PARKER

update: December 2002!

This is one adoption story that I am personally overjoyed to write!! I picked up our boy Pongo from the Animal Control facility in Providence, Rhode Island late last year after he had been in the klink for over a month. Everyone loved him and there were many of Providence's finest police officers on hand to bid Pongo adieu.

I brought him home and he was an angel. Even the Angels From God loved him, and I was oh-so-tempted to adopt him myself. Pongo was clearly too good to be an Eskie. Ann and Diane talked me out of it....using a bunch of reasons thinly disguised as common sense.

So I drove him to Diane's for foster care. At Diane's house, the next morning, Pongo opened the front screen door and chased Willie Gonzalez around the front lawn before he nipped him in the butt. The spell was broken, and Pongo had worn out his welcome in less than 24 hours. Now we're talkin' Eskie!!!

Pongo gets acquainted with Irma La Deuce...

And, so, Pongo bounced around between foster homes while we tried to diagnose these behavior quirks. Finally, Pongo wound up back with me, and after some more work, we figured he was about as good as he was gonna get. That's when we heard from Diane and Mike Couch about adopting a second Eskie.

The Couchs had adopted our dog Jack a few months earlier, and, believe me, Jack truly was one of our best dogs. I hesitate to say that about any dog now, because as soon as I utter the words, the dog repays my compliment by pulling some kind of outrageous stunt. Jack, though, is a wonderfully behaved dog and to my knowledge has not yet screwed up.

It was a tremendous compliment to the Couchs that I wanted them for Pongo. Although, after the first two days in their home, the nuance of that particular compliment escaped them, I am sure. Apparently Pongo acted up a bit.

Ok, so all hell broke loose. And one week later, I was scheduled to meet Mike to pick up the problem child. When I called to confirm, Diane vetoed the plan. That Pongo knows how to work over a lady. He had wormed his way into their hearts and was promptly renamed Parker.

Mike let me know quite clearly that the situation was still dicey but they were going to work with him. Whew!!!! I was on pins and needles for the next few weeks, and now, it seems as though -- despite Parker's best efforts -- he is their permanent problem child. Well, everyone has to have one.

Here are their two first reports:

Jack and Parker have become friends.

Parker loves to play outside. It's hard for a boy to stay absolutely clean.

Denise,

Parker is doing well with the two of us. He knows his name now. He loves his walks and car rides. He gets along swell with Jack too. But he still has problems with other people and dogs. We will be having a professional behavioral trainer coming to the house. I hope that this will help. However, given what little I explained to the trainer about his behavior, the trainer expressed some positive points, but cautioned us that if his fear is so heavily ingrained he may not be able to overcome the fear (fight or flight) syndrome. Denise, we are trying and will keep trying. But if he is incorrigible, and will not conform to other people and animals, we will not be able to keep Parker. We have become very attached to him, but can not live with the possibilty of someone getting bit. Shortly we will be having our newborn Grandson visiting us. We can not live with the possibilty of Parker harming our Grandson. We hope that you realize our situation. Once again, we have not given up! We are devoted to make Parker a lovable and social dog. Wish us the best...

...Mike & Diane

Denise,

Just a short note to let you know that Parker is loved by the two of us. He is our problem child, the one who would be getting F's in school and always getting into trouble! He has escaped a number of times on us, but we drive the car after him with the window down and he will jump in the car!! Jack and Parker get along fine. I've received several comments on how nice the two dogs look. Parker loves to have his head stuck out the car window. If the window is closed, he tries to pull the window down with his paw, but we just let the window down a little for him to get his head out. I'm sure he thinks he is putting the window down. How many dogs do you have now? Take care.

Mike & Diane