One month a go I moved in with my sister and her husband after transferring to their city to work for them in their successful business. They cater to their dogs nothing like I've ever seen before. Delicacies, chicken breasts, roasts, the best of everything. In their house the dogs literally rule! One time my sister's husband asked me for some help with a problem on his computer while spoiled rotten Nikko loudly barked at me from under the computer desk. Instead of exercising a little discipline, my sister's husband, trembling and shaking, said to me, "John, I can't talk to you right now, Nikko is upset." Now they have another dog, Lola. Since I've come to their house a month a go, Lola will not accept me. We thought she would gradually come around but she shows no sign of it! Every time I come out of my room or pass a room she is in, there's this prolonged nasty growl or outright barking. If, during the night I step out of my room, the growling and barking awakens my sister and her husband . I tried to just ignore it, but Lola seemed to perceive this as weakness and would actually follow with her loud, piercing bark. My sister loves her dog of course, but is at her desk all day on the phone and trying to run her business and is at her wits end, saying, "I don't have the time or patience for this." She watches "The Dog Whisperer," even bought one of Caesar Milan's books, but she is too busy to be consistent with her discipline---more often she will shut her office door, shutting me out like the dog wants. I said to her, "You are surrendering to the dog," and, upset at the commotion, my sister replies, "Of course I am surrendering!" My sister and her husband both told me, "Lola didn't like Tony either, but you know what he did---he just forced himself on her and she likes him now." So, one day when Lola had been put outside, thinking to conquer this problem once and for all, I just went over and picked her up while she screamed bloody murder and bit me ferociously, drawing blood---this went on for a solid 45 seconds. Another sister came running and the dog then got calm---maybe I should have held longer right then and there, but it was quite a scene and I just handed the dog to my sister---this episode accomplished nothing. There's been bad luck too: The dog was relatively mild with me one rare day and I had just gave it a piece of chicken and was headed into the house when the sliding screen door fell off it's track and made a crashing sound---that scared the dog to death and set us way back. Another day I was concentrating at my computer and felt a sudden nudge on my leg and jumped liked I'd been shot---it was Lola and she screamed and ran. Another time the post office mail truck arrived and my sister was talking to the mail lady while holding Lola. The mail lady reached out to pet Lola and she let out a blood curdling scream. I've tried to be patient and understanding, but it's finally getting to me, this feisty spitfire of a dog growling at me constantly in my sister's house. At times I am tempted to resent my sister and her husband because I feel that, no matter what the cost, I'd never tolerate a dog growling and barking at them for a month in my house, never ever. And at times the blame seems to rest on me---just this morning I entered my sisters bedroom---the dog on her bed began growling and my sister said, "See, it started when you looked at her. You should not have looked at her." I refuse to take any blame. At times this is very stressful and it seems it will go on forever. I love dogs, my favorite animal, and know they have more affection to give than many humans. Dogs always love me, EXCEPT in this case with my sisters very spoiled dogs. I feel I almost have to bow down to them in my sister's house. They are the most catered-to dogs I've ever seen. I told my sister yesterday, "My days are numbered in this hous---I don't want to live my life like this," then of course felt bad for saying that. What are we gonna do? Is there anything we can do? Is there hope? Thank you so much for listening!
