Dog Talk with Uncle Matty: Chanel
By Matthew “Uncle Matty” Margolis The recent death of a wire-haired dachshund named Chanel has made headlines. She lived in Long Island with owners Denice and Karl Shaughnessy, who adopted her when she was 6 weeks old.
What's special about Chanel? For one, she would've made Coco proud. As reported by the Associated Press, Chanel "wore tinted goggles for her cataracts in her later years and favored sweaters because she was sensitive to the cold."
What's newsworthy about Chanel? She was 21 when she died -- 147 years old in dog years.
Chanel and the Shaughnessys had a rich and long life together. Their story is a reminder to all new and potential dog owners of how deep and enduring the commitment of dog ownership can be.
And the following letter from a reader is a reminder of the things a person should consider before embarking on what could be a two-decades-long journey.
We just adopted a 3-year-old female Labrador retriever. "Cindy" came from a family who lived in a mobile home with no yard, where there was a single mom with two boys, 7 and 10, and two grandparents, as well as a few cats and two other dogs. Cindy was able to escape when the elderly grandfather would forget to close the outside doors, so the mobile home park management gave the owners a deadline to get rid of her.
Our household includes dad, mom, a 3-year-old girl, a 5-year-old boy and two 12-year-old cats (one friendly, the other skittish). The friendly cat was attacked by a neighborhood German shepherd a month ago in our front yard (that dog was turned in to the pound by its owner). My children haven't had a dog in three years and are frightened of Cindy. Our last dog freaked out during fireworks season and ran out onto a nearby highway.
Cindy really likes me and follows me around, which is great. But I don't think she is comfortable with my husband. She had no alpha male in her home, and she was very attached to the 10-year-old boy, even slept with him at night.
I'm concerned for her well-being and comfort since we aren't home from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays. Last night she escaped from our yard when my husband left a gate open. Luckily, a good Samaritan caught her, kept her overnight and then returned her to us this morning after seeing our posts.
Can Uncle Matty work with us to get Cindy acclimated to our family? We've heard him on Ronn Owens' radio show many times. Thank you!
Cindy is a good dog, and with some adjustments and training, she most likely can be acclimated into this household. But important factors were not given proper consideration before adopting her. Anyone thinking of adopting a dog should first ask and answer the following questions:
-- Is every member of the household (even the cats) comfortable around dogs and eager to have one?
-- Is any member of the family allergic to dogs?
-- Who will be responsible for the care and feeding of the dog?
-- Who will exercise the dog? When? And how often?
-- Where will the dog be kept when no one is home? (The answer should be "in a contained section or room inside the house.")
-- Are there practical matters to attend to? Fences to be secured? Gates to be locked? Holes to be filled?
-- Can we afford a dog? Vet bills? Vaccines? Food? Potential boarding or kennel costs? Toys, blankets and bedding?
-- Who will train the dog and how?
Once you have a satisfactory answer to each of these questions, you are ready for dog ownership. Brace yourself for the best 15 to 20-something years of your life!
Woof!
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Dog trainer Matthew "Uncle Matty" Margolis is co-author of 18 books about dogs, a behaviorist, a popular radio and television guest, and host of the PBS series "WOOF! It's a Dog's Life!" Read all of Uncle Matty's columns at the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com, and visit him at www.unclematty.com. Send your questions to dearuncle.gazette@unclematty.com or by mail to Uncle Matty at P.O. Box 3300, Diamond Springs, CA 95619.
Copyright 2009 Creators Syndicate Inc.
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