The Ace Factor

We adopted Ace from a wonderful rescue center. We don’t know his whole story or background. All we can do is guess based on a few clues. For one, he had lesions around his neck, probably from being chained outside. He also was so matted he could not extend his legs fully. The shelter ended up shaving him before we got him. And, he weighed about 225 lbs, very overweight for him. He is a large dog to begin with, but before we got him, they had him down to 185. And he’s still huge!

One thing the shelter put on his list is that he is very good riding in the car. He is that. IF you can get him in the car, he lays down and won’t look at you, almost like he’s pouting or punishing you for tormenting him. I don’t know what that is about, as our other Newfy can’t wait to go in the car and go places, ANYPLACE. He loves going. We do fun things often, taking him to the dog park, or a regular park, or to the stores that do allow dogs (Lowes, Home Depot, Petco, etc), or visiting friends in their homes or apartments. He loves every minute of it.

Then there’s Ace. It was difficult getting him in the car when we adopted him. No problem, I expect that. He hardly knew us. He was probably taught not to take rides from strangers. But after that, he still refuses to get in the car. If we have to take him somewhere, for instance when we went out of town and he had to go to the dog sitters, it took three grown adults to push-shove-cram him into the vehicle.

Barnabas and Ace on bathroom monitoring

Currently, we have a trainer that comes to our house. She has worked with him a few weeks with treats and bribes of all kinds. She’s working with him slowly. We want him trained, not traumatized. So far, he will walk up a ramp to the car, and even put one foot into the car, and that is as far as he goes on his own.

I love both my boys equally, but differently. They are each sweet and loving. They each give lots of kisses and hugs and love to play with toys. They both even LOVE to walk. As soon as I pull the leash down, they race to the door, ready and raring. Barnabas will even take the leash in his mouth and then head straight for the truck. Ace walks down the sidewalk, then edges away from the truck and heads for the sidewalk across the street. He loves to walk, as long as it doesn’t involve a car ride.

So, the training continues, but I find myself wondering, what happened? He didn’t get sick the few times we’ve taken him by force in the car. Did someone drop him off and abandon him somewhere? Did someone leave him in a vehicle on a hot day or take him for hours and hours driving with no time outside? What is going on in his huge blocky head?

I’ve told him over and over, we are not getting rid of him! He is ours for keeps. We hope to get through this little trial with him and have a brighter future of driving to various places with him for fun and relaxation. But doing it slowly so he can do it on his terms. Time will tell.

Ace with his Pink Pig