This picture was taken when Kenya was six months old, when we were still getting used to each other. She had just been spayed; hence the collar. It would have been easy at that point to just settle in to being her owner. Instead we began to walk other dogs and then to board them in our home. It has been (and continues to be) an experience.
When you run a kennel you have a special facility with large cages, an outdoor run and efficient ways to keep things clean and running smoothly. You have to be comfortable with routines and large gangs of dogs, but essentially it is impersonal.
When you invite dogs into your home, it is quite different. The dogs have to get used used to your routines and you have to get used to theirs. You really must like dogs. And, this job is a bit like teaching, if you hold grudges you might as well quit. I haven't seen a dog yet that didn't have at least one annoying feature.
In a kennel, no dog sleeps on the bed or climbs on the furniture. In my home, puppies and other needy dogs who are accustomed to sleeping on the bed are allowed to continue the practice even though my own dog sleeps near, not on, my bed. No dogs are allowed on the new couch, but dogs who generally spend time on furniture are allowed to climb up on Kenya's couch ... the small one where we watch movies together. It is covered by a dog blanket, but they are not allowed to play fight there, especially if I am one of the occupants of the couch.
In a kennel there is no table at which to beg. In my house there is ... and I am adamant; no dog begs at my table or eyes my food with envy. I am also hard on food thieves, but given advance warning, I avert disaster before it occurs.
In a kennel there are no knicknacks on shelves to gnaw on. The first time I boarded a puppy it cost me twenty dollars a day, but I learned to keep my slippers on my feet, situated in drawers or well above nose height. I baby proofed all the shelves, a little too late for the Mongolian felted blue yak unfortunately. I keep the laundry room off limits now. Puppies absolutely love underwear and socks. I haven't yet solved the problem of firewood or my boots. Every time Havoc is alone with either, he drags something over to the mat in front of the wood stove (his favourite spot) to chew. He has a Kong and several chew toys of Kenya's, but the forbidden holds more appeal. Fortunately I don't own orthotics. Remi destroyed one belonging to my son- in-law when he was here.
It helps if your own dog sees herself as your partner in the enterprise. Such a dog will not display jealousy when another dog needs cuddles. She already knows the rules of the house and will inform the other dogs. In Kenya's case, it is particularly nice that she is part border collie. She herds the guest dogs up the hill to do their business and back home, and takes very seriously my commands of "You look after the puppy now," and "Bring the puppy home". She is also very good at getting other dogs to play hard by teasing them with sticks or toys so that they chase her as well.You want a dog who genuinely likes other dogs and understands the rules of the house.
One of the things I discovered quite early on is that other dogs are not like Kenya. Nina, for example, is very jealous, and has actually urinated on Kenya's bed so that Kenya would be unable to sleep in my bedroom. I laundered the cushion and gave Kenya a new bed near me. Both dogs ended up sleeping in my bedroom. On another occasion Nina resented Remi sleeping on my bed and ousted him in the middle of the night. Shea, who normally is a very easy going dog, does not like young male dogs and growls menacingly whenever they are near. I wouldn't board Shea with younger males.
Many dogs do not like it if you have to leave the house, and it doesn't seem to matter whether they usually stay home alone while their owners work. I went to the village for groceries one afternoon and came home to find my duvet cover smeared with bits of excrement. It happened a second time and Shea was the only possible culprit. Now I leave my bedroom door closed when Shea is around. Havoc has other ways of showing me I am not allowed to leave him alone. The time I went out at 8 p.m. to meet friends, he stole a container of dog biscuits and chewed up the container leaving bits all over the house. When I helped the delivery man bring in my supply of wood, Havoc cried piteously in a high pitched keen the whole time. I felt sorry for Kenya who was inside with him and whose ears are more sensitive than mine.
I always insist that Kenya and I meet new dogs before I board them. It is important that the two dogs can get along. The best matches so far have been young male dogs who like to play and whom Kenya can mother, but dogs are very good at establishing pack order among themselves and I have seen Kenya being dominant in one situation, submissive in another, with success.
I also want to assure myself that any dog I board will be under my control. I will not take an aggressive dog who will not accept orders from me. Once, before I began boarding dogs, I walked a very large dog who used his teeth when thwarted. I tried to get him to leave a bone he found outside. I respected the growl, but knew I had to get him away from the bone as he was a dog with a tricky digestive system.. When words and bribes didn't work, I tried using a stick to move the bone away. He didn't go for the stick; he went for my throat. Fortunately I was wearing many layers and his teeth tore a heavy vest when I leapt away from him. I had asked the owners to take him to training when I first saw signs that he wanted dominance over humans. (He would attempt to mount me and the woman who owned him.) After this incident they took him for the training.
Breed plays a role in personality, but I have met a Doberman who just wanted to be my lapdog and an English Sheepdog which frightened me, so I don't make any judgments based on breed alone. I probably wouldn't take in a husky because they are roamers, and I find it hard to tie dogs outside for extended periods, but if the owner was certain her dog would stay close to the house I would trust her judgment. Kenya and I tend to wake up slowly, and we have had to adjust to a couple of dogs that wake up alert and ready to bounce the moment they open their eyes. Kenya was able to tell Nina, the Chocolate Lab, to go back to bed; but once Havoc (the Doberman) has awakened he is a coiled spring of energy. All we can do is accept him as he is.
I guess one of the reasons I take in dogs is that I am always learning and adjusting to their different ways. It keeps me young in the same way that traveling in the developing world did. If you are not adaptable, accepting and flexible, you will dislike traveling and you will hate boarding dogs. If you just want to relax with the known, you will get no pleasure from either. Few countries are just like Canada; not all dogs are like my Kenya. I think both Kenya and I benefit from having our home and our routines rumpled up periodically by these boarders.
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