training
An Instant Transformation Gloria Schmidt relates how her fearful rescue dog Jackson changed her life by helping her discover a whole new world of training possibilities This article is the Pet Professional Guild’s runner up entry in our Geek Week 2020 Writers’ Competition
© Gloria Schmidt
© Gloria Schmidt
© Gloria Schmidt
(Left to right) Fearful dog Jackson in the shelter just prior to being adopted into his forever home; Jackson sitting in his food bowl at the shelter the picture that changed his new guardian’s life and when she knew she had finally found her dog; Jackson, no longer fearful, enjoys a game of fetch in the great outdoors
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ack in 2011, I had accepted a job at St. Jude Children’s Research hospital that required moving to a new state, 13 hours away from home, to a place where I initially knew nobody within a fivehour radius of Memphis. As an anxious and quieter type of person, I was fre quently asked if this life change was the best idea for me. My constant answer was, “It will be great, I’m going to get a dog!” After getting settled in Memphis, I started thinking about what kind of dog would be a good fit for me and my lifestyle. I looked high and low for about seven to eight months through various shelters, websites, and res cues for *my* dog. It felt frustrating and disheartening at times because I wondered if I was maybe reaching for a perfection that didn’t exist.
Finding the Right Dog I also was living in an apartment that had some major breed restrictions and no fencedin yard that most rescues required. Then, one Friday, I saw the picture of Jackson sitting in his food bowl at the shelter (see above, center). And I knew. That was him. My dog. The onehour drive to reach the shelter where Jackson (or #2211 as he was then called) felt like eternity. I got up at the crack of dawn to en
[Jackson] would let out an occasional low growl if I accidentally surprised him or happened to touch his feet. This…scared me the most. In breaking my number one rule upon adopting Jackson, had I accidentally allowed a monster into my home?
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BARKS from the Guild/January 2021
sure I was arriving right when the shelter opened. I remember just pray ing that this might be the ideal furry friend I was looking for in a season of loneliness. When I arrived at the shelter, my heart stopped when I saw another lady already standing at the front doors. I knew without a doubt that we were there for the same dog. The woman, who I later learned was Cathy, was there representing a rescue and when I begged her to let me take the dog, she spoke with the rescue’s leadership and they agreed to step aside.
Signing the Adoption Papers Cathy became a calming force for me that day. I remember the shelter staff was terse and we walked back to Jackson’s run. When we asked to interact with him though, we were told, “No. You take him or leave him.” Oh my. Wow. I surveyed the scene (and a totally soaked Jackson). I then broke my number one rule that I’d never adopt a dog without some oneonone interaction first. I stood up, turned to the shelter worker, and said decisively, “I’ll take him.” After signing adoption papers, I was on cloud nine as the “me” turned into a “we.” Jackson eagerly watched from the passenger side as we waved goodbye to Cathy. Our first stop was a vet clinic for an exam, followed by a trip to Petsmart for a new toy (picked out by Jackson, of course), and then home to my Memphis apartment. Although most people tend to prefer younger puppies when adopt ing, I purposefully wanted to pick an older pup that needed a home just as badly. I also figured that picking an older dog might help me avoid some of the common puppy parenting issues (house training, crate training, leash walking, etc.). Oh to be young and naive.
