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by Molly Bartman
Ahhhh one year with Duke today. What a ride it’s been.
When I reflect on the past year it brings me to tears - happy and sad ones - choosing to foster to adopt Duke was one of the most difficult yet rewarding journeys I have ever been on.
It all started the day I picked him up - a 22 hour round trip from Michigan to Minnesota. During the drive home he barked at people at the gas station, didn’t know how to walk on a leash, and was absolutely terrified of being kenneled. When he was home, he paced, wined, and would not settle down.
Throughout the next few weeks, we got him to the vet, scheduled a neuter, and giving him his space to settle. We got blood work back from the vet and learned he had Anaplasmosis (tick borne blood infection) and learned it had caused damage to his kidneys and heart from being left untreated.
We treated it for a few months until his health stabilized and was finally able to neuter him.
Meanwhile, we started intense training unlearning many behaviors he had acquired for survival and training kind thoughtful behaviors.
Duke and our other male chessie had some beef with one another and the thousands of hours helping them adjust together to a new rhythm and life were filled with some really intense moments and definitely lots of tears.
Somehow, we made the decision to officially adopt Duke even though I still had some hesitations with him and Gunner ever getting along.
But grace and love go a heck of a long way and 5 long months later they finally were coming to an agreement on this new life together.
In our retraining, we had one thing keep coming up and I couldn’t put a finger on it. Duke seemed so much more stubborn and hardheaded than my other chessie I had trained, and I couldn’t figure out why he would not recall for the life of me.
Then we figured out he is partially deaf. It has led to a variety of challenges but between hand signals and more training, we’ve made it work.
We tragically lost Gunner in February and that set Duke into a new whole new adjustment period. He paced and wined and was overall distraught for quite a while.
But then, this whole new Duke arrived in our lives. He has thrived at being the only dog and has blossomed more than I ever could have imagined.
From rabbit hunting, to swimming, fetch, baths, brushing, car rides, Sunday afternoon naps, fresh venison, fresh eggs from the chicken coop, and plates full of veggies - I would say he’s doing quite well.
The heart that this dog had is more than I can describe. He is one of those once in a lifetime dog that I look at and am amazed at how he’s grown in this year. He’s unforgettable and will forever be a part of our family.
We love you our little deadgrass Chessie Boy Duke.
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