I graduated from UNC Chapel Hill. One of many rescue’s board members was additionally an enormous North Carolina fan. Carolina’s largest rival and maybe the largest rival in all of school basketball is Duke College. Within the spring of 2014, a chocolate lab was surrendered to the rescue and his identify was Duke.
I’ll preface this by saying, primarily based upon a canine’s historical past typically I’m a fan of fixing a canine’s identify. If he’s been yelled at loads or has been abused in different methods and associates his identify with worry or ache, I’m all for altering the canine’s identify.
Nevertheless, I didn’t know something about this canine however his identify was Duke. I emailed the board member and urged we alter the canine’s identify. She did. Duke grew to become Deuce and he went to stay with one of many rescue’s foster households.
Quick ahead 6 months to September of 2014 and Don and I are on our approach to meet Deuce with our yellow lab Willow. 4 days afterward Thursday October 2, 2014 I picked up Deuce and introduced him to our home.
I didn’t love the identify Deuce (I nonetheless can’t spell it.) This canine was filled with character and we instantly began calling him Moose. He didn’t miss a beat and the identify was good for him.
The First 36 Hours with Moose
Moose had bonded together with his foster household and particularly their 2 canines within the 6 months that he lived with them. I didn’t absolutely perceive that so his transition to our home was a bit tough.
We’d had Moose for about 36 hours after we left him house alone with Willow. It was a Saturday morning and I needed to work and Don was on the gymnasium.
Leaving him with the run of the home was a mistake.
He discovered the dry meals canine bin within the laundry room. He obtained it open and he ate as a lot as he wished. Someway on this course of, he closed the laundry room door locking him in. By the point I obtained house 45 minutes later, I opened the laundry room door to a canine and the ground lined in vomit and drool and a laundry room door that had been destroyed.
We had been advised that Moose didn’t crate effectively. He would flip out and do no matter he may to get out to the purpose of wounding himself. I feel he skilled the identical when he realized he was enclosed within the laundry room.
I obtained Moose and the laundry room cleaned up and about that point Don obtained house. He wished to contact the rescue and provides Moose again however I mentioned no. We wanted to present this canine time to decompress. This was our fault not Moose’s.
We didn’t go away him alone for the following 2 weeks. I had a neighbor who was an excellent pal and keep at house mother. If I needed to work, she came to visit to “canine sit” with Moose. So long as somebody was with him, he was completely superb. He was greater than superb, he was pleased.
Finally we began to depart him house alone for very brief durations of time. We put up a child gate to maintain him and Willow enclosed within the two entrance bedrooms of our home after we weren’t house. We additionally opened the shades in one of many rooms so he may lay on the mattress and have a look at the window. This resolution labored.
For the following 7 years, that is what we did each time we left the home.
Moose suffered from separation anxiousness. He wanted routine, he wanted human interplay, and he wanted to know that we had been coming again. These are the issues I discovered in a short time about him.
Holidays to Hilton Head with Moose
After we trip as a household, we load the canines within the automobile and go to seashore in Hilton Head, South Carolina. As a result of we had been nervous about leaving Moose alone in a brand new place, we at all times employed a pet sitter to come back and be with him if Don and I each wished to depart the home on the identical time.
He at all times had one other canine with him however he obtained anxious if somebody wasn’t there with him. We tried leaving him for brief durations of time but it surely was apparent that he was burdened. We didn’t need to do this to him and we didn’t need to take an opportunity of him destroying the rental home so we employed a canine sitter for him if Don and I wished to do something collectively.
Each Single Time.
We cherished him and wished to verify he knew he was okay. As quickly because the pet sitter obtained there, he’d lay down beside her and he was completely superb. He was superb if we left, he simply wanted somebody there with him.
Occurring trip to HH was at all times good however Moose dictated what I did. Hanging out on the seashore with Don underneath the umbrella was one thing I gave up doing due to Moose until we had somebody on the home with him.
This was a sacrifice I used to be greater than prepared to make but it surely meant that I didn’t at all times do what I might’ve preferred to do. Welcome to parenthood, proper?
Moose’s Sniffer At all times Bought Him in Hassle
Moose cherished meals. I feel he cherished meals greater than folks and that’s saying loads.
He was essentially the most meals motivated canine I’ve ever owned and his nostril labored very well. It obtained him in bother continuously.
I really feel like I’m fairly canine savvy however I couldn’t un-train this conduct.
Moose would snarf up something he discovered on a stroll after which he’d find yourself with an upset abdomen. A 90lb canine with an upset abdomen is rarely any enjoyable. For him or me.
If he picked up one thing and I attempted to seize it out of his mouth, he would chomp down more durable. Most canines is not going to chunk down arduous in the event that they know your hand or finger is of their mouth. Moose would chunk down more durable attempting to assert what he thought was his as a result of he discovered it first. The one method I ended this was to have a deal with with me that I may provide Moose so he’d drop no matter he had and go for what I used to be holding.
This conduct was loads to attempt to handle over time. It was in all probability my least favourite factor about him.
I often ended up with a drool lined hand for the remainder of the stroll house.
As his eyesight began to fail in his later years, you had to verify he didn’t take your finger off when giving him a deal with. Flat palm was at all times the rule and you then nonetheless wanted to watch out.
Velcro Canine
However this canine was such a lover. And he cherished me. He was my shadow. He adopted me in all places. If I obtained up, he did too.
He cherished going to sleep on our canine sofa together with his head in my lap and I cherished these moments too.
That is what I miss. I miss having a canine that simply desires to be cherished. I miss a canine that wishes to present a lot love.
Moose the Canine Mannequin
With Moose’s assist, I grew to become the canine photographer I’m at present. He was my go-to mannequin. He was at all times up for serving to me (so long as I had a mattress or one thing for him to put on) and treats.
I truly obtained certainly one of my first, massive business images purchasers as a result of I used to be searching for a superb mattress for him. I discovered Huge Barker and so they grew to become a terrific shopper of mine. Images I’ve taken of canines on their beds nonetheless pop up on my social media.
Moose helped me set up my business pet images enterprise and I’m so grateful to him. My checking account appreciated it too.
He was a superb canine mattress mannequin. Huge Barker wished to know if he’d put his head down on the bolster… that’s a “Sure, no downside in any respect. You desire a canine mannequin to promote how comfy these beds are, I’ve obtained the canine for you.”