Dog Dilemma

I'm in a canine conundrum. Her name is Nikko

My friend B & I pulled a year old Akita bitch from her young, less than a rocket scientist owner on Sunday. The theory was that she'd become one of the 'program' dogs -- she's be placed with a foster in our rescue group, and someone somewhere sooner or later would give her a great home.

One of my students has been incredibly generous and opened her home to Nikko as a foster. Despite the fact she's not crate trained (though her owner vowed she was), can pull like a tank on a leash (she's gotten over that for the most part), and is an unspayed Akita, she has charmed D & her family.

And me.

D has a houseful and barn-full of animals. Dogs, chickens, rabbits, horses; I don't blame her one iota for not wanting to add this Tigger of a girl to her life. It's beyond wonderful that she's giving Nikko an incredible foster home, with terrific socialization, lots of activity, as well as structure and discipline.


I come into the picture because I am smitten with this pure white girl-dog. She's smart, sweet, funny -- if not downright goofy, willful, loving, and curious. What strikes me most about her is her intelligence. I've never seen a dog with her level of curiosity. She's interested in everything - leaves flying by on the wind, cars roaring up the road, the freshly piled laundry, a dog barking behind closed windows.

As we walk, her head is constantly pivoting around, as her senses pick up different stimuli. Better, while she's interested, it's clear she doesn't have the pup equivalent of ADHD. I like smart dogs, and this girl is an Einstein.

She's not particularly attractive: she's already had a litter of puppies (don't ask!) and is stick thin. Her head looks too big for her body, and her twig-like legs look to fragile to support her weight. And, in general, I don't like other people's dogs. I am, in short, a dog snob. The fact I like her so very much is an indicator of how special she is.

The issues center around my two beloved, cherished and adored pups at home. The Big Guy is frail, and adding a bouncy, playful adolescent to his staid and quiet existence may be too much for him to handle. And I'm not so sure The Little Princess would be too terribly thrilled about another DOG in her household.

Introductions wouldn't be terribly easy. I have no doors in my house. So it's not as if I could put the New Dog in one room, and the other two somewhere else. What to do, what to do??

The bottom line is that I must take care of my pack first. These two have been my boon and stalwart companions who love me, just as I adore them. Their health, well-being and happiness comes first.