Meet Meestor. He is my first dog that I adopted almost 10 years ago. I met him when I traveled down to San Pedro, Belize with Dr. Heather to volunteer at Saga Humane Society for the first time in January 2017. We were out for dinner and this cute little dog was going up to each table looking for any scraps he could find. When he got to our table, I gave him a few pets and within a couple minutes he was falling asleep in my lap. This was obviously fate…. So we booked him a flight home with us. 

Over the next few months Meestor was starting to become reactive with some people and dogs. When rescuing a dog, you have no idea what previous experiences or encounters they have had. You have to accept that they can come with some quirks or challenges. As his owner, it was my responsibility to work with him. I needed to put in the work to not only protect others when around my dog- but more importantly understand him and not put him in situations where he would fail. 

Meestor is my dog through and through. He is the sweetest boy and would do anything for me. But I know when having people over at my house, I keep him in a separate room so I don’t put him in a spot where he feels uncomfortable. He is great on leash when walking by other animals, but I know to keep him at a distance to avoid any conflict. I avoid interactions that would make him become reactive.

By protecting him and knowing what his triggers are, we have not had a negative interaction in close to 7 years. Yes it can take time to know and understand what your reactive pet needs, but it is worth it. We have this expectation that dogs are all supposed to be happy and get along with everyone. How do we expect them to do that when not all humans get along with each other? Every dog is unique and should be!