When it doesn't work out

I decided this was the morning; I'm ready to talk about it. And I think that I can get through the whole post without crying. As you all know from my brags we added a new beautiful white girl puppy to our pack back in August. She is amazing; and up there with Luke with her smarts. But it was not meant to be.

Brook is living with a wonderful family; a standard poodle family where she has a young house sibling to brawl with constantly. So although it was a very sad story it definitely has a happy ending; at least for Brook. She is doing great an I am in constant contact with her new family.

I knew that adding another dog to my existing pack was going to be a difficult one. When I temperament tested Brook's litter; all the puppies scored pretty great. We packed up our puppy and brought her home. She was kissed and hugged and toted around constantly and bonded very quickly with me. As a dog trainer I've worked with alot of puppies; Brook is one of the most intelligent dogs I've ever met.

But something was amiss in the pack; something was changing in my dogs and in Brook. It was not a match personality wise; I saw glimpses of the mismatch several weeks in and worked on some issues. And after several agonizing weeks, days of crying and heartache I realized that it simply was not going to mesh. It was not a good match for Brook or my guys.

And this is the most important factor of the story; an amazing breeder. It you don't get a puppy from a good breeder and it doesn't work out, then what? As a specialist in canine behavior I knew that a rehoming should be done asap so with a very heavy heart she joined her Mother and siblings for a while. It has taken me months to get over it; she is constantly in my thoughts and she etched a mark on my heart that will stay there forever.

I have had to counsel families where two or more dogs were just not going to work it out. Sometimes it simply doesn't work and you have to do what is best for all dogs involved. As canine guardians it is our job and commitment to do our best; and my best was to give Brook an alternative family; one with younger dogs in it. It was very important for her to have constant canine companionship and my guys were not fitting the bill.

It was a very complicated pack dimension; as are most pack matters. For things to run smoothly all canines have to be on board or at least be workable. Sometimes personalities just do not blend; and when this happens it is sad but we must do our best to make things work for everyone. I did that; it was one of the saddest and most difficult things I've ever had to do but I believe very strongly in the saying; "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."