Thursday, August 12, 2010

Buki update

Buki, for anyone who doesn't know, is our second dog who has some challenging issues. We got her when she was a year old. We don't know what happened to her that first year, but she was very fearful of people. Since then she has gotten much better with people, but has become aggressive with other dogs. About a year ago she got in a big fight with our first dog. A lot of people thought we should get rid of her. Instead we have used closed doors, the crate, the backyard and a muzzle as tools to keep the dogs apart. So for the past year, like Sarah Palin and a coherent sentence, the two of them have seen each other across the room but never actually come into contact.

In the past month a lot of people have asked us about our adoption and Buki, so here is the update. The first thing we have done is to fatten Buki up. This has made a big difference. Even though the vets always complimented us on her weight, they said it's possible she was cranky because she was hungry. We gave her a deworming just in case, increased her food, and even temporarily switched her to puppy food. The second thing is that we put her on Prozac. That has definitely helped her anxiety without affecting her energy too much. We've also gotten on a waiting list for the superfancy experts at the veterinary hospital. And finally this past week we felt that things had improved to the point where we could reintroduce the dogs to each other. We are doing this in the evenings, when they are at their calmest, and it has gone very smoothly. We just let them be in a room together with plenty of space around them and both of us nearby but not hovering. Last night they were up to two hours together and they spent most of the time passed out on the floor snoring. We're pleased and hopeful.

The goal right now is to just have a smooth visit with the social worker during our homestudy. We haven't yet decided what to do when it's time to bring a child into the house. That's something we will be thinking about a lot during this next year.

2 comments:

  1. Just wanted to introduce myself. We're another WHFC waiting family - we've been on the waiting list since January for a sibling pair under age four. We also have two biological kids, ages 9 & 6. Like you, we were not "called by God" to adopt - it's just something we've always wanted to do.

    In another random similarity, we also had dog issues. At the time my son was born, we had two great danes, one of whom was fear aggressive (to people and other dogs). She was super sweet to us, but no stranger could come near us. We were very worried about what would happen when we brought the baby home, but it was like she immediately knew that it was a part of our pack, and she never bothered him. She was protective of him (didn't let the grandparents get to close unless we were around), but never seemed upset by him. So, I guess wait and see. You won't know how it's going to work out until you have your little one around.

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  2. Hi Kristin! Thanks for getting in touch! I'm glad to hear your dog story had a happy ending. I hope ours does too.
    We are not requesting siblings, but we're considering it. I would love to hear the thought process that led to your decision, if you feel comfortable sharing. You can email me at yiothetisi@yahoo.com
    Thanks!
    Kyra

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