Tango The Dally Update

[spottychick]

Bit of a long one but I wanted to give people a proper picture of how he's going.

It's now been nearly 4 months since Tango the psycho dalmatian arrived at Launceston airport and we took him home to our North East town. We've had lots of bad moments with him and some of them are still happening but so many lovely moments too. He is becoming a very confident and ridiculously happy dog. He is funny and loves to bark at us to come and play. In the morning he leaps on my bed and squirms around on his back like a demented frog and then leaps off the bed and barks before racing into the lounge room to do zoomys and then back onto the bed to do it all over again till I get up. Hahahahahaha. He loves to grab toys (or my shoes) and tear out the back door getting me and Pepper to chase him.

He adores the car and no matter how long a trip we have when we get home he refuses to get out of it. I have to leave him in the car with the back open till he gives up and comes inside of his own accord (usually about half an hour or less if I make food-preparation noises!!).

He is getting along better with Pepper tho they are not best buddys and he is still touchy with her, but occassionally they sort of play (from a distance with each other) and the other day he inadvertantly hopped into the same basket as her (its a big basket) - Pepper climbed out as she doesn't trust him (LOL fair enough!).

I had to go to a weekend workshop last weekend so he stayed here with access to the house all day (a friend fed them etc) and he did no damage or anything naughty while I was away. This is a dog who's lived outside in a fenced run all his life. I think it's amazing.

He's put on weight and he's now all of 20 kgs and doesn't have so many bones sticking out - but still needs to put a bit more on. He is eating meat for the first time in 7 years of his life - just good quality chicken meat/frames/wings or Natures Gift tinned chicken - as well as a huge variety of wholesome foods. Rice has changed from being 90% of his diet (before he came here) to being about a third of it and it's now brown rice, not white.

He has one health issue - an indolent ulcer in his eye - and we've just run out of the vets medicine without any significant improvement so we'll have to go back to the vet. Otherwise he is very healthy. And he has been brilliant about letting me mess about washing his eyes out and putting in gunk.

The other day while walking him he suddenly started to limp. Without thinking I grabbed his foot to see what was causing the limp. Then I felt along the limb gently pressing looking for the sore spot. I had forgotten that he's bitten be three times for grabbing his feet. But despite being in some discomfort and yelping at one point he did not attempt to bite me or even look like he might. On the contrary, he came towards me when he first starting limping like he was asking me to fix it!!!!!

A couple of weeks ago I took the dogs to Campbelltown when I had to visit the Doctor there and he accidentally got out of the car before I could get the lead on him. He ran off toward the main road (Midland Highway) and wouldn't come to me despite me waving a yummy bakery bun around and making crackly paper noises at him. He didnt exactly bolt but he definitely kept his eye on me and trotted off whenever I got close. Fortunately I managed to enlist the help of some locals to sort of "herd" him up and I managed to snaffle his collar as he tried to dart past me.

On the good side, when he almost fell out of the car while trying to jump in the back a bit later, I grabbed him and lifted him in - that was a big step for him - letting me pick him up!!!

ANyway - I realised he has a long way to go before he can be trusted to come back to me and be allowed to be off-lead anywhere.

ANd lastly, today I took Tango and Pepper for their usual walk up the hill ( towards the old mine) and stupidly lost concentration for one second and dropped the end of his lunge lead. Tango kept trotting along unaware he was "free" and I tried to discreetly run up and catch the lead. Suddenly, I could see his body language change as he realised I didn't have hold of the lead and he looked back at me and then put on a burst of speed and took off. I was devastated. There was no way in hell I could catch him up and he was heading straight for areas where there are mine shafts.

I had to make a quick decision and a huge leap of faith. I didn't run after him or call him - I knew that would only spur him on. Instead I called Pepper back (she was excitedly following him) and got her to stay by my side. Then I sat down on the step of an old church building, tried to look casual.... and waited. :D My heart was in my mouth and I was close to panicking and crying because at the speed he went - with lunge lead trailing behind him - I knew he could be miles away by now and I might have lost him for good - to a possibly horrible fate. But I knew panicking wouldnt help.

Anyway, Pepper was sitting next to me but clearly very agitated and wanting to go after him. I was sitting there doing breathing exercises to stay calm and was just on the point of giving up and racing off to get help to search the mine area for him...... when I saw a flash of white and OH MY GOD there he was!! :cheer: Running back towards us!!! He was a little unsure where we were and I could see him looking down the other path and looking a bit worried so I called his name - just quietly and calmly and he snapped his head around and came towards us as happy as a bug!!!

Then the little smarty stopped a little distance away so I couldn't grab him. SO, being slightly smarter than him, I pretended to feed Pepper a treat from my backpack (she's such a great training prop LOL) so he came over to get some too and I got hold of his lead. I really REALLY wish I DID have a treat with me. It was absolutely the time to give him lots of treats. Not having treats I did all I could anyway and gave him the biggest fuss of his life. Rubbed him all over, cooed and kissed him, etc He was so thrilled he turned his ears around backwards and went all silly and coy while doing a silly high-stepping prance at me. Pepper got hugs too of course

But I am absolutely thrilled. I really didn't think he'd come back to me if he got off the lead but HE DID. ANd this is a massive watershed in his relationship with me and us.

SO anyway, if you're still with me this far, I think Tango is doing brilliantly well and he is bringing me a great deal of joy and laughter. He's not quite so "psycho" anymore

[persephone]

*wipes something out of her eyes*

What a terrific update!

:D

[cointreau]

Hadn't read about Tango before, sounds like you are doing a wonderful job with a lovely Dalmation.

[Guest Ams]

I have been reading about Tango as well and my hat goes off to you for all the effort you have put into giving this lad a new life. He would try the patience of a saint but you are still there. :D to you.

[spottychick]

Thanks ams - but he is so worth it - he's got a lovely personality that is just now emerging :D

persephone - he brings tears to my eyes all the time LOL for good and bad reasons And I've only touched the surface of the progress he's making - he amazes me everyday

Cointreau - he's had quite a story behind him (both before and after he came here) and I've had lots of encouragement from DOLers along the way.

[Caesars mum]

Spottychick, well done, I can recall reading some of your post erly on and was worried how you would all go.

it is a great result inj a short period.

keep up the good work, sounds like he is improving in leaps and bounds

[harley]

I love reading your updates on Tango and am pleased to hear about his great progress!!!!

[ari.g]

Great update! and great work! :nahnah:

[tdierikx]

It sounds like you are making great progress with Tango spottychick... perseverence pays off doesn't it?

Keep up the good work!

T.

[rose of tralee]

Well done you for being smarter than Tango because despite what some uninformed say, Dallys are really smart critters. We've not had a male; our girls have always wanted to keep tabs on their humans, that requires a pretty flexible neck when you're racing the waves down a deserted beach :nahnah:

So happy this fella has a life now.

[Loving my Oldies]

Hadn't read about Tango before, sounds like you are doing a wonderful job with a lovely Dalmation.

You need to do a search and read some more. Spottychick is an amazing writer and an amazing dog lover.

I love reading your updates on Tango and am pleased to hear about his great progress!!!!

I do too.

Never ever think that we don't want to hear the updates.

Interesting that he and Pepper are obviously close now, but she remains very wary. That said, I tend to read with heart in mouth :nahnah:

[W Sibs]

That's awesome!!

I've been reading your post and talk about major improvement. Well done :nahnah: