[caption id="attachment_38" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Fable's beauty is undeniable - but her best attributes are the ones you can't photograph"]
Fable actually came to us as a solution to Lexy's depression. In November 2008 I was at home watching the US election on CNN, and my husband was going through the dog's bedtime routine. He took Lex and Molson, our Golden Retriever, downstairs to the kitchen to get a quick snack and a drink and to go outside to do their business before bed.
This was all carried out with great normalcy, and upon coming back inside the house they both ran upstairs to go to bed. Lexus jumped into bed while Molson, who was almost ten at this point, was a little slower on the stairs and was just ahead of my husband.
Suddenly my husband yelled "seizure!" - Molson had epilepsy, and although his seizures had not surfaced in over four years (we had gotten them under control using only food and some supplements) he had abruptly fallen over on his side and began twitching just a few feet shy of the bedroom door. I jumped out of bed and came running, and immediately knew that while I wasn't sure what I was looking at, it was definitely NOT a seizure.
[caption id="attachment_39" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="This was a common sight as Lexus grew up - the closer she could get to Molson, the happier she was"]
[/caption]Sadly, my sweet boy, the dog who was personally responsible for my study of nutrition, behaviour and training, had a stroke and died within minutes. CPR was performed to no avail.
Lexus witnessed the entire ordeal, and we allowed her to smell his body afterward in the hope that she would not try to look for him when we came home without him. She knew immediately what she was looking at, and by the time we got back from the vet clinic she was already in a deep depression. She ate but without any interest, she wouldn't play and my previously cuddly dog became downright glue-like. She would wake me in the middle of the night, pawing at me and crying. You see, from the moment she was brought home her and Molson were never separated. They even shared a gigantic St. Bernard sized crate because if Lexus was crated separately she would injure herself trying to escape the crate (and was frequently successful).
After about six weeks we started to look for a suitable dog for Lexus, as her depression was only getting worse. We were looking for a cattle dog and so I went through PetFinder and all the breeders within driving distance to see if we could find an adult male that would provide a similar energy to Molson. We found nothing.
I began to look through rescues and "to good home" postings in Saskatchewan, where I was scheduled to spend a few weeks at the end of December/beginning of January. Cattle dogs are extremely common in Alberta and Saskatchewan, much more so than here in Ontario, but the only suitable choice I found was a litter of puppies in Northern Saskatchewan that turned out to be half Malamute. Not exactly what I had in mind.
[caption id="attachment_40" align="alignright" width="194" caption="Who could resist this puppy?"]
[/caption]Just before leaving I came across a local litter that had been purpose bred for stock work - a litter of what some people call "Texas Heelers" but the rest of us call Australian Cattle Dog/Australian Shepherd mixes. We went to visit the litter and I did what you should definitely NOT do. I chose a puppy based solely on what she looked like. Notice I said "she"? The puppy I chose wasn't even male! Regardless, I spent the entire time out west checking my email for new photos of the puppy who was soon to be mine.
I arrived at the airport to find both my husband AND my new puppy waiting for me. It was love at first sight!
The same was not true for Lexus, who immediately decided she wanted NOTHING to do with this THING that I had brought home. However, her depression lifted as she tried to put on an "I see you, but I don't care" attitude towards the puppy. We named her Fable (yes, after the video game. Our cat Pey'j has also been saddled with the name of a video game character) and within a week Lexus had gone from veiled disdain to tolerance to enjoying having a little shadow - even if it did bite her occasionally.
[caption id="attachment_41" align="alignleft" width="161" caption="We call this photo BigSisterLittleSister"]
[/caption]Today the two of them are inseparable. Literally. We do our best to get them each out of the house on their own, but the entire time neither of them are happy and both are simply waiting to be reunited with the other.
Fable has a very different way of dealing with aggressive or difficult dogs - she puts on such a ridiculously large display of submission that the other dog is almost embarrassed, I swear. She throws herself to the ground and grovels, licking their mouth and ears and generally making a fool out of herself.
As time goes on, Fable begins to push buttons. A paw here, a hip check there, the occasional bark or woo-roo. Using this technique she inevitably gets the other dog riled to the point that it chases her - and now it's a game. I have watched her break down frightened dogs, angry dogs, frustrated dogs and even dogs who had "shut down" with these techniques - and with such little effort.
When dealing with dogs who are reported to have "dog aggression" we have a three step program. Lexus is step number one, where she alternates between ignoring and flirting with the troubled dog, all the while feeding me information about the dog's flight distance, sensitive areas and her overall impression of the dog's temperament. Next comes Fable, to break through that play barrier and to teach both the dog and the client that they are capable of interacting nicely with others. The last stage belongs to the baby in the house, Juno - but more about her later.
Fable was such an amazing addition to our family, to our pack, and to our rescue/training staff that when I found out the breeding was going to be repeated, not only did we jump at the opportunity to bring home another puppy (Juno) but we also had two friends who brought home puppies as well (Rogue and Cairo).
She has been my rock, my friend, my companion, my assistant, my entertainment and my anti-depressant. It is impossible to be around her and not have your spirits buoyed. Most importantly, she really drove home how important it was for us to have canine assistants who were great at their job if we wanted to reach the incredible level of success that we have obtained. Fable has saved the lives of many dogs simply by changing their perception of the world and reassuring them that their own species is not something to be feared. We are incredibly proud of her record, and we are lucky to have her on our team - and a part of our family.
[caption id="attachment_44" align="aligncenter" width="497" caption="Fable always greets new situations with confidence - here she is her very first time in Lake Erie"]
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