We have a rescued rotty-coon hound mix. Lilly-Puppy is now almost 4. We got her when she was about 10 weeks old and she was SO tiny- and she still is, weighing in at about 45 pounds. Her personality is, well, needy! She was severely beaten, had one leg broken, and was found in a trash bag on the side of the road. The humane society took her in, set the leg, and we got her as soon as the leg was healed enough to let her come home. She is afraid of everything and everyone- and barks her little head off when afraid. As an example, my daughter put on a new baseball cap and Lilly barked, she took it off and Lilly stopped, put it on- bark, off, stop. Took the poor dog three days to get used to the hat! She is NOT aggressive, rather very, very passive and at times, LOUD (imagine hound baying mixed with rotty and you get the picture).
We have had to work very, very hard with her to rehabilitate her. She was on doggie meds for a while to help with separation anxiety. As long as she is with family or our older lab she is okay, but left alone she still chews and gets into trouble. Her barking is problematic, but controllable. We have taken her to doggie classes for socialization, and it has helped but not eliminated the problem. Her bad leg went very bad this fall, and it cost us $1200 to repair (it would have been almost as much to amputate). We hated to spend the money, but it was necessary. She is a member of the family. However, Lilly is NOT a cheap or easy dog.
Now, for the positives. She is the most loving and tolerant being in the world. She loves our 4 kids, and I have a feeling she could actually get aggressive if she thought the kids were threatened. She barks when people fight or scream- which isn't all that bad since it makes us stop rather than upset her! She is smart, funny and keeps us on our toes. For example, she has learned to "ask" to go out at night; when my DH lets her back in she runs upstairs and jumps into his spot in the bed. He is convinced she does this on purpose. She chases the cats and when she catches them she licks the cats until they are slimy. She has been found on many occasions sleeping in a pile with the lab and the cats. She eats pickles, brussel sprouts, onions and anything dropped by a child or husband from the table (I, of course, would never feed her from the table). Obviously, she is a dearly beloved member of our family. Although she is a high maintenance dog who needs a lot of work, we would not trade her for the most perfect dog in the world.
You might check out the puppy personality test link. Check your pup for aggressive tendencies and other personality traits. Based on the results of this test, see how the puppy would fit into your family. IF you are willing to do the work necessary to help this little pup out, it can be the most rewarding task you do in many eons. But, recognize that the pup may be a little or a lot more work than the typical puppy. If you are up to it, you may have a new best friend! We have never, ever regretted getting Lilly (okay, tonite when she spread coffee grounds on the kitchen floor because we left the garbage out and were gone extra long I thought about sending her to Siberia!- that is until she licked my hand and gave me those brown puppy eyes that said, "Sorry!"). We aren't so sure that we found her- we think that she found us and we are glad she has chosen us as her family.
puppy personality test
