Keep Pushin' On

Sorry I haven't communicated in a couple of days....life as you know.....
Shea is a fabulous fellow and like all fabulous fellows he has a few flaws...well that might be too harsh a statement, let me clarify. 

Shea is suspected of being born to a Great Pyr. mom and a Komondor dad on a chicken farm of some kind in Alabama.  The story goes that the farmer that has his parents keep Shea and his brother Sullivan (also a Fluffy Dog Rescue up for adoption) on the farm after the remainder of the litter was given away or whatever.  After a time, he took the boys and just dumped them out in the country, where they were picked up as strays together.  They stayed together at the shelter in Alabama, they traveled together to Wisconsin and that is when they for the first time in their lives they where separated.
Shea has gone through so much in the last few weeks, as in one of my earlier post I told you all about the neutering, the dew claw removal, traveling 790 miles give or take a few, to a new place and to top it all off losing his brother in the process.  Then finding himself living with Jake the Jerk, Sweet Molls, a bunch of cats and the Lady......a very strange pride/pack indeed!
He decided on Thursday to stop eating.....no he didn't want kibble with yogurt....no kibble with yogurt and peanut butter.....yes I'll eat a cookie treat here and there....I only want water!  Now this just wasn't working for me....as you can see I tried a few tricks...yesterday I called our Fearless Leader Lori....."Dog will not eat, and man this Dude is so thin 3 missed meals and I'm moving into panic mode"  Lori suggested I buy canned food and see if that will get the stomach kicked back into gear!  So yesterday morning in sweats and a flannel shirt with my hair sticking up all over I ran to the gas station in town and purchased one can of Alpo.....canned dog food is so bizarre, I mean have you ever smelled anything else quite like it? 
Well ladies and gentlemen that did the trick....1/2 can of dog food and he was all over it!  Last nights dinner was 1/2 can mixed with kibble and a tablespoon of yogurt to boot!  Breakfast today was much of the same. On my way home from work I picked up 5 large cans! 

Back to the fabulous with a few flaws....the flaws are not flaws, Shea is shy, he will warm-up to everyone we meet walking down the street, but the head is down, the butt pulled in they eyes somewhat concerned....he is morning the loss of his brother, the bond he had with his litter mate was strong.....he's learning to live in a house and respond to new dogs, new cats and a new person, he is just sad! 

But he is fabulous.....when it is just us, Jake, Molls, Shea and I, on the walk, his head is up and he has the Great Pyr smile on his face, his eyes are bright and he trots with a bounce in his step.  He will hear a strange noise, barking dog, kids in a yard, power tools and come to a stop....then with a "Come Shea"  he is right back in line beside me!  He wanders around the house....smelling the counter top....."No Shea" he walks away, he sniffs this and sniffs that and then slowly one foot, followed by the other three goes up on the sofa or the love-seat and he curls up and goes to sleep.  He takes his treats so gently from my hand, he waits for his food politely that I'm waiting on things like "Sit" "Stay" and "Down", I have tried "Sit" a few times and I know we will get there, he will "Wait" at the front or the back door and let me go out first, or he will "Wait" on the side of the road whenever he is asked.  The potty training is going so well, I can hardly believe it, and his natural response to the leash is remarkable.  But I want to give him some more time to settle in, morn the loss of his brother and begin to understand he is safe here.  So as you can see the Fabulous totally out weighs his sadness flaws...which are not flaws at all, just canine nature!
The Lady