Dog Spelled Backwards Is…

Tomorrow my wife, daughter, son, and I will travel to Bluffton,Indiana to pick-up our Standard Schnauzer puppy, Baron Otto von Schnauzer, or "Otto" for short.

This will be the first time our family has had a pet. My daughter and wife suffer from pet allergies, so I had to pick a hypoallergenic breed. Plus my wife did not grow up with a pet (dog or cat), so needless to say she looked upon this idea of an animal co-inhabiting our always pristine domicile with much less enthusiasm than the rest of us.

How/why did she change her mind? She and I were watching a television program where the subject of "therapy dogs" came up. I told my wife that I could benefit from someone bringing one of those to our home, since I am an anxiety/depression sufferer. Much to my surprise, her response was "Don't think I haven't thought about getting you a dog. I think it would do you a world of good."

I was shocked.

You have to know my wife to appreciate her. Jane grew up in a very strict, German home. She retained many of the austere Prussian ways of her parents, especially in the area of housekeeping. On any given day, our home looks like a museum. The food? Five-star restaurant quality.  Our domicile hums along with a European-style grace and efficiency that would make any Lady or Baroness blush in comparison.

I knew that just because "The Warden" had briefly entertained our taking on a canine companion, I was not to get my hopes up. This would be a lifestyle change of epic proportions.

The only way a dog was coming into our home was that God Himself would have to intervene.

I did what any good Christian would do; I cried out in desperation for this request (I felt it was a need), and I asked some friends, at my home church and on Gather.com to pray with me.

Within the span of about two weeks, my wife completely acquiesced to the idea, and we were on our way to Bluffton, Indiana to pick out our Standard Schnauzer puppy.

So "why a Standard Schnauzer" you ask.

First, I need a breed that is hypoallergenic, and the Standard fits this bill exactly. A very modest shedder, the Standard Schnauzer is one of about 10-12 breeds that people with pet allergies can easily tolerate.

Another reason why I picked the Standard Schnauzer was its size. The males grow to about 17-18 inches tall and between 45-50 lbs. I did not want a lap dog, or a "sissy dog," as I am over 6 feet and 280lbs. myself. I wanted a good, sturdy, man's dog and, again, the Standard met this criterion.

I also wanted a dog that I could train and interact with. Dubbed "the dog with the human brain," the Standard Schnauzer is an intelligent dog who can sometimes become mischievous if not kept gainfully occupied. They are not the type of dog who just sits in the background of family life, rather they assume an active part and must be kept challenged, or they will make their own fun and find things to do on their own.

This breed was described as "friendly, loyal," and with "a sense of humor;" how could I NOT want a dog like this?

The Airedale was briefly considered, but a Veterinarian friend of ours described this breed as "a bit aloof," and contrasted him with the Standard saying the Schnauzer was more "interactive."

Sold!

Next step was to find a breeder. You don't go to Petland and buy a Standard Schnauzer puppy. There simply are not a lot of them "out there." I found Standard breeders in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and one near Fort Wayne, Indiana. The way the litters were born and with the age of the pups, the timing was right for us to purchase our dog from the breeder in Indiana.

However, one does not just show up, pluck down cash, and walk off with a pup; you have to make application and your entire family has to be interviewed!

My family and I took the 3 ½ hour trip from the Cleveland, Ohio area to Bluffton, IN. to interview with the breeder. She was a delightful lady who had, literally, a house full of Schnauzers; Standard Schnauzers, puppies and grow-ups as well as a couple of litters of Miniature Schnauzers. (She also grooms and boards Schnauzers).

The only way one can describe a scene where there are anywhere from 40-60 dogs underfoot is to say it was "controlled chaos;" somehow each and every animal knew that our breeder was the "Alpha" of this pack. She was constantly talking to the dogs, directing, re-directing, sometimes scolding, and always loving. It was fascinating to watch this lady who was a veritable "Dr. Doolittle" with this enormous pack of Schnauzers.

Our family spent two hours playing with the Schnauzer pups (from the litter we would eventually buy our Otto from), and talking to the breeder. I should say Mom was the one who was talking to the breeder; Jane asked every question imaginable, posed every scenario imaginable, yet in the process I could see her softening and warming up to the idea as she held a Schnauzer puppy in her arms.

Toward the end of our time, I asked the breeder if she thought we were "Schnauzer people;" to which she replied, "Yes," and my daughter and I embraced each other, nearly in tears.

