Callie's New Beginning

     Callie is a female white Labrador Retriever. I say white because she is more white than yellow. She came to us by the usual route. She was a rescue dog.

     Her beginnings were sad. She was a young pup being raised in a questionable environment. She was left out in the elements without proper attention or care. She was run over by a car. The owners were going to shoot her instead of taking her to the vet to tend to her injuries. A neighbor stepped in and told them she would take the pup. She brought her in to the Veterinarian where one of my daughters works. The neighbor promised to pay all costs for the pup. The pup had several breaks in both legs and a broken jaw and some internal issues. But they were fixable with time and lots of care.
     
Well after about 2 weeks, the neighbor stopped checking on the pup, moved and left no forwarding address. Callie had to have her legs splinted and her other wounds tended to. Bruised and underweight, she was abandoned. Normally this would necessitate a call to the pound for pick up. Given her circumstances that would mean being put down for sure.
   
But being the kindhearted people they are at the Animal Hospital, they just couldn't bring themselves to making that call. Something about Miss Callie tugged on their heartstrings. So, for the next 3 months while she recuperated, Callie would end up being a guest at the Animal Hospital. The girls would take turns sometimes bringing her home with them for the weekends just to give her a chance to be in a normal environment.
   
Callie was growing so fast that she soon outgrew even their largest kennel area and more permanent arrangements had to be made. So I reluctantly agreed to let her come and stay at our home with the condition that another home must be found for her ASAP!
   
Almost 4 years later, she is still here...And Lordy it has been a ride with her. She adapted well into our home with the other dogs and a cat at first, but one day something set her off and she turned on her housemate Chrash; a black and tan mix. They tore into each other so viciously that stitches were necessary for both of them. From that day we have been unsuccessful in integrating these two into a peaceful coexistence. They will try and kill each other at every opportunity. They have successfully crossed paths on at least 3 other occasions that resulted in horrifying attacks on each other. We literally could not pull them apart without using our entire bodies and strength.
    
The hatred they have for each other is limited to each other for the most part. Callie shows none of that same aggression with any of the 3 other dogs, though I am very alert to any signs that she is becoming agitated. Chrash is completely fine with the other dogs and never shows any aggression to them.

   
We have asked ourselves could this be a result of not being socialized properly as a puppy? Or is this some form of plain old female aggression at its worst?

Callie & Chrash in better times

      Today, we must play musical dogs every time one has to go out. They must be kept separated to avoid another fight. That means constantly monitoring the situation without any room for error. I can't afford any more trips to have one of them be sewn up. I wonder what Caesar would have to say about that?
     
Callie has suffered many health issues over the years. The latest being an allergy issue so bad that most of her hair fell out. Thankfully that has been resolved now after spending over $600 at a dermatologist for dogs that included pathologist and blood work. She is a true and loyal textbook Lab to a fault. She requires thyroid and allergy meds twice a day every day. But aside from the issues of hating her house mate and her health problems, she is probably the most consistently well mannered dog we have. Go figure...