The Art of Natural Dressage

My dear Karen:

I don't think there is anything harsh about realizing that there are no more options.

And I truly believe that there is mercy in helping a dog escape illness -- and mental illness is just as painful, I think, as physical illness, if not more. And as agonizing as it is, sometimes the only escape is final.

I think one of the hardest things about a situation like this is to grapple with how to make meaning out of it, because it seems so random and so brutal. A beautiful, loved, otherwise healthy being self-destructing through no fault of his own. It's horrible.

Please know that we're all holding you in your grieving -- as well as Connor and his owner.

And that maybe some other lost soul will benefit from something that came from your interaction with Connor, or his owner's interaction and love for him. And maybe his soul needed to learn something with this lesson in this round. Or maybe bad stuff just happens.
I don't know.

But I do know that finding open hearts and love and kindness made Connor's life different than it would have been without it. Whatever hell he's been living with would have been exponentially magnified without the kind of empathy and compassion he has been shown.

He -- and everyone who has touched his life, and who has been touched by his -- are the better for it, even if the last answer isn't the one everyone was hoping for.


Leigh

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"Ours is the portal of hope. Come as you are." -- Rumi
www.imaginalinstitute.com

First of all, I feel so sorry for you Karen, I know how it feels when you can not fix something like that, especially when you get used to the fact that you ussually can.

I too thought immediatly of brain damage or ilness.
It sounded also a bit like Inocencio. Allthough he is not quite that agressive, thank goodness.
But the total non warning and dangerous behaviour....that sounds pretty much the same.

I am sad that he has to 'cross over'. But from my huge distance it is easy to say, that for him it is not so big a deal. He'll have a new chance and hopefully in a healthy body and sane mind next time around... if you know what I mean...

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www.equusuniversalis.com

Leigh and Josepha, thank you so much.

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"Ride reverently, as if each step is the axis on which the earth revolves"

Karen, I think Josepha and Leigh have put this in a nutshell, Connor's owner and yourself have indeed made his life much better than it could have been.

Perhaps he came to teach humans a lesson or learn a lesson himself, whatever the fact that he was met with love and compassion means a lot.

We all support you and you are a very kind and lovely person to help him in the way you did.

This link www.equine-behavior.com has a list of articles in the archives section, the bottom article is on PTSD and explains how it causes changes to the brain.

Hugs
Eileen

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Listen! Or your tongue will make you deaf.

Cherokee Saying

Eileen, thank you for that link. I hadn't really followed the PTSD discussion regarding Gouch. It makes a great deal of sense though, and it's a distinct possibility this could be a factor. I know that Connor had a good life and a caring owner, but I am also aware that dogs go through several fear periods early in their life (or perhaps I should say it is theorized that they do - not sure it's proven), and it doesn't take much of a stressor at these times to leave a mark on a dog for the rest of it's life.

My last AIredale, Indiana, got a scare from a very well meaning person....someone just watned to pet him. He was a very large man and as he approached Indy (who was less than six months old), Indy got very unsure, and tried to back away. But he was cornered. The man continued to move toward him to pet him, and Indy let out a low growl. He was backed up to a doorway, and I reached over and opened that door to let him escape. He did.

It was the first time he growled at anyone...and he continued to do it for the rest of his life. He would, in fact, approach someone with his tail wagging...he would walk right up to them...and if they then reached down to pet him (a very natural reaction for a person), he would stop wagging and he would growl at them.

He never bit anyone his entire life, but no training...not clicker or otherwise, could change that response in him. Nothing. So I kept him safe (just in case) for his whole life.

When I got Rio, I was extremely careful during his youth to make sure he did NOT have any stress like this. He was socialized with the world, but only if I was in complete control of the situtation.

With Connor, the first sign was at a busy dog show. He was young. That may have been the moment that changed his ability to cope with the world. He was beaten, he had an easy life. But something may have unnerved him. And the result was that he was changed forever.

I feel that you can, under certain circumstances, rewire the brain so to speak, through training. But the problem is never really gone. It was that way with Indy. It has been that way with the fear biters I've worked with. Training can teach them coping behaviors. But the event that triggers the problem cannot be undone...the damage is always there.

Thank you for the link again...it helped me remember some things. It may help me from forgetting this very important fact again in the future.

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"Ride reverently, as if each step is the axis on which the earth revolves"