From the Styx by Peggy Tibbetts

Ema and family returned home on July 13. Koho and Isis are happy campers. Their lives are back to normal. We are back to 2 dogs and our lives still seem anything but normal.

As I mentioned, Ema’s Siberian Husky Koho is blind. He has had inoperable cataracts since he was a year old. It’s a genetic thing. As Koho’s vision decreased he stumbled through life. When he was 18 months old Ema rescued Isis, an Alaskan Husky mix, to be his seeing-eye dog. Their relationship has been tumultuous. Koho’s blindness – a weakness in the dog world – has caused Isis to have behavior issues. She has always been prone to dominant behaviors that have sometimes resulted in aggression toward Koho. She has even attacked Zeus and – believe it or not – Venus. Knowing what we now know about Venus that we didn’t know back then, Isis is lucky to be alive. Through the years all of us, most especially Ema, have been challenged as we’ve learned how to control Koho and Isis. Their relationship has mellowed with age. They depend on each other. They really are good for each other.

We haven’t dog sat for Koho and Isis since Venus was diagnosed with CCD. Taking care of them again for 10 days has given me the opportunity to analyze and even appreciate their special relationship. It has made me think a lot about Zeus and Venus’s relationship.

I used to think it wasn’t fair to Zeus to live under the constant threat of attack from Venus. I worried that he might become aggressive. I worried that living with the instability caused by her mental illness would be too stressful for him. We’ve learned from Cesar that we have the power as Pack Leaders to keep Zeus from becoming aggressive. We’ve learned that if we don’t get stressed out about Venus’s instability then Zeus won’t get stressed out. It sounds so simple. In practice it’s proving to be a more of work in progress. Lately I find I’m more relaxed if Venus is outside or downstairs – away from me. It’s not like I blow up and scream and holler at her. She makes me nervous. Maybe I’m picking up on her anxiety. Maybe I’m developing anxiety of my own. Or maybe I’m just coming back down from taking care of 4 dogs.

I don’t trust her.

When I said that to Dr. Pearce last week, she winced. “I don’t think you can trust her,” she said with a pained look. “And I can certainly appreciate how difficult that can be to live with.”

Last Saturday we took Zeus and Venus hiking on the Beaver Creek Trail. They hiked to the top of the ridge together.

Sharing good energy on the trail

On the way back down Venus caught the scent of deer and wandered into the forest. Thunder rumbled as a storm rolled in so Zeus stayed close to us. Soon several gunshots echoed from the opposite ridge. Zeus became fearful and started to flee. Tod leashed him and managed to keep him pretty calm for the rest of the hike. I was impressed. Venus had disappeared. Although halfway down we met another hiker who said he had seen her. At least we knew she hadn’t been shot. She met up with us again as we crossed Beaver Creek back at the trailhead.

Okay, so here’s our dirty little secret. Venus chases deer. And we’re not proud of the behavior. The thing is, she doesn’t actually chase them. We’ve seen her in action with deer and elk. She herds them. It’s more of a head-em-up-move-em-out maneuver. She means no harm. We know it’s wrong and we have tried our damnedest to stop her but with no success whatsoever. It’s in her blood. We also know she could be shot for doing it and we’ve accepted that risk. Last week I wrote: “We’re learning to recognize when she needs to be controlled and when we can let her go wild.” To take Venus hiking up in the mountains and then control her on a leash so she won’t chase deer would only feed her anxiety. We have to let her run wild in spite of the risk. She returns home exhausted but calm, happy, and content.

They get along amazingly well when they’re not at home. Of course when they’re not at home they’re out exercising. When Venus is distracted she’s not fixated on Zeus, which doesn’t mean they ignore each other. They often walk side by side. They romp and play tag. It’s quite a show. Any stranger observing them would assume they are devoted to one another.

But it’s a different story at home. She tends to fixate on Zeus in in the house, but not in the yard. This time I’m not as eager to allow them to be together in the house as I was last fall.

On Monday we started allowing them to be together indoors without barrier gates, under strict supervision. We keep an eye on Venus to make sure she’s not fixating on Zeus. We observe him to see how he reacts to her. Last fall he was the one who let us know when she could be trusted. Now he eventually leaves the room if she’s in it. He doesn’t trust her yet. They remain mostly separated indoors. I think it’s a way of life we need to adjust to – this new normal.

We’ve owned several pairs of dogs during the past 37 years but we’ve never had to live like this. Nor do we really want to. A month ago we such high hopes. We were amazed at Venus’s progress. We were convinced she could recover. Her latest meltdown has shown us that she will never recover. She will definitely be on drugs for the rest of her life. For the dogs’ safety and our sanity, this is just the way it is.

Which brings me back to Koho and Isis. He needs her to be his eyes. Likewise, Isis is an intelligent high energy working dog. Looking out for Koho has given her life focus and meaning – a job to do. They need each other.

What about Zeus and Venus?

Does Venus need Zeus?

Probably not. At times he is a stabilizing influence in her life. But he is also the object of her obsession. As far as companionship is concerned he’s probably the only dog on earth who is smart, calm and stable enough to live with her. However if he died tomorrow, she would get along fine without him. Her obsession would disappear. Would she find another obsession? Certainly. Would we keep her on drugs? Yup. She might not always have Zeus, but she will always have CCD.

Does Zeus need Venus?

Nope.

He’s certainly less bored and lazy because of her. But Zeus has always kind of liked being bored and lazy. It’s what Malamutes do – or rather don’t do. In terms of companionship, he could do a lot better, but he does enjoy her company. If she died tomorrow he would be more than fine. He would be better off without her. Less stress.

In human terms it seems like such a harsh thing to say. In the dog world that’s the way it is. I know that most male/female dog pairs grow to love each other deeply and become dependent on each other and devoted to one another. I know this because I’ve lived it with previous dog pairs. I see it in Koho and Isis. However that is not how it is with Venus and Zeus and it never will be that way with Venus and Zeus. In a wild dog pack Venus’s illness would be a weakness and she would be rejected and driven off or killed. Looking at their relationship from the perspective of pure canine instinct, Zeus has shown remarkable restraint and patience toward Venus.

And so have we humans. We’re in uncharted territory. Venus is challenging and frustrating. We want to help her live as fully and happily as she can. We don’t want to give up on her. Might there come day when we will have no other choice? Or is that a certainty? I don’t know. As we keep moving forward sometimes I wonder if that’s where we’re headed. And it fills me with sadness. 

Read the Crazy Bitch series. Or click on the handy links provided on the left.

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