Sunday, May 29, 2016

Not Meant to Be Friends

There has been so much going on around here with the animals this month. Since our "house guest", Farrah arrived I haven't posted an update on how things have been going with her. I've been dreading writing this post all weekend, because I've honestly been extremely upset about what happened a few days ago. As it turns out, things did not turn out as bad as I had expected. You'll see what I mean as you keep reading.

So, Farrah... the new dog in the house. My dad brought Farrah home a few weeks ago. She is my brother's dog, but he is not living in his home and the place where he has to stay currently does not allow dogs. It is unknown when he will return home. So, for the time we've been caring for her and giving her a place to sleep at night.


It's been stressful and crazy trying to shuffle cats and dogs around and making sure that everyone stays safe. After a while, I discovered that Callie and Farrah got along fine. Callie was not scared of Farrah and they walked around the house together. Farrah seemed like she might want to play with Callie, but I don't think Callie had any interest in that. That was great, knowing I didn't have to worry about the two of them so much. Although, I of course still kept a close eye on them.

Finding help to properly introduce two large dogs was difficult. Finally, I was able to wrangle someone and we took Farrah and Shiner outside together on leashes. They played around for a while and seemed happy together.

Their visitations stopped when Shiner hurt her tongue, however. I wanted Shiner to stay quiet and not get too active. When she started feeling better, I would take them both outside for short amounts of time to play and walk around.

Last week, I began letting them around each other inside of the living room area for short amounts of time. Again, they played a little and seemed happy. But I kept their visits short and limited.

On Thursday, I let them play for much longer inside the house.  I took pictures for our last product review and they were both well-behaved. They wore themselves out playing together and then I divided them back to their separate areas.

About an hour later, I went back into the kitchen/living room area (Farrah's designated area) to cook dinner. Soon after, I heard Shiner whining and scratching at the kitchen door and I thought it would be OK to let her inside. So I did.


That was a big mistake, but I didn't know it. Shortly after Shiner came in, something happened and the dogs began fighting. It was scary. You would think that after college and working with dogs for several years, I would know the proper way to break up a dog fight but I didn't.

Something had made Farrah snap with Shiner, and I'm still not sure what it was. Shiner was on the ground with Farrah on top of her. Farrah was biting Shiner around her neck, ear, and face trying to grab on to her skin and shaking the crap out of her. I could tell Shiner was helpless.

What I did to try and stop the fight is probably exactly what you shouldn't do. But I couldn't just stand there and watch my dog get mauled by another dog, so I felt like I had to do something. I straddled Farrah, pulled her by the collar and started yelling at her to stop. My dad was there and he kept yelling at me that I was "gonna get bit". The whole thing seemed like it lasted forever to me, but really it was probably 1-2 minutes long.

To make things worse, my cat decided she wasn't putting up with the dogs fighting anymore. Callie had been sitting in her usual peaceful position on the kitchen table when everything started. Towards the end of the fight, she jumped off the table and began to jump on both of the dogs' backs trying to scratch them. She is crazy. I am just beyond thankful that she was not injured. I still can't believe she did that.


However, I think Callie may be the reason why the fight stopped. After Callie jumped on Farrah's back, Farrah stopped attacking Shiner. We were able to get everyone away from each other. As I pulled Shiner out of the kitchen to the bedroom, I could see drops of blood falling on the floor and I expected some bad injuries.

I did an exam on Shiner to see what the damage was and clean her up. She walked away with almost nothing which I still can't believe. The tip of her ear was where the blood came from. She suffered a very small cut there. I also found two small punctures on the inside of her ear flap. Antibiotics will prevent infection. I also gave her some Tramadol for pain, because I'm sure her neck hurt afterwards. And that's it.

After the fight, my dad was extremely upset. Now, I know that just because a dog doesn't get along with other dogs doesn't mean they are an evil dog. They just can't be around other dogs. There are lots of dogs like that. That's hard to explain to my dad though.


Anyways, he banished Farrah to the garage/barn for the night and told me he was taking her to the pound in the morning. He really didn't take her though, thankfully.

When I finally saw my dad again yesterday, I asked him where Farrah was. She's just in the garage. I can't tell you how much better I feel after hearing that he didn't take her away. I've been feeling very down all weekend... worried, sad, feeling guilty, and just an all around mix of crappy emotions.

While living in the garage is probably not ideal for Farrah, it is much better than the other fate. Shiner and Farrah were not meant to be friends. I don't think my dad is going to let Farrah back into the house again, so it will be easier keeping them separated now. They were just not meant to be friends and that's OK.

For now, I am just thankful about a lot of things. They say when it rains, it pours. I am really hoping it stops raining here sometime soon.

