HL Whitingham - Dog Stories

Sinatra...

2011 Hampton, New Hampshire

by Jenny Ford, Certified Dog Trainer

When I first met Sinatra he was a bit out of sorts.

Earlier that day a young man had found him wandering near a local pond and noticed that he had wounds on his ear, cheek and neck - the dog needed help. The dog happily jumped into his car and he drove the dog to the local shelter where he was turned away.

A dog with wounds like that would probably be put to

sleep and it was up to the town's animal control officer (ACO) to deal with it. So back he drove to the town where he found the dog to track down the ACO.

Once Sinatra was in the care of the ACO, he went to the vet to have his wounds cleaned and closed; then he came to stay at the local boarding facility that holds stray dogs for the town. As the trainer of that facility, I was quickly informed of Sinatra's story and came to meet him.

What I saw was a big, handsome dog who was confused as anything, but was calm and eager to get some love.

Over the next 10 days my co-workers and I began to fall in love with Sinatra; between his mellow attitude and soulful eyes, we were hooked. But there was a problem (isn't there always?) if no owner came forward to claim him, he became the property of the state. A dog with a bite of unknown origin, no vaccination history and no

home meant there were two choices - find a kennel to house him for the 6 month quarantine or be euthanized to ensure he wasn't exposed to rabies.

We were stuck between a rock and a hard place-no facility would take an unvaccinated dog for 6 months and the logic of the law was lost on us when we had an innocent face to pair with it. Sinatra was an individual dog that had found a place in my heart-there was no separating the facts from the emotion.

But Sinatra's luck was beginning to change...

An owner did come forward but could only tell us that they had recently gotten the dog, had no medical history for him and they didn't want him back.

The only help this owner could give was to surrender Sinatra to a new owner who would have the option of conducting his quarantine at home.

Did I mention he was handsome?!

Sinatra came home with me after a few careful introductions with Parker and Skye-my other two dogs and his new foster brother and sister. With a few donations, I was able to neuter Sinatra and have his basic vet work taken care of. Without that support, I don't know what I would have done. Once home, Sinatra began to demonstrate that he was, in fact, a young untrained dog with boundless energy and few manners. But what is life without a little challenge?

I dedicated the next 6 months to teaching Sinatra his basic commands and changing some bad habits. He learned how to share his toys, use the stairs, snuggle under a blanket and give a little kiss on the cheek. He was a trainer's dream-between his sensitive personality, desire to please and love of food, we tackled each problem with confidence.

However, nothing Sinatra learned gave him as much joy as "paw" which he happily offers to each new person he meets. By the end of his quarantine I was having trouble letting him go. After all, I had put so much into this dog-how could I uproot him now?

But my house only has space for 3 pups and keeping Sinatra would mean I would have to say "no" to the next dog in need.

So I began the process of finding a well-matched home for my man. There were a few bumps in the road but I am so happy to say that tonight Sinatra is in a home of his own laying at the feet of a human he loves. I can only hope there is nothing left but happiness for this guy-he's had enough drama in his life!