to me.  I wish I knew his true history, but I may never know.  We'll have to make our own history together so good that losing his first human love will become a distant memory and he'll just love the life he has now.

That is my hope.  That is my hope.

Stark