[Dailydrool] Very frustrating . . .

[Alicia Pool]

We adopted Liz seven months ago.  At the time, we already had Flo and Gabe.
Flo had just turned a year old and Gabe was still a pup.  Liz had been a
stray before she ended up in rescue and then eventually adopted by us.  She
never has acted like she had been abused, only probably hungry.  She has
been a challenge from the start, surely from everything that she had been
through.  She has been like a selfish bully since the day she arrived.
Everything is fine as long as she gets all of the attention, toys, treats,
etc, etc, etc.  I have worked really hard with her trying to help her
understand that although she has a place here, she is not in charge and the
others are allowed to be here too.  She has been so mean and hateful to the
others that I'll admit it has been really hard for me to bond with her like
I have the other two - I know – that’s awful.

We have had a fairly good truce for awhile and it really seemed like things
were settling down and would be ok.  I still keep a close eye out because
she still tries to pull her bullying tactics when she thinks she can get
away with it.  The other day, my husband was sitting in the living room with
all of them, Liz sleeping in close proximity to his chair.  He calls Flo
over to him and as she is walking by, Liz tears into her, unlike anything
she has done in the past.  Liz bloodied the side of Flo's face and one of
her ears and it took my husband AND teenage son to pull Liz off of Flo.

I really don't know what to do. Making excuses for her because of what she
went through in her past only goes so far, especially when she does physical
harm to one of the other dogs.  We have spent seven months making sure she
had proper meals, proper vet care, walks, cuddles, attention, warm in the
winter, cool in the summer, clean, flea-less.  I guess we are back to square
one.  And I guess I can cancel her one day a week stay at doggie daycare
with the others that they are starting next week.  I certainly can't risk
injury to someone else's dog if that is what she is capable of doing to a
dog she has lived with for months.

Very frustrating, disappointing and disheartening.

Alicia, Flo, Gabe and Liz (did I go too far??)
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