37 comments:

  1. I feel bad for everybody involved - it's really too bad Farrah can't be with her human right now, which is really where she belongs. And yes, sometimes dogs (or cats) can't be friends with each other. When that happens, you are lucky if they learn how to coexist peacefully. If that doesn't happen, you have to figure out something else. Paws up for Callie helping - she probably didn't like seeing Shiner threatened. Shiner is a member of her family, after all! Brave (if not necessarily wise) kitty!

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    1. Yes, she definitely does belong with her human. He is at fault for that though. Shiner and Callie are not friends, but they coexist well. I'm not sure what her deal was... she jumped on Shiner first, but quickly switched to the other dog. She is brave, for sure. I just wish I knew what the heck she was thinking.

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    2. I agree - Callie knows Shiner as family! So glad no one was seriously harmed.

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  2. wow Callie, that was an attack... I had no clue that cats do such things... I know it is not easy to stop a dog fight.... I'm glad no one ended at the vet.. or the human-er. I cross my paws that you find a solution for Farrah....

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  3. I never would move anywhere that pets could not go. I'm sure glad nobody was seriously injured.

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    1. Brian - I don't feel like I can say where he went. If you think about it, you should be able to figure it out though. He is not living there because he wants to. Know one wants to live in that place. Regardless, his actions are the reason he is there.

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  4. What a scary situation! And for Callie to get in on it...that surprises us too. Yes, we know about animals that can't get along. Wally and Zoey just don't see eye-to-eye and have to be kept separated most of the time. We hope you can find a solution that will work for Farah.

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  5. So sorry that happened, but glad you were not injured and the dogs only had minor injuries. Just as not all people get along, not all dogs get along. Hope there will be a good solution for Farah.

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  6. Oh dear! If something like that happened to us, Alice would be under the bed, Russell would assess the situation and not get involved, and Scooter would likely do a Callie. As for the human mom, we dread even thinking about it.

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  7. How scary ! We're so sorry that happened. We're glad that finally nobody was injured. We hope you'l find a solution for Farah. Purrs

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  8. Thank goodness no one was hurt - including you ! Callie has the tortitude to expect to be in control of the situation ! The very few times I've had to break up a dog fight, I've done what you did - waded in and grabbed a collar and heaved (including after hose spraying didn't make a dent). I think it's almost reflexive on our parts - we certainly know better but it's like your kids...

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  9. Sorry things went South fur Farrah and Shiner. And OMC Callie, shame on you. Do you know what coulda happened to you girl? And do you know what your mommy woulda done ifin it had been Shiner dat got ya". Well, enuff of dat. We's glad all is well and everypawdy's still a pawrt of da furmily, even ifin they don't all get along. Sendin' purrayers.

    Luv ya'

    Dezi

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  10. I am so sorry about what happened. When I grew up, our dog got into a fight with a neighbor’s dog, and I know how scary a dog fight can be. As for Callie breaking up the dog fight, one of our cats did the same thing quite a while ago. Our two dogs are best friends, but they don’t share any doggy treats. One day, they got into a fight over a cookie and the cat jumped right on top of one of the dogs, and that was the end of the fight.

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    1. Callie's part in it just amazes me. She does have this "don't mess with me" attitude but I just wouldn't have expected her to do that as she usually tries to avoid Shiner.

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  11. Oh no, Ann. I'm so sorry! Do you think maybe another intro could work? I know Titan and Zue got into a little skiff and it scared the hell out of me. Zue didn't back down but Titan had gotten the best of her. It's been almost a year and they do not stay together alone. When we leave the house, they are kept separated. However, when we are home they are generally pretty good. I wonder if maybe they squabble was over a toy or something? Or maybe it was the girl-girl thing? I hope your brother's situation gets better soon so Farrah can come out of the garage. Poor babies.

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    1. It could have been over a toy. There was one kind of nearby although neither of them were playing with it. I had been quite proud of Shiner. I am hoping so too, but I may know more this week.

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  12. We've had some fights here, and I know how scary they are and I know the instinct is to just jump in there to break it up - trust me, I've done it! I've always known what caused them though - toys, treats, so we're able to mostly stop it from happening again. It's hard to understand how dogs can get along fine one minute, and then the next all hell breaks loose.
    I certainly never had a cat get involved though, good job by Callie!
    I'm just sorry this happened, when you thought they were going to get along OK. We still have Samantha separated from the dogs, and while it's not ideal, no other alternatives are great either. I just hope you can get things figured out, and I feel for you.

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  13. Sorry that happened and I'm glad Shiner is okay. From my experience when dog fights happen they tend to be louder than the actual damage that is done. And like you said sometimes dogs aren't meant to be friends.

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  14. I am so sorry about what happened too...maybe it was because Shiner was in the kitchen and Farrah thought she was getting food and Farrah wasn't? Who knows? Don't beat yourself....Dakota isn't fond of other dogs...that's just the way it is. I DO have to take my hat off to Callie, that's one BRAVE kitty!!!!!!!!! catchatwithcarenandcody

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    1. Yea who knows... they were in the living room, but it's really one giant room that isn't separated by anything. I've been extremely careful with food and feeding times. Neither seemed interested in my cooking at the time. My cat does amaze me!

