In which we relinquish our corgi to a better place

This one is sad, so if you’re here for vampires and dick jokes, head ye to the archives.

Wishy, the Corgi we picked up seven days ago, has been returned to the shelter we adopted him from.

You’ve probably read the story of how he gave me corgipox and put me in the hospital. We had hoped that this was just caused by the stress of moving, but his behavior has gotten steadily worse over the course of the week.

He went after AJ – The Fiancee – the other night, and I was so afraid of something happening to her that I actually broke down in tears. But we were still hopeful… we wanted to talk with a veterinarian and a trainer, and see if they could offer us any advice on how to help him. But on the way to the vet, Wishy bit me again – much less seriously this time, because AJ yelled when she saw him bear his fangs, but not for lack of effort on his part.

At this point, even the vet said that we might be in over our heads, and I was on my way to agreeing with her. But the final straw came later that night, when Wishy came running in from the other room, growling and lunging at me. At this point, we were both so afraid of him that we wouldn’t even go near him to remove his leash; we just put a gate up in front of the kitchen and let him alone.

I spoke with the shelter that night, and we all agreed that it was best if Wishy went back home.

We found out later that we’re actually his second adoptive family, and that the first people that adopted him also returned him because he bit people… something that we definitely should have been informed of ahead of time. I suppose I should be angry about that, but honestly, I’m just kind of sad.

None of this is Wishy’s fault. His first family left him alone – we suspect locked in a cage – for sixteen hours a day. He was never socialized, and he never learned to trust. He’s afraid, and he’s reacting the only way he knows how. And as much as we want to help him, we just don’t know how.

Fortunately, Pets Alive is a no-kill shelter, so we at least know that he isn’t going to be put down. Maybe they can find someone with the experience Wishy needs to finally be socialized. And if not, they’re willing to work with him for the rest of his life, giving him as much attention – and as much space – as he needs.