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I came here with a question that has bugged me for several days.
Here is some background.
Sasha and King are two GSDs. Both were abandoned at a high school at the same time when they were around one year old. They were taken care of by high school kids and a teacher who is also working for a dog rescue organization. They relied on each other for three years, living outdoor on the school ground until the teacher retired and the pair went on Petfinder.
The rescue required them to be adopted together. The family adopted them decided to return Sasha so I adopted Sasha. This was two years ago. Sasha is a calm dog but big dogs need to be introduced carefully. The family then decided to let King go, then changed their mind, then let King go again, then changed mind. After four rounds of changing their minds, they finally made a decision to return King to the rescue. The rescue contacted me each time since I have his sister. The rescue is full and desperately wants to adopt King out fast. I feel the calling but I was in China. After I came back three days ago, another family has applied to adopt King and their dog and King have become instant friends. But the wish for both the rescuer and me to reunite King and Sasha made the rescue rejected the application, pending Sasha and King's reaction to each other. Well, Sasha didn't act like she recognized King. She snapped at him every single time and tried to run back to my car. King, a very friendly GSD in the end refused to be close to her. So after 20hr flight from China, both the rescuer and I accepted the fact that our dream has evaporated. The other family took King happily. I have always heard from news that the lost dog find their owner many years after. So my question is
1. Did Sasha really not to recognize King?
2. Or she recognizes King and the rescuer too and worried that she will be taken back since I was out of town for two weeks. Sasha was at home with my husband while I was in China.
3. Or she recognizes King but considers him belong to another pack now so no friendship.
Both the rescuer and I were very sad and wondering...? See Sasha's photo
Where was the meet held? If it was at Sasha's house, she may have felt like he was in her territory. If it was in an unfamiliar place, she may have been stressed by the various smells. Maybe she associates him with being alone, and likes the comfort of her current situation. Who knows? Dogs just seem to do their own thing sometimes.
i think that maybe after a prolonged absence, the siblings do not know each other....
one day last summer, i took my dave back to the shelter from where he was adopted... just for a visit..... as it happened, one of his brothers and one of his sisters had recently been returned to the shelter and they were brought out for a mini-reunion.... none of the three acted like they had ever met any of the others..... they were all about 1-1/2 years old at the time and had been separated for a year or so.... I adopted Dave when he was about 10 months old, and it was just him and one of the girls left out of the litter of 8 puppies.....
It also may have a lot to do with smell. Smell is usually the first manner by which dogs recognize one another and has a lot to do with one dog's reaction to another; cats are the same way. I have also noticed that adult dogs become more set in their ways and are not as accepting of other dogs, especially adult dogs, the older they get; it may also have been a reaction to a male dog.
You will probably never know the answer, although I agree that her reaction--especially actually snapping at her brother--is perplexing. However, a consolation is, as another poster stated, that both Sasha and King have found forever homes in which they are happy; I love her pic, she looks so happy!
To Jasper, the meeting was at King's home that he can't stay anymore. They were keeping King until we met.
I guess we were waiting for a Kodak moment and we didn't get it. I agree with LTTP and StarlaJane and prefer the idea that two years apart on different food and homes, King may not smell the same. Sasha didn't recognize him. He didn't make any noise either. I can't believe that she recognizes him and refuses to accept him.
Well, I was surprised by the result. They spent three-four years together and two years apart. I guess the smell of a dog, a recognition signal can change overtime.
I told rescue if they had to rehome King again, call me. I will treat King as a strange dog and re-introduce to Sasha. I know she will accept an adult big dog if I take time. So yes, King will always have a home.
Just a quick update.
After one month, King was returned to rescue . I kept my promise. I asked my neighbor to house him for two weeks so I can have time to introduce Sasha. My neighbor is a stay home mom and loves dogs. She fell in love with him instantly. So she getsto keep him. They are financially a bit tight so I will be responsible for all his medical needs.
After King arrived her home, I took Sasha to meet him. Well, this time is different. They know each other. There is no jumping since both dogs are old. They walked nicely together and kissed each other occasionally. My husband said he almost cried.
Now they meet and play with each other two or three times a week.
Just a quick update.
After one month, King was returned to rescue . I kept my promise. I asked my neighbor to house him for two weeks so I can have time to introduce Sasha. My neighbor is a stay home mom and loves dogs. She fell in love with him instantly. So she getsto keep him. They are financially a bit tight so I will be responsible for all his medical needs.
After King arrived her home, I took Sasha to meet him. Well, this time is different. They know each other. There is no jumping since both dogs were old. They walked nicely together and kissed each other occasionally. My husband said he almost cried.
Now they meet and play with each other two or three times a week.
Wow, LingLing you really should win an award for dedication to the breed
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