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  16. I'm sorry to hear this, Ann. It's so nice of you to open up your home to Farrah and who knows why she acted that way. Hopefully Shiner and Callie aren't too stressed and I admire Callie! Thank goodness she wasn't hurt. Now that I think about it, I've seen my cat Scout run over defensively to protect my other cat during tension with dogs.

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    1. Everyone seems fine. They've moved on as if it never happened. I haven't seen Farrah much though, because her living quarters are typically locked up when the nursery business is closed and I don't have access.

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    2. Ace bit our puppy in the head two weeks ago and that was very stressful for me. It was while I was petting Ace and the puppy bounded over to us. The puppy is fine physically and mentally, and of course I'm the one to blame, but now I don't trust Ace anymore. Sigh ... animals! But like you said they do move on as though these things never happened.

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  17. I'm so sorry about what happened, and that your brother is unable to be with his dog. Life situations happen people should not be judged about leaving a pet behind. (It happened to me once.) Maybe Farrah needs more time to adjust to being away from her dad?

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    1. Thank you, Lola, Dawn and Lexy. I agree and thank you for saying that. It's easy to judge and attack others even though people don't understand the entire situation or haven't been in the same situation. He will be back for her though.

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  18. That's so scary, Ann, and we are sorry it happened. We're certainly glad it was not worse. We feel so sad for Shiner, you and Farrah. And we are in awe of Callie ... wow!

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  19. SORRY ANN, I KNOW HOW STRESSFUL THIS WAS FOR YOU, YOUR DAD; ALL OF YOU; AND I'M GLAD ONE OF THE GIRLS DIDN'T TRY TO GET IN THE MIX~~~

    WITHOUT THINKING I BROKE UP A DOG FIGHT ONCE BY STEPPING BETWEEN THEM; IT WAS MY BULLDOG AND THE NEIGHBORS DOG...MY BEST FRIENDS DOG TO BE EXACT BUT I DIDN'T WANT MY DOG GETTING HURT..I JUST PANICKED AND STEPPED IN AND PULLED MY DOG AWAY...

    YOU'LL NEVER KNOW WHY THEY FOUGHT, BUT I HOPE YOU DONT BLAME YOURSELF; AS IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT; ANY NUMBER OF FACTORS ARE IN PLAY HERE; AND THEY MIGHT NEVER FIGHT AGAIN.....THOUGH WAY TO GO CALLIE !!! ♥♥♥

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  20. Oh my, I know that horrible feeling. And how odd that Callie helped to break things up.

    And yet it's more upsetting to us. Since Shiner wasn't badly injured (thank goodness), it probably looked and sounded much more serious than it actually was.

    It's good of you and your dad to try to find a solution that will help your brother with Farah. Hopefully he'll be able to come up with a better permanent solution too.

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    1. He can't really do anything about it right now. We just have to wait for him to be able to go back home. The worst part to me is that my dad keeps her in the barn because he believes she is some sort of vicious beast and doesn't want her to bite any humans. She's really a very nice beast though, when it comes to being around us.

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  21. We are sorry you are all going through such a stress filled and scary situation!
    Hope things calm down...

    Noodle and crew

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  22. Whoa that is a lot for you to handle and I am being honest here but your brother is responsible for having a dog that he isn't able to care for. That's how animals end up in shelters if not for people like you and your dad. I can understand because this is similar to me having to take Taffy in, I am still angry at my family because I was the only one who stepped up and it makes me so sad that her and Dolly will never be good "friends" but just tolerate each other and compete to always be first. There are no fights like yours but Dolly growls and snaps at Taffy and she never did this before we got Taffy.

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    1. Yes, you're right. He is having a difficult time in his life, and does need some help. And the situation could have been avoided, I believe. At least Dolly does growl. It seems bad, but it is a warning and since you have no fights it sounds like Taffy listens to her warnings. I'm sure Taffy is grateful that someone stepped up for her.

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  23. Your heart is so huge when it comes to animals - it's got to be tough for you right now. I can hear it in your writing. Perhaps all the "unknowns" about this situation makes it all seem worse. Any idea how long you'll have your house/garage guest? Thank the Doodle you weren't hurt - but I emphasize with you and I can only imagine that you were thinking about the dogs and not your own safety. Please keep up posted as you navigate through this, there's so much for all of us to learn, and my support is with you my friend. Best wishes.

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  24. I am so sorry this happened to you. My boys got into a terrible fight over a year ago. It was bad, and ugly. I still don't know what started it, and I was playing in the snow with them when it started. It was absolutely horrifying, and I thank my lucky stars that it seems to have been a one-time thing.

    Bless you for caring for Farrah. You've been put in a difficult situation, and are handling it with grace.

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