Bettina’s life was turned upside down when they decided to adopt Murphy, a deaf dog with OCD, after seeing his handsome face on a rescue website. It quickly became apparent that Murphy had a LOT more going on than a hearing impairment…
Bettina says…”We adopted Murphy knowing his deafness meant special needs, but quickly his OCD behaviors that included tearing out drywall and resource guarding turned our life upside down. Soon it was not only affecting us, but our other dogs too. Bear started reacting to moving cars and bikes and Mary was stressed and showing signs of growing anxiety. Then Bear and Murphy started fighting, so we had to keep them separated.
We couldn’t go for walks anymore and car rides to quiet places didn’t work either because the dogs were crazy in the car now. I felt trapped and ready to rehome Murphy to get our lives back.
Then I saw Kathy’s BPA video and I thought ‘I’ve tried everything – training classes, private behavior sessions, reactive dog classes … I have nothing to lose’. 10 months later, I could take Bear and Mary in the car again, and we can go out for walks. All three dogs could be together in the house again.
I stopped trying to fix Murphy and we have a great partnership now. He turned into a real snuggle bug and we are helping him live life to the fullest.”
Bettina’s story is truly fascinating and on this special episode of the Enlightened By Dogs podcast, you’ll hear the full story of how a distressed family with three reactive fighting dogs restored their lives back to harmony. You’ll also discover how the Brilliant Partners Academy helped to bring this family back together… I hope you enjoy this inspirational story, it’s one of my favorites!
In this episode:
- How Bettina adopted Murphy and gave him a loving home
- How Murphy’s behavior suddenly changed after a swim in the lake
- Murphy’s OCD diagnosis and his experience with a behavioral specialist
- How Murphy’s behavior impacted Bear and Mary
- Why Bettina decided to join BPA
- How the BPA helped to bring peace and harmony back into Bettina’s life
- How much Murphy has changed since joining BPA
Read the blog post on this topic.
Quotes:
“We were like prisoners in our own house”
“The beauty of the Partnership Lifestyle is that it’s not just for our dogs, it’s also for us”
“The safe, calm, & happy protocol was a lifesaver… we haven’t had any fights in two years”
“You have to take it day by day and you have to really pay attention to where his needs are because it’s different all the time.”
Love this and want more?
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