Introducing Wylie

I don’t necessarily believe in fate or a grand plan, but sometimes I think life works in mysterious ways that we’re not meant to understand. After losing Juneau last February my heart broke. I thought it would be a while before I would be willing to bring home another dog. I thought maybe in 2023 after I finish school, we would consider getting a puppy. But as months passed, I felt lonely without a dog, and our house felt empty. Dogs bring such life and energy, I missed that and so many of the other little joyful moments that come with having a dog. 

Then, on May 4, I was at work (our local animal welfare organization) and noticed a young mini Aussie who had just been spayed. She was sweet, obviously nervous, and had a special spark about her. I brought her home to stay for a few nights, thinking I would just foster her until we found her the right home, but we bonded after a couple of days. 

When our operations director called to let me know she had a couple of people interested in meeting her we made the snap decision to keep her. Before I knew it, Wylie was officially a member of our family. 

The complete opposite of Juneau, Wylie is small and nimble, fast and energetic. She is a total clown of a dog that loves to run and play. She makes me laugh until I cry almost daily. But, a few weeks after we brought her home, it became obvious that she came with some baggage we’d need to unpack and work through. We think she was never properly socialized as a puppy - with other people or pets. She’s highly reactive - which looks like major pulling and barking on a leash when she sees another dog (on-leash greetings are a big no for us). She also can be dog-selective. So, while she loves playing with other dogs, she is picky about which she’ll befriend and which she might snap at. We think she is mostly just easily overwhelmed, anxious, overstimulated, and doesn’t know how to act when she gets to that point. We’ve been working with a trainer to help her better acclimate in those situations, but it is INCREDIBLY slow going. This behavior extends to meeting new people and especially letting people into our home. Again, this is something we are working on and hoping we can desensitize her a bit, but it was unexpected since she warmed up to us so quickly. 

I say all this not to complain or to dissuade anyone from adopting a pet from a rescue or shelter, but I say it because it is our new reality and a risk anytime you adopt a pet with a history and life before the one you start together. Much like dating someone with a bit of trauma in their past, it is important to seek out the right resources and help them work through it. Even if that looks like Wylie chillin’ in her kennel during a larger gathering, or standing in the park on a long lead for 30 minutes a day while she watches other dogs walk by from a distance, it keeps her and everyone else safe and happy. I plan to share more about our training journey here - it’s quite different from Juneau’s and a whole new learning experience for us. This is our first time adopting an almost-adult dog (she was just over a year when we got her) and so we’re all learning, growing, and navigating this together. 

Overall, Wy has already made quite the impression on our day-to-day living and while we have some challenges to face moving forward, she has brought back some life and silliness that was so blatantly missing. There are days when I really miss my “good dog” but there are so many where I find gratitude for what Wylie brings and I hope maybe in a year or so we can bring home a furry little sister for her to play with. You can follow all of Wylie’s silly antics and adventures (and maybe some training content?) on her Instagram account @wyliethemini.