A few days before Halloween in 2019 a little hairless gremlin entered our lives. She was an emergency intake for a local rescue, and the only time I’ve brought home a dog without letting my husband know before hand. He should have known then he was in trouble.
Hairless, smelling of yeast, bleeding, intact and mostly blind we were expecting her to be an easy, gentle soul who did not expect much, and she was to start. Fast forward a few weeks and soon the true Magdalina emerged, and was she fierce. She was soon running the show, bossing around a then adolescent Jasper, taking up the best spot on the couch, claiming my lap, and making herself an essential part of our home. Jasper loved her, Tabby thought she was funny, and she quickly bonded to me and became my little smelly shadow. I was adopted.
Magdalina is smart, sassy, and we all dance to her tune. With all she went through we figure she is due. She has made us into a small dog family, travels in a crash-tested car seat and has her very own stroller for walks. Wherever she goes she makes people smile, and she makes me laugh every day. It took me over two years to teach her to sit on command and while we know “touch” and “beg” convincing her to do “down” is an ongoing work in progress. It has nothing to do with her capability to learn and everything to do with her interest in learning – she is smart, she is motivated, she just doesn’t see the point.
I sometimes wonder if my Elkhound sent her to me to remind me to stay humble, and keep laughing.
Old Dogs New Tricks Dog Training 