From this time, to the time I would pick out the pup, I would do a lot of reading about dogs. I had done my share of research on the breed, so I was comfortable and had a pretty good understanding of what I was getting into as far as the dog's personality and temperament were concerned. However there was still a lot more I needed to know about being a "dog owner."

Being the "intellectual" that I am, I went to the library and checked out a ton of books and some DVDs on dogs, puppies, training, etc. The most valuable resources were Cesar Millan's Cesar's Way and Housetraining for Dummies.

Cesar's Way, along with watching episodes of The Dog Whisperer on The National Geographic Channel provided me with some keen insight and understanding of what Mr. Millan calls "dog psychology." I won't recap the entire premise of Cesar's dog caring/training philosophy here. Suffice to say, though, the material contained in his book, DVD, and T.V. programmed disabused me of a lot of misconceptions I had about pet ownership and what I thought was best for Otto. At the end of the day, dogs don't come to us messed up; they come to us perfect, but we mess them up when we fail to learn about whom they are as a specie, and we treat them like furry, little humans. I owe a debt of gratitude to Cesar Millan; without him I would have raised a neurotic Schnauzer.

Two weeks ago we made a return trip to Indiana; this was
"The Big Day;" the day Rocco and family would choose their Standard Schnauzer puppy.

I have to admit that I was not looking forward to this; I could not see how I, someone who barely knows which end of a dog is which (let alone the proper way to chose a dog), could make an intelligent choice and go home with the right dog.

We were coming into this process with some pretty firm parameters; my wife wanted a black Schnauzer, and I wanted a male dog- both positions were "non-negotiable." This could turn out to be a fun day!

On the other hand the process turned out to be a lot simpler that I had feared it would be.

The breeder brought in four puppies; #1, 3, 5, and a "Salt & Pepper" colored puppy.

I could tell right away that I did not want #1; he was a bully. Walking around all cocky, #1 would literally try to bite the head off of any pup that came near him. This little guy was obnoxious in the way he would pounce on the others and pick fights; we also could not stop him from nipping one of us whenever we tried to interact with him.

That was easy!

Then there was #5, the runt of the litter.

My wife felt sorry for #5, whereas I despised him. Chalk it up to the "macho Italian" in me, I could not bring myself to feel sorry for a dog that let the others push him around. #5 would shake, roll over, run away-anything but confront the other pups when they would make a move on him.

The breeder told me that I was sharp to have caught this trait in this pup; she said that he would not be a good choice because "he would be hard to socialize, being scared of everything the way he is."

That left #3, and the Salt and Pepper puppy.

Number 3 was a pistol! Not quite a bully, yet he was a pup who had his way of seeing things and he would need a firm hand and a lot of attention throughout his life to keep him from taking my place as Alpha. I sensed in him a certain cockiness, which I liked. However what concerned me was how he would get along with my wife. I saw number 3's head-strong-ness butting heads with my wife. #3 did not have a compliant nature and I felt he would need extra attention to keep in his place. If we had someone home during the day who could take him for a good walk to burn off some of his energy, I would have taken him home in a heartbeat. I liked his spunk! But he would have clashed with my wife.

The Salt and Pepper would make it easy for me, though, by being the only puppy who came over and sat on my lap!

The others were stand-offish and did not interact much at all. Not so with Otto. He was very cuddlesome and affectionate; licking the back of my hand a lot! Otto literally pushed his way into the front of the pecking order and made us change our minds about color. I had not planned on bringing home a "salt and pepper" puppy, but Otto stole my heart. How could I leave him after he came and sat on my lap?

Another thing I liked about this pup is that although he did not start any fights, he gave it right back to #1 and #3 when they picked on him and after a while they left him alone. He did, however, get a little mouthy with the breeder; Otto started fussing at her about dinner, so she had to throw him a biscuit to keep him quiet. Looks like he's got a little spunk himself!

I've grown to appreciate the magnificence of God's creation; how animals, initially created and intended to live in the wild have adapted and become domesticated is something I find fascinating. I don't have my dog yet, however somehow I feel we already have this connection- from the early stages of my research about breeds, to the interview and selection processes, right up to taking him home in a couple of weeks-I've seen the Lord's hand in it all.

God has shown His love for us in so many different ways; and in this small way, in allowing us to domesticate his creation for our enjoyment, to be truly "Man's best friend."