Diva

Christine and Diva

In March 2007, while walking through the Rohnert Park Animal Shelter, the freckles on Diva's nose caught my attention. Back then, seeing her, I had no idea what an influence Diva would have on me. At the time, I was helping a dog that was in a shelter; the fact sheet on her kennel said she was turned into the shelter because the family had to move and couldn't take her and her birthday was April 15th 2006. Little did I know at the time of adoption how life would change. Diva caught my attention because she had freckles, I love the freckles cattle dogs have. Not only were the freckles on her nose but they were also on her feet. Diva's ears are a bit different, they are thick and stick to the side of her head, in a way she looked funny but so funny she's cute. But would Diva get along with Zoe. The better question, would Zoe like Diva. When in the large running area, Zoe and Diva seemed to get along. Zoe was 10 and I wanted a companion for her, not to mention that I wanted another running partner. It seemed like a good fit. At home, Diva was a good dog. Diva understood that Zoe was the primary dog in the house. Diva was very toy driven which was ok because Zoe was not. We found that Diva enjoyed chasing a laser light. It was so funny, I had only seen cats enjoy chasing a laser light. The problem with the laser light is, it was a pen, therefore, Diva began chewing every pen she could get find. Something I forgot to mention, I was married at the time of Diva's adoption. The ex was not happy with Diva. Because the was 11 months when we adopted her, she had a jumping problem; she was always excited when the ex came home and she would jump on him. Because Diva started chewing pens, the ex didn't like her. Me, Diva quickly learned to not jump on me. I had no problem teaching her not to jump on me and she listened to me. I attempted to not leave any pens at her nose level and if she did find a pen, I cleaned it up. Isn't that what we do when we have puppies? The three of us went through puppy training. I think Diva with an A, I passed with a C+, and the ex failed. He had already made up his mind about Diva and he was happy only having Zoe. Diva was always happy and liked attention. Zoe was always independent and rather be by herself or running. In September 2007, the ex asked for the divorce. Originally when he asked for the divorce, I was determined to take both Zoe and Diva. No one would get my dogs. After all I was the one that ran with them, took them to the vet, fed them, bathed them, cut their nails, brushed their teeth, and provided for them. Zoe and Diva lived with me in the house. It was my house that I would have to move out of. Although it was a house on 1/3 of an acre, neither Zoe or Diva seemed to care. Diva enjoyed chewing the many tree branches that fell off the oak trees and she enjoyed chasing the squirrels as they ran from tree to tree. However, both Zoe and Diva preferred to go running with me. Both Zoe and Diva were good listeners. Living in a house by oneself was lonely but having the two of them to talk to was nice. Of course it was during this time that two fights broke out. Diva still has a scar above her left eye, there is a small spot the hair doesn't grow. This first fight, that created Diva's scar, was in the kitchen and luckily I was able to break it up with the sink hose. The second fight was in the living room and I had to simply yell. I think Zoe missed the ex, having only me in the house wasn't enough for her. In June 2008, I moved out of my house and into an apartment. It just so happened the ex was out of town the weekend I moved. Moving from a 2,000 square foot home to a 800 square foot apartment proved to be too much for me and two dogs. In the house, I knew Zoe was the dominant dog but in the apartment, it was painfully obvious Diva was intimidated. Diva attempted to hold her ground but it was too obvious Zoe did not like Diva and had no intention of living with her. After that first weekend of being in the apartment with two dogs, I had to accept the fact that Zoe preferred being in the house, preferred my ex, and didn't like Diva. After many tears and when the ex came back into town, I took Zoe back to the house and told the ex he could have Zoe. The first night with me and Diva was painful. Because Zoe had been in the apartment, Diva wouldn't sleep on her bed or on any of her blankets; I had to wash everything to get Zoe's scent off of them. Diva was a bit nervous because it was just the two of us. I had to leave a leash on her because she began wetting in the apartment; there was something about going outside that made her immediately roll on her belly and begin to urinate (even if I let her out the door of the apartment first). Moving from a house to an apartment, we no longer had a yard. I had to walk Diva, I was the primary source of her exercise, and she had to get out to do her business. Once it was just the two of us in our routine of waking up, walking, eating, walking, etc.; she no longer chewed any pens and she didn't jump on anyone. Although the ex didn't like Diva, the people I met around the apartment complex did like Diva. Diva had to learn that all noises don't require growling or barking; but we adjusted well to apartment living. While on our walks, Diva got to hear about the divorce proceedings. Diva probably understands the divorce process better than me, she probably thought I was stupid for complaining about all the paperwork and the meetings with the attorneys. It was very therapeutic for me to have to walk with her and to be able to talk things out with her. The dating process also occurred during this time period. I found that although Diva loves men, she is also a good judge of character; I started to realize the way she reacted towards men. Although she starts out appearing to like men, if she does not like a man, she will simply walk away from him and pull her ears forward. If she likes a man, she will stand by his side, and pull her ears back. Once the divorce was finalized, it was time to relocate. In September 2008, I drove around the bay area and found an area with a large dog park. In January 2009, Diva and I moved. I cried, the new apartment was not like the old one, but Diva was supportive (by my side and wagging her tail). Diva accepted the new apartment with no problem. Diva especially enjoyed are walks to the park and being off leash at the dog park. 2009 was still a year of dealing with the divorce and being in a new area. There were still many moments of anger and frustration. There was the frustration of interviewing for a new job and the rejections. The whole time, Diva was there, she would lay by the bed while I cried. She would sit by the bed with her head on the bed so I could pet her and cry. Being in the new area, Diva made many friends. Diva has no problem running up to people or getting people's attention. Diva doesn't need to jump on people or bark at people to get their attention, she simply walks by them or looks at them. We quickly met people while at the dog park. Having dogs in my life almost my whole life, I have learned many things from each dog. Has one dog changed my life? Each of the dogs have made my life and my personality what it is. However, I do believe Diva changed my life because she changed the way I think about life. Diva changed my life. Diva is not a dominant dog but Diva is not submissive. Diva walks through life with her eyes looking forward and her senses alert. Diva approaches others with caution and doesn't always treat everyone the same. Diva likes our routine but likes change. My life changed because I try to think about life the way Diva does. I did not have control of my life and I don't have control of my life but I take each day as it comes. Diva can't open the door by herself or feed herself but she knows those things will occur during the day. Previously I had to have control of my life and know what was going to happen but it was very stressful, now that I think like Diva, I don't have much stress. Living in a new area and although I am a social person, Diva has made it easier for me to meet new people. Diva likes people and she likes other dogs. We have our social group and we enjoy spending time with others. My life has drastically changed since adopting Diva. I went from being married to being single. I lived in the North Bay and now live on the peninsula. I lived in a big house and now live in a tiny apartment. I was very stressed before and now my only stress is how far are we going to walk today. Although the drastic changes didn't occur because of Diva, my outlook on life has changed because of Diva. Diva has taught me: the most important things in life are food, somewhere to sleep, somewhere to run, be social once in a while, remember to get plenty of sleep, and make sure someone is there to scratch your back. I realize Diva's needs really are my needs. All the other stuff in life are wants. Wants are not as necessary as needs.