Farm dogs, well, all dogs are great

Even though we have a small tiny farm, we do have a number of dogs.  Dogs are great; just their presence tends to keep a lot of animals away.  Today I have some pictures of our youngest farm dog.  His name is Benny.  Benny is purebred sheltie.  When we found him at a rescue he came from a bad situation.  Although we do not know all that is in his past he was very traumatized by it.  So I want to make a few plugs here, first have your pet fixed; no one wants your puppies so take some responsibility and have it fixed.  Next if you decide to get a pet that has been through a difficult home they make great pets but they have issues you should know about.  Once they get use to you and attach to you, they may have separation anxiety whenever you leave no matter how short the trip.  Just expect it.  Now I want to say I am a dog fan so this may seem one sided but I assure it is as balanced as I can make it.  When a dog has been traumatized and he feels cornered or is somehow reminded of his past he will lash out. They aren’t meaning to harm or scare but it’s a fight or flight response.  Dogs don’t get to go through counseling or take ptsd drugs they just live with it. So if something reminds them of their old life they will quickly seek to escape and if you are in the way they may nip you.  Now nip means with their teeth they do not have hands. And they may draw blood.  It is ok they are not attaching just escaping.  Years ago people believed if a dog ever tasted blood it would forever change him, garbage- complete crap.  He is just trying to get to safety in the same way a person with a tough past would.  So this is not a reason to put a dog down.  So don’t meet me at the coffee shop or email me and say my dog that I knew had issues nipped someone so I put him down, I will give you  an earful.  When a dog attaches you will know.  They do not nip and leave. When a dog attaches, they are all in and it is a scary thing; not nip and run ordeal.  Back off the soap box here, your pet will also have certain areas he has determined his safe zone, try to encourage that as it helps them to feel safe. You can see in this picture Benny is in his cage, one of his safe spots.  He goes there to feel safe and of course he is scared of cameras.  Really strange things may scare them, so take it slow until you get to know them.  We love our sheltie and he has taught us a lot.  He is now a very nice and adjusted dog; he still has some issues but a great pet.   I would recommend always getting your pets from a shelter or a rescue.