We Survived!

For some people, surviving a visit from your in-laws is all about putting up with their personalities and sharing space with them in your home.  As I thought about my in-laws upcoming visit I was stressed.  It wasn't about what they would think of our home, them staying in our guest bedroom or any human personality conflicts.  It was all about mixing their 2 puppies and our 4 adult dogs into one house for 4 full days.

Incoming! ~ Lexie & Annie (Left) with Franky & Curly (Right)

Years ago, when we were fostering Rat Terriers, I didn't really think too much about how our dogs would feel about the new addition(s).  We fostered over 20 dogs over a 2-yr period.  They ranged in size, age, personality, behavior/training challenges and health.  At one time we even fostered an entire family (mom + 6 puppies)!  Some of the fosters stayed a month or two and on a rare occasion 6 months before being adopted.  It was like operating a Rat Terrier Bed and Breakfast during that time.  

Sadly, we had to make a tough decision to stop fostering.  The unexpected toll it took on our own dogs was causing behavior issues including dog-to-dog relationship issues.  I'm still amazed that with the amount of stress we put on them there weren't more fights on a regular basis.  The last 2-yrs of not fostering have been spent rebuilding confidence, relationships and trust.  Thankfully, I can say we've all come a long way!

The fact is bringing together dogs needs careful consideration.  The dog's stress level needs to be taken into consideration at all times.  The stress isn't good for their health and it can lead to ugly fights that can be challenging for us humans to recover from, too.

I can happily say all 6 dogs survived the lovely family visit this past weekend.  There were zero fights, no injuries and stress levels seemed to be in a safe range based on the results.  I'll share in my next blog what we did to keep it this way and why such care was taken this time.

  "Did somebody say tacos?" ~ Annie, Curly and Padme

Hint: The previous visit wasn't so stress free.