Arnold & Sam
Friends at Last

Introducing a new dog into a home isn't always easy. Lisa learned this when she brought home Sam as a friend for her dog, Arnold who had been an only dog for two years.   Sometimes it takes a while for things to be worked out in a multi-dog household. Patience and understanding are two very important tools to use to restore peace at home.  Here's her story . . .

My two dogs, Sam and Arnold, are the best of friends.  That wasn't always the case.  Seeing how happy they now are together, it's a scary thought that I almost gave up on their relationship too early.  And if I hadn't trusted Jo's advice to give the dogs time to adjust and get to know each other, these two boys might not have each other as friends today.

Sam is miniature pinscher mixed breed that I adopted from the South Central shelter in 2003. I was immediately drawn to the adorable, but terrified and shy dog cowering in the back of the cage, while all the other dogs eagerly ran to the front for attention.  For the first few days, I was convinced Sam had no personality of any kind.  He was scared of everything.  He was even scared of his food bowl.   I finally realized the only way he would eat was to pour his food on the floor so he wouldn't have to approach a scary bowl.  But there was love and soul in his eyes, and after a few days, he started to follow me when I'd leave the room.  Then one day, after about a month or so, he barked when I walked out the front door!  He had a personality after all! With gentle patience, I slowly gained his trust, and he decided he would be my dog and love me back.  

After being an only dog for two years, I decided it would be a good idea to adopt a friend for Sam. Although he was still very shy and rather reclusive, I didn't like the idea of him being sad and alone during the day while I was at work.  He was so attached to me, I imagined him just staring at the door all day long until I came back…which is probably what he did.  That's when Arnold came into our lives.

I learned of the Bill Foundation from one of its volunteers, Hollie, and spotted Arnold while looking at dogs on the Bill Foundation website. He is a miniature pinscher and looks like he could be related to Sam.  I thought: "Twins!  How perfect." I brought Sam to the Sunday adoption event to meet Arnold. Arnold seemed to like Sam right away.  Sam seemed completely uninterested, so Arnold became the new member of the family. I had high hopes and, as I soon found out, unreasonably high expectations.

When I got Arnold home, I realized two things very quickly: (1) he's smart and tricky, and (2) he's the complete opposite of Sam.  I say he's smart and tricky because he sat in his cage at the adoption event like a perfect little angel. And as soon as I got him home, he turned into his "real" self! Arnold is scared of nothing.  He cannot sit still to save his life. He will eat food of any kind, anywhere, at any time.  He will eat things that are not food. He is truly a ball of personality, with a ton of love to give, and more energy than he knows what to do with.

As I was getting to know Arnold those first few days, I was also realizing that Sam seemed completely miserable. He wanted nothing to do with Arnold, and I was just positive that he hated me for bring Arnold home. When Arnold came into the room, Sam would leave the room.  He hid under the bed. He didn't eat. He didn't interact with Arnold and even stopped interacting with me. This went on for weeks.  Sam seem traumatized. And I was definitely traumatized and convinced that, in trying to do good, I'd made a mistake.  I didn't know what to do.  So I called Jo.

The first thing that struck me about my conversation with Jo is that what seemed like total chaos and disfunction to me, didn't seem to surprise her at all. That was comforting, actually. I had no experience introducing new dogs to one another and had no clue what was normal, and what was a sign that it simply wouldn't work. I explained to her everything that had gone on.  I also told her that, while I really wanted things to work out, it wouldn't work if Sam remained depressed.  Jo reassuring told me that these things can take time, more time than you might expect, that it's normal, and to be patient. So I was.

About six weeks after bringing Arnold home, and six weeks of Sam completely ignoring him, something changed. One morning, I came around the corner into the bedroom and found (to my complete and total shock), Arnold and Sam crouched down, staring at each other, tails wagging, ready to pounce! I stood quiet and watched as they boxed at each other standing on their hind legs and rolled on the floor. I can't tell you how amazed I was. And so relieved and happy, I started to cry! It didn't change because of anything I did.  Jo was right…it just took time.

From then on, things only got better.  Sam and Arnold play just like that all the time now.  They chase each other from room to room.  They sleep curled up next to each other.  Half the time, Sam is the one provoking Arnold to play with him!  And that's the other thing….Sam is a totally different dog now. Gone is the scared, shy, timid dog who was scared of his own shadow. Now I have this spunky and confident dog who is more friendly with strangers, eats out of a bowl, and just plain looks happy.  It's turned out to be everything I wanted for Sam. And because Sam is willing to hold his own with Arnold, he's made Arnold a better behaved dog.

I am so grateful for Jo's thoughtful advice, and that I didn't give up.  I am thankful every day that the Bill Foundation saved my wonderful little Arnold and that he found his way into my home. I'm thankful for the happiness they bring me.  But most of all, I'm thankful because Arnold and Sam have each other, and are better for it.