Social Distancing As A Way Of Life

Hi. My name is Kristie, and I’m a hard core introvert.

As an introvert I love to stay home. I like to do solitary activities, like reading or Netflix binging. I prefer to communicate by text or email. And I really, really don’t like when people come into my home.

You know who makes the best pet for an introvert? A dog with behavior issues.  

I’ve been a pet parent to many behaviorally challenged dogs, and you know what? They were the best dogs I ever owned. They tolerated their housemates. They were angels to my young daughters, but scared other people enough so that they refused to come visit.

It was awesome.

I loved those dogs fiercely, and they were excellent companions to a single mom who spent every other weekend home alone. They were also the exact dogs you want to bark their fool heads off when a solicitor knocks on the door or hooligans decide to congregate in the common area outside of your back yard fence.  Even years after those dogs were no longer with me, people gave my old house a wide berth, and that was just fine with me.

Did I have challenges? Yes. They had to be drugged to go to the vet. When I didn’t have a fence, it was hard to walk them for potty breaks. I couldn’t foster, because bringing a strange animal into the house would be a disaster. I couldn’t go out of town (something I only did once in the seven years my Rottweiler was alive) without serious planning ahead. But those things were far outweighed by the positives for me.

My best behavior dogs have been at the Rainbow Bridge for years. If I had the chance to “fix” them by taking them to a veterinary behaviorist, would I have done it?  At that time in my life, no I wouldn’t have, and it would have been a valid choice. 

The point I’m trying to make is this: Not all behavior dogs need to be “fixed.” If the lifestyle you live allows your dog to be happy and content without causing hardships to your family, and management of the dog is as simple as not taking walks and/or putting him away if a repair man needs to fix something, there’s no need to change anything.   

We are all imperfect. It’s OK if your dog is too.