Oh the antics of Kobi. What surprise will await me today my dear sweet Kobi? Will you have dug a new hole underneath the fence? Or perhaps another broken lamp?
In January 2011, sadly and reluctantly I had to put to sleep my Cocker Spaniel mix named Poppy. Poppy gave us 15 wonderful happy years. He was very special in my family. He never broke a thing around the house or ever escaped. He was a loving, loyal, a good watchdog.
When Poppy left us, it left a painful gaping hole in our hearts. Watching my surviving little Peek-a-Poo "Gordo" everyday, was a constant reminder of how sorely Poppy was missed, and because of Gordo, I decided to adopt Kobi, a beautiful Buff Red Cocker Spaniel.
When I met Kobi, I fell in love with him. He is believed to be about five years old. He was not in the best of shape when I first adopted him and needed a lot of TLC. I cleaned him up and took him to the vet to treat him for the bad ear infection. Immediately, Kobi bonded with me. He began to behave very much like my Poppy: sleeping by my bed, following me around the house, and not losing sight of me.
Kobi's been around now for a over a month and has flourished beautifully. He's gained 8 pounds and his coat is beautiful. Kobi is a very sweet and affectionate dog but he also has a few things I am trying to work on. Now that he has gained all the confidence in his new home, he's let his guard down and is showing some habits that may have been the reason he was abandoned.
He is petrified of thunder, has anxiety disorder, submissive urination, is a bit destructive when left alone in the house, and worst of all? He loves to dig under the fence. Ok, so I have my work cut out for me. Sometimes I have doubts if Kobi had found the perfect home for him. After all I have to work and cannot spend all day with him. He needs a lot of exercise, something that I cannot give him much of because of health problems. But if I give up on him, another family may not be so patient with him and Kobi runs the risk of being abandoned again. No, I can not give up on Kobi and I would not put Kobi through another family, not after he's bonded with me and Gordo.
The thunder part, no problem. I will deal with it. Anxiety disorder and submissive urination is being dealt with and I have progressed quite a bit with him. I have removed breakable objects from his reach and am trying to correct his anxious behavior, but the digging under the fence has me fearing for his life and my other little one. If he were to escape, my other little one will follow him, and not being street-smart, they could end up being killed by a car.
I have spent two exhausting weeks trying to dog-proof my backyard but he is very determined. The ideas to make a permanent barrier around my yard are there but money is a big issue. Everything takes money and a lot elbow grease. Meanwhile, I keep coming up with temporary ideas to keep him safe. Keep him locked up in the house while I'm gone you say? I have tried that. He broke the dogie door trying to get out of the house. Once he sets his mind to do something, he does it! You can safely say Kobi has ADHD (lol).
I love Kobi; he is very sweet and loving, and I've come to love him so much that I cannot bear to part with him at this point. Therefore, I am frustratedly determined to work with him, after all he is not the first dog I've had to train.
When I'm around, he loves being with me and is always at my feet. If he could be with me every minute of the day, he would be one happy dog, but unfortunately that is not an option. Meanwhile, until I can find and afford a more permanent solution to the digging, I will continue to come home and pick after him or continue to cover holes under the fence. Keeping him in the house, will have to do for now. God has been graceful because where I lack in money I excel in patience.
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