The dog in the photo above is terrified. I know this dogs expression and body language now. She has anxiety. And she has no idea what happened to her family. Her name was Pantera, Spanish for panther. She was abandoned at a kill shelter in San Antonio, Texas. Our fourteen year black lab had just passed on. We were doing a rescue dog search one week later. Our house was empty without a dog. We looked at several dogs online. We put in several requests for adoptions. And this was the first one that answered us.
It's been a long year. We renamed her Tallulah. She moved into our home with much anxiety and energy. Two weeks after bringing her home last November she darted out of our side door and was hit by a car in front of our home. After two surgeries, having a leg amputated, and many many dollars she returned home to us and recuperated for the next eight weeks. She was sedated and sleeping on our couch most of that time. So we did not really get to know her true personality even after sharing our home with her for ten weeks.
The two photos above are from her return home after the first emergency pet er visit. There is still a lot of fear in eyes. She is in a strange house, in pain, and no idea what is going on. But she did recover and won over our hearts completely. We would not trade her for anything..
My blogs are usually travel blogs. And although we were still under the influence of Covid-19 for another year this year we did take two vacations. And Tallulah learned to travel with us. At home Tallulah proved to be a watch dog. The minute she goes outside the door she goes on duty, barking, growling and all the neighbors and anyone within eye sight to stay out of her yard and away from her house. She can not relax when out in the yard. He ears are up at attention. Her tail is up in the air and not wagging. And she is watching everything around her. If you knock on our door or come into our house she is in defense mode until you win her over. So travelling with her was a major concern for us. We had no idea how she would react to a different house and setting. We were concerned how she would behave in a new neighborhood. Here she is at home. She is not relaxed outside. She is one guard duty.
We rented a beach house this past summer on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It is one of our favorite vacation destinations. Our previous dog, Delilah, loved the beach and going to beach house each year. But how would the guard dog Tallulah react was our question. We rented a house with handicap ramps so she would not have any issues climbing the tall steps on Outer Banks homes with only three legs. She was well behaved in the car on the drive down the North Carolina. When we arrived we had problems getting her to walk up the handicap ramps. And once inside the house she took some time to sniff around the property and then she completely relaxed. She was not on guard duty. She was not snarling out of the windows at the neighbors. She just completely relaxed. She wa not working. She was on vacation.
Tallulah relaxing on the porch of the beach house watching the lake across the street .
We were amazed with her behavior while on vacation in May. In September we took a second holiday and drove to New Hampshire, another favorite vacation spot. We rented a cabin in the woods. It was very secluded and comfortable. We relaxed in the wooded development and so did Tallulah once more. She loved the cabin. She loved walking down the dirt roads and sniffing all the natural scents around her. The only time she was agitated or excited was one afternoon when a group of wild turkeys walked across our yard. She was very curious and wanted to know what those big birds were doing in the yard. But for the most part she took a vacation from her guard duties and had a wonderful relaxed vacation.
Here she is below completely relaxed on the couch in the cabin
Although she looks like a black lab she is in reality a Patterdale Terrier/Black Lab mix. Her attitude is pure terrier so we basically have a fifty pound terrier to control and handle, But she is all heart and we love her so much. She has spent the past year stealing our hearts and making her home with us.
As we start a new year with her our only wish is to have many more trips around the sun with her. We had Delilah for twelve years and she died at age fourteen. May we have just as many or more with Tallulah. We live in any area named Carney. We call her Tallulah Countess of Carney. And she truly is the Countess.
Beware Bond. The Patterdale is on guard duty.
