Sable
As an adorable new puppy, Sable started out staying in the house but invariably ended up living outside in a small fenced area, with two other dogs. Being a true genius, she quickly learned to climb over the chain-link fence, so her owners tethered her with a cable attached to a cinder block. However, this didn’t stop Sable from climbing out. She could easily drag the cinder block around, and the cable didn’t prevent her from climbing over the fence. On a couple of occasions, she got the cable hung up on the fence and became stuck standing on her hind feet unable to get her front paws to the ground. Apparently she couldn’t climb back into her yard while in that predicament, so she would begin yelping loudly.
The owners were unresponsive to concerns repeatedly expressed about Sable’s situation, and eventually animal-services were contacted. A responding officer witnessed Sable hung up and dangling with only her hind feet on the ground. The officer assisted, and together we tried to make an impression on the owner about the importance of properly caring for the dog. However, the owner was primarily resentful about the animal services having been called, and the remedy was merely to shorten the length of the cable and add more cinder blocks. There was no doghouse and rarely a blanket to lie on, so Sable had to compete for space on a cluttered and crowded porch. Sometimes the cable was too short to reach the porch, and the poop in the yard typically accumulated excessively.
Repeated offers were made to adopt Sable and find her a suitable home, but the owner was intent on keeping the dog. The owner was repeatedly warned that, due to Sable’s nature as a pit-bull, she would naturally become aggressive toward the other dogs if left untrained, especially in such a confined environment. These warnings were naturally ignored, until Sable started growing depressed and became aggressive toward the other dogs. Therefore, the owner finally conceded to give up the dog.
Sable was eagerly accepted when the offer was made. She was flea-allergic and was looking mangy by that time. Restoring her coat took considerable attention, but after a few weeks of regular baths and a good diet, she was looking pretty good. Sable was exceptionally intelligent and cooperative, so her training was a breeze, especially compared to a couple of Doberman Pincers that had been previously owned. In six weeks, Sable learned all basic obedience skills both on and off the leash - an accomplishment that had taken six months with the stubborn natured Dobermans. With only a slight bit of encouragement, Sable became totally friendly and outgoing toward people in general as well as other animals. The original owner was in awe at Sable's behavior after a few weeks of proper attention and training. Unfortunately, permanent ownership of the remarkable dog wasn’t a feasible option for a single musician/poet with a full-time job on the side. After about eight weeks, Sable was taken by a family with a couple of young kids.
The time with Sable was a happy and fulfilling episode for both of us. At her departure, great relief and satisfaction were felt knowing that she would never again need to be fenced or chained. When Sable left, she was truly a very happy dog.
