[Dailydrool] Dog sharing

[Elizabeth Lindsey]

> The rule we have is that if we are going to go visit that dog, we  
> must take the dog at least for overnight and during that time they  
> must see some of their relatives.  It would not be ok for us to  
> stop by, pet the dog on the head and leave.  That would upset the  
> dog.  So when the dogs see us, they know they are coming to see  
> family and then they go back home.  We also usually trade a "loaner".

This is sort of the pattern we've developed with our friend Jennifer  
and her basset Owen, only we're each financially and veterinarily  
responsible for our own dogs, and I don't leave a loaner dog in return.

We used to live catty-corner from each other, and our dogs (at the  
time they were Macy, Owen, and our Elsinore) would go over to each  
others' homes to play in the fenced yards. Jennifer's dogs hung out  
with us while she was at work during the week, and I'd send Elsinore  
over to her house for weekend playdates. The result was that our  
three bassets felt as if they had this extended pack of each other,  
three humans, and two houses and yards.

Then Jennifer, Ken, and I bought houses in different neighborhoods,  
which makes visiting less spontaneous. Despite the geographic  
distance and reduced visiting times, our bassets continue to feel as  
if we're all one big pack. (The two mixed breeds Jennifer adopted  
after Macy died, and young Charlie don't seem to feel this as  
strongly as Elsinore and Owen.) So when Jennifer comes over here with  
her dogs, or we go over to her house with ours, Owen and Elsinore are  
immediately right at home and very comfortable. I joke with Jennifer  
that Elsinore prefers Jennifer's house to ours because Jennifer  
doesn't have nearly as many rules as we do. Jennifer thinks Owen  
likes our house better because we have a more regular routine and  
take him for walks. We also set up a crate for him, and he loves that  
crate. Once I put it in a different room, and he fussed at me until I  
moved it to its usual spot.

Owen can always sense when the visiting party is about to head home.  
At that point he plants himself in front of Jennifer, wags his tail  
hopefully, stares at her, and whines through his nose. Every so often  
he'll glance in my direction. It's so very obvious that he's asking  
if he can stay with us for awhile. Jennifer holds his gaze for a long  
time, deliberating and thinking about the upcoming week's schedule,  
and I tell Owen that he's welcome to stay with us if his "mom" says  
it's okay. She almost always does. As soon as she tells him he can  
stay, he runs happily around the room and then dances in front of the  
door as soon as his leash appears. It's very gratifying that he loves  
us so much that he wants to spend a week or so with us.

We'd send Elsinore over in exchange, but part of having Owen at our  
house is to give Jennifer a break from being one person trying to  
spread lots of love over three demanding dogs. When we go out of  
town, however, Elsinore goes over to Jennifer's, and we take care of  
two of Jennifer's dogs when she's out of town. It's a great  
arrangement that really cuts down on boarding fees. Jennifer's beagle/ 
boxer mix, Lola, and young Charlie do not participate in these  
vacation exchanges because both have proven themselves to be very bad  
house guests. Lola is terribly destructive out of separation anxiety,  
and young Charlie ignores Jennifer's pet door and "forgets" his  
housetraining. All over the house. So those two dogs stay at a doggie  
day care instead, and I believe they're happier there anyway.

What I love about this loose dog-sharing arrangement is the  
opportunity to enjoy another dog without having to be fully  
responsible for it; we can't afford veterinary care for three dogs,  
and our car isn't large enough to travel with three that size. But  
borrowing a dog is great fun and gives us the opportunity to have  
even more canine friends than we would if we had just our own with  
us. I love having Owen be such an integral part of my life and  
knowing that I mean just as much to him as he does to me. Every time  
Jennifer calls to tell him it's time to pack up his bags and head  
home, almost always before he's showing signs of being ready to go  
back to his "real" home, I remind him that he always has a home here  
with us if he should ever need one, and I mean it.

Elizabeth