Adopted - Asti

We adopted Asti five years ago (2002) from No. California Pyr Rescue when he was two. His circumstances were a bit unusual I suppose in that he did not come from an awful situation; he was not abused so much as mostly ignored by previous owners. He was two when we adopted him and, although he seemed to enjoy the attention we gave him, he did not seek it out until he had been with us for about six months. It also took several months for us to bond to each other. I think he must have felt much the way I did; we enjoyed each other's company, were friendly with one another, but it took time for us to become "family."

I must say he was generally well behaved when we got him so someone either took some time with him at some point to teach him proper behavior (he has never jumped up on anyone, ever), or he is one of those intuitive types. Having said this, he did have some bad habits not the least of which is that he pulled like a freight train on a leash. Since he weighs more than I do, I had put a stop to that immediately.

Time has a way of softening past struggles; so it may have been more difficult than I remember it. I mostly remember that being consistently firm with Asti has allowed him to become a very calm, self-confident, easy-to-be-around dog. He may have been around other dogs before he came to us as he tolerates all dogs he has met and he has met many. Also my circumstances may be different in that I work at home a lot and live in the Santa Cruz mountains so Asti and I frequent the trails near our home or the dog-friendly beaches daily and in the process, we have worked out the kinks along the way. The one thing I have gotten very good at that I believe is valuable when it comes to rescues is timing. I know when Asti is "thinking" of misbehaving -- I can see the cogs and wheels turning and I watch his body language like a hawk -- I give him a soft, sharp, "uh-huh." He then looks at me with this guilty, "how did she know what I was planning?" look that is worth its weight in gold.

They are all so individual, it's kind of like opening a present to see what you've got to work with. I marvel at the stories of some on the list who tell tales of their dogs that scale five foot fences. Asti hangs out on our large deck guarding the pond during the day. The deck has a three foot high fence that he could jump over with little effort. He's never challenged it. On the other hand, he's astonishingly stubborn when it comes to drinking water. He loves "wild water" -- creeks, ponds, etc. and will only drink from a bowl if he is beyond desperately thirsty. Go figure....

Much as I find puppies delightful, I think I will always adopt rescues. I like the challenge and it feels good to know I'm giving some lucky dog a second chance.

Here's a photo of Asti from last New Year's holiday. We celebrated at Tahoe. He constantly urged me to take him outside so he could patrol the neighborhood. While I was slipping around on the icy roads and freezing half to death, he confidently

trotted along, mumbling something about wimps under his breath ....

Of course, he also spent plenty of time doing this in our little cabin ....

We continue our daily patrols of the Santa Cruz mountain trails and/ or the beach. He is quite fit for a mature gentleman. When he's not keeping Santa Cruz County safe from insolent squirrels and impolite deer, he spends his day either on our deck guarding the pond or in a large forest enclosure near the house. We are often stopped by astonished people who say he is the biggest dog they've ever seen. I think the white coat makes him seem bigger than he actually is. He is always polite with people; although he finds the delay in his patrol a bit of an inconvenience.

He does rise slower in the evening when I take him outside for the last walk of the night before bedtime; I think he's a little creaky at the end of the day. Then again, some days so am I. I've started him on a very low dose of Metacam which seems to be helping.

All in all, he finds himself in a most indulgent life; I think he is quite pleased with his lot.