Sadly, No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: 7/4-10 Weekly Wrap

Bandit has not worked out. At all. And yet right now, he’s still living with us.Thankfully I have a lot of friends who know a lot of other people involved in dog rescue, and I am working really, really hard to get the word out about Bandit and save his life. Literally. I don’t want to have to euthanize this dog.

I’m wrapping it up  with the Weekly Wrap from Holly @ Hohoruns and Tricia @ Misssipppiddlin. Share your healthy lifestyle with us and find out how other women are keeping active this summer.

Workouts update

• Monday: Firecracker 4 race, Dogwalk
• Tuesday:  2.5 miles recovery run, Dogwalk x 2 (and 2 dogs!)
• Wednesday: Dogwalk 2 x 2, Danette May Arms & Shoulders, Legs & Glutes, FLow
• Thursday:  Dogwalk 2 x 1, 1.5 tempoish run
• Friday:  Dogwalk,
• Saturday: 6 miles easy (sort of, hilly route), so many dogwalks, Athlete’s Guide to Yoga (It Band Flow, Restorative Poses, affiliate link)
• Sunday: Dogwalk x 3, Core

Mileage: 14 (+1)

TIU = Tone it Up
TM = Treadmill
YFR = Yoga for Runners*
WU = warmup
YFPR = Yoga for Pain Relief
YTU = Yoga Tune Up Lower Body*

*Disclaimer: Amazon affiliate links; I will make a small amount of money if you buy through these links

I’ve gotten good at smiling for the camera; I never felt less like smiling

Running update
Monday was one of my favorite local races, the Firecracker 4. It starts too late, it’s usually hot, it’s hilly & challenging, but the spectator support is outstanding and I’m usually running with friends. A good time was had by all.

Last week I wrote that Tuesday’s run was my slowest in a long time. No, this Tuesday’s run was the slowest in a long time! Hey, it was just a recovery run and it was done at too early o’clock and on very little sleep .

Thursday it was very hot and humid and I realized that I only needed about 1.5 miles, which was good, because I didn’t have a whole lot of time, so I did them on the treadmill.

Saturday was much cooler (again!). I was unable to run with my group due to our issues with Bandit, but I was still able to get out there and do 6 somewhat hilly miles, which is the farthest I’ve run since my last half.

How can such a cute dog be so broken? 😦

Favorites of the week
It was the week from hell, my blogger friends. Bandit seemed to be settling in so well. I was actually able to go about my life pretty normally by Wednesday, except he was having some separation anxiety issues so I couldn’t go for my swim.

Thursday I took him to the holistic vet for a wellness exam, and that is where our lives fell apart. I apprised them of his issues being leery of new people. When my vet stuck her head in, he growled at her. She came in a little later, sat across the room from us, fed him a few treats. And then she tried to muzzle him.

He went for her, and even though she backed up, he kept going and bit her right through her pants. I was so shocked that I didn’t even apologize enough. She said that while she could try some herbs to calm him down, her recommendation was euthanization.

I have brought all my animals to her. We muzzle Lola because her back adjustments are painful sometimes, and the minute that muzzle comes off Lola is jumping all over the vet for her treat.

I don’t think you can even imagine how heartbroken I was. I called his previous owner, and while it took a long time to get to her, she said nothing like that had ever happened before. The next day I called her former vet, and they confirmed that nothing like that had ever happened. Since then the previous owner stopped returning my calls.

The next day I called the regular vet; they had no appointments available, but referred me to another vet who had a behaviorist on staff. Unfortunately she lives in NJ and only comes every couple of weeks; she was actually supposed to be seeing animals that day, but there were no appointments so she didn’t come. I called her and left a message, and made an appointment with a regular vet there.

The vet we saw was wonderful. We also saw a trainer, and I talked to the behaviorist later that night. They all agreed that Bandit suffered from fear aggression, and that we have to have him on leash all the time, or crated, and that he can’t be on the furniture or our bed.

Of course we just did everything wrong in the beginning, but we also were not aware of how serious Bandit’s issues were. I’ve always been into training, and I’ve done a lot of things that Mr. Judy rolled his eyes at, but know I think he can see how easily this could have happened to Chester or Lola without the right environment. Dogs need discipline and boundaries, just like children. That doesn’t mean you have to roll them or use a choke collar, but with some dogs, not setting boundaries can just have disastrous results.

Even though both Chester and Lola had issues we had to work through, they weren’t as serious as this. The previous owner cannot take him back, and we cannot hold onto him long because I am having to walk the dogs separately (and take Bandit on multiple walks a day to tire him out), and we are having to keep Gizmo in the laundry room to keep him safe.

We are working with a few people involved in rescue to try to find a home for Bandit, and have decided to give him another week with us, even though it makes my life very difficult trying to make sure everyone is safe. Bandit’s issues are not his fault — he had a rocky start in life and I suspect that his previous owner just let him have his way or turned a blind eye to warning signs that something wasn’t right.

Bandit shouldn’t have to pay the ultimate price for the mistakes of his humans, but my first priority has to be to my own animals. It truly all just breaks my heart and I have spent a lot of time crying this week.

At least the week started well!

There really was very little good about this week, but I did run the Firecracker 4 on the fourth, with friends, and Mr. Judy had no issues with Bandit while I was gone half the day, so that was a favorite. My first run in my Switzer Skirt from Skirtsports went well, too — that was my 6 mile run and no issues — love the pencil skirt style, it flatters every body type.

And everyone at Shaker Veterinary Hospital was just wonderful to us. I had always wondered about them, and now I am considering switching vets.

And that’s a wrap:(

I love to hear from you! Answer me one of the questions below in the comments, or just comment! Let me know what you think or what’s on your mind.

Have you ever dealt with a dog with fear aggression?

Ever had a trial adoption go seriously wrong (this isn’t the first time it’s happened to us, but this is the most serious one — the previous one we were able to return to the rescue and he was adopted)?

Ever done a private adoption from someone you didn’t know? That should have been a huge red flag for us. 😦