Pet Project

Raven

Do you have a pet? What kind of pet do you own, and why did you choose it? 

I'm not sure if we "own" Raven, our 12-pound Schipperke dog.

She's more a furry member of our family.

Raven has been part of our family since 2000, when we adopted her from a shelter. She had been abandoned, left in a cage in front of the shelter for the shelter workers to find when they came to work in the morning.

We picked her as she was on a list of dog types that I thought would be least allergenic and would fit other criteria such as being smaller due to our living in a condominium and being long-lived. I also wanted an intelligent, active breed that was good with families as our son was 7 years old at the time.

Schipperkes are described thusly: ...an agile, active watchdog and hunter of vermin. In his native Belgium the Schipperke was a ratter and riverboat watchdog, probably developed from the same roots as Belgian shepherd dogs. His name is Flemish for "little shepherd."

I was shocked to have found her as I was not looking for a purebred but there she was at the first shelter I visited.

She seemed sweet of temperament yet at the same time feisty. (When I returned to the shelter with my son in tow so he could meet her as per the shelter's rules he tried to pet her with his finger through her small wire cage. She promptly nipped him lightly. He was undeterred and very good with her.)

Raven (the name the shelter gave her and to which she answered after spending the enter summer there) turned out to be a bit of a basket case for the first two years we had her. She had obviously been abused. If one just picked up a newspaper or magazine she cowered in fear. Though estimated to be 2 years old, she was not house broken. She also grew terrified at the tiniest provocation so it took loads of patience to make her feel secure enough to become housebroken and less afraid.

Raven is still extremely high strung but being a watchdog that is bred into her. She's very loyal and loving--she will not fully relax unless all her people are home. In line with her watchdog status she barks a lot. Since I'm home the most I tend to tune it out though sometimes I appreciate it because she lets me know whomever is in the vicinity--like if I'm waiting on a package delivery, she gives me the heads up whilst they are still down the street.

Reading my blog you'll see that she gets mentioned quite often as she's much like another child. I find it very endearing that though my son is now 6'2" at age 14, she still recognizes him as the child of the family and goes the extra mile keeping an eye on him. ...............................

                                                                                                  Catching winter rays...

Comments

[Cyn]

What you say? :D

[James McCrackan]

"...waiting on a package delivery."

You've become infected with Chicagococcus malagrammatica. The only known cure is to utterly isolate yourself from the local public and media. Listen to BBC World until symptoms abate.