So I posted in March 2022 when I had to put my Puppy Watson to sleep after 15.5 year of having him. It took me about 15 months but I finally figured I was ready for a new BFF. So I adopted Ranger back at the beginning of July. So here is my new boy:
He is a pure bred Australian Shepperd - A red Tricolor. He is almost 4 years old. Apparently he was littered on Halloween. His first owner surrendered him because he had become unmanageable for her. She gave him up to an Australian Shepherd rescue which is where I found him through. The foster Mom had him for about 7 months.
When it is just me and him he is the most lovable fellow you can get. Unfortunately he developed some bad socialization habits at his first owners home. So this is what I heard from the Foster mom so it is second hand. Apparently she had 18 cats and 2 dogs other than Ranger. And as time went on he grew more and more unmanageable. After having him for 3 months, I think I have pinpointed where he got these bad habits.
The simple truth is he has developed habits that he picked up from her cats. Given the number of them versus the number of dogs. Ranger was smart enough to see that she babied them when they did certain behaviors. So he copied them. The problem for her was he was larger, stronger than any cat and his lung capacity far outstrips what any cat could do.
So when he wants something he yowls like a cat. And let me tell you that he can hit octaves that opera singers would envy. And unfortunately he does it whenever something either startles him or he sees another dog he wants to meet. But as they get closer his volume goes up as he gets more excited which ends up scaring the other dog and the owner. And as they move away he just gets louder. One day I had someone come out of their house because he thought two dogs where fighting to the death. I couldn’t tell you if the other dog started barking or not. Since my eardrums were overwhelmed by Rangers vocals. Thankfully I knew him and talked to him about it later in the week when I saw him outside.
So he is really special needs in his way. I’m definitely not sorry I got him. But right now I just haven’t been able to figure out how to break him of this. I’ve tried some of the exercises a dog trainer has given me. But he doesn’t react to them like a normal dog does. He just sits there curious like a cat would and dismisses it. So my online time and computer time have definitely tanked since I got him.
So there you go. My nickname/stage name for him is Ginger Vitus. I tell people he is looking to audition for a Heavy Metal Thrash band as lead vocalist. 
Mith
