The Journey Home

My husband has been barred from going to rescue websites. They are like a drug, he still sneaks off from time to time. He did so for the last time three months ago. It was early May when he first showed me the picture of the Landseer in need from www.rescueme.org, I told him "No." firmly yet lovingly, We had recently downsized two years back and already have 5 wonderful dogs down from eleven.
"But he needs us" he whinned, promising to walk, feed and care for the new dog, similiar promises that come from the mouths of eight year old boys not 62 year old men.
"No" I stood my ground but saw the fine cracks forming as I looked at the puppies face.
Two weeks later on a Sunday as we entered our church I recieved a text from the owner desperate to find her loving puppy a home. One of the reasons we had joined St. Hubert's aside from all of its incredible views, structure and congregation members was that St. Hubert is the patron saint of dogs. The emotional floor beneath me now gave way. We drove south that afternoon to pick up "POE".
Poe, a 10 month old pure-breed Landseer, was quickly becoming to large for his surroundings and too needy for his mom person, who was already juggling being a new human mom, wife and working full time job. She mentioned he had a nipping problem and was on Proszac. Since I had already managed one large breed in the same situation once before this should not be an issue I thought overly confident of my "Layman rescue abilities". It was. Poe was 120 pounds and growing more everyday, filled with puppy energy and and aggressive streak. Oddly I was the only one he viciously attacked and four to five times a day. I was covered with bruises and my clothing had been shredded  on many occasions. My husband and I quarreled (he felt bad because I was so badly bruised and in pain), the house was tense, a solution needed to be found quickly. We talked about re-homing him but I knew he would be euthanized within days due to his behavior. I too have a serious flaw - I never give up on anything or anyone. I searched my network of friends and associates, reaching out to top trainers, veterinarians and behaviorist all preparing me by telling me some dogs cant be saved. Despondent I dedicated my free time to reading up on aggressive dog issues was it chemical? Physical? Emotional? After ruling out Chemical and Physical through medical evaluations, it became evident that it was emotional. The hardest of the three. Every one I spoke with, every article published said I needed a trigger, but what? Colors? Dresses? Food? Weather? Times of the day? I started keeping a diary of sorts. After three months I found it, books. Poe hated books, I read all of the time, I always had a book with me, to write down his triggers. No books, no trouble, Poe is no more Poe, his new name is "Lucky", first because he is, second because what we have learned over time is dogs especially large breeds respond more favorably to multi syllable names and finally Poe rhymes with No and that was confusing. Lucky today is peaceful and has made his place in the family pack, his best friend is a Dachshund/Basset mix that taught him how to dog play and not to bite hard. We still have moments, however 98% of the time we are what a Landseer should be, a big chunk of soft love. We were very lucky and we know it, without the help and advice of professionals, time, love and patience this could have ended far worse. Lucky could have badly injured a family member, friend or pet. Lucky has made the Journey Home. Note: Please do not try this yourself and seek out a trained professional for evaluation and advice before attempting to correct any serious animal behavior.