Learning the truth recently baffled my mind.
Mom often told me the story about two German Shepard dogs she successfully raised and trained when she was a young adult. Learning the true story left me dumbfounded.
In case it's helpful, below are the topics covered in this post:
The Original Story
As a child, my Mom told me stories about two German Shepards she raised as puppies and trained to help with chores.
Mom lived in a poor province in the Philippines growing up. Poverty and food scarcity were common at the time. She told me she wanted to help make life a little easier for her elderly grandmother.
She took in two German Shepard puppies and trained them to do a variety of chores that would help her elderly grandmother. Mom taught the dogs obedience at a young age and helpful tricks as they aged.
Mom boasted about teaching the dogs to carry items like baskets. She imagined the dogs’ carrying baskets for her grandmother while shopping at the markets for food.
When Mom felt the dogs were well-behaved and trained properly, she gave them to her grandmother.
Sadly, the dogs were consumed when food was scarce for the family. According to Mom, stealing and slaughtering pets for meat was commonplace.
This was the original story Mom told me since I was six years old.
Signs That the Original Story was... Off
There were signs that Mom's story was off while I was growing up. That, and Mom was a compulsive liar.
As a child, I knew Mom's opinions on how pets should be cared for and disciplined were wrong. It led to many arguments when we cared for her friends' pets and with my rabbits. (I blame Mom for the death of my beloved rabbit, Ginger, but that is a story for another blog post when I am ready to revisit that devastating memory.)
When I adopted my first puppy, Shadow, Mom and I argued about how to properly train and discipline him. I relied on positive reinforcement, as I assumed most pet owners do. I did not yell or hit Shadow. I simply redirected his attention if he did something I did not deem acceptable. To me, he did nothing wrong. I just had to show him what I considered appropriate dog behavior.
Mom, on the other hand, firmly believed in physical punishment to discipline "bad" behavior, especially when Shadow was acting stubborn.
One day when Shadow and I visited Mom's house, Shadow did something that Mom did not like. Mom rolled up a newspaper and smacked Shadow's nose. I got angry and yelled at her.
As we were yelling at one another, Shadow grabbed the rolled newspaper and hit her with it. He chased her around the house wagging his tail while she yelled at me to get my aggressive dog.
Shadow ended up being a well-behaved dog. Mom eventually quit arguing about how I disciplined him, but periodically told me the story of her two German Shepards.
Months after Shadow passed away, I adopted Lucy, a German Shepard puppy.
Because of Mom's story about her German Shepards, I grew up always wanting one of my own. In fact, I went to the humane society to meet a German Shepard puppy the day I met and fell in love with Shadow.
Mom was not happy that I adopted Lucy. Mom voiced her disapproval and even wished death to my new puppy. She told me that I would fail at raising and training a German Shepard.
Raising and training Lucy has been challenging. I knew what I was getting into when I adopted a German Shepard puppy mix (although lately I have wondered if she is a pure breed).
I knew how much work and dedication would go into Lucy's care. If Mom could do it on her own, then I should be able to do it with the many support outlets I have available to me now. Despite attending training courses and working with Lucy daily, I sometimes feel like a failure as a dog owner.
Thanks to Dad and my two [human] friends, I am sometimes reminded that Lucy and I have made improvements over the months. Jumping on people, nipping/biting, and eating things off the ground are no longer behaviors to discourage.
Mom does not know how much I struggled with training Lucy. Mom does not care. She pretends Lucy does not exist.
Lucy is not allowed at Mom's house. I am alright with that rule since I do not want Lucy to meet Mom. However, I miss Lucy a lot when Rascal and I visit Mom's house.
Last Christmas, I watched a video of Lucy sitting and watching a marching band in a parade. (Lucy loves live music performances!) I did not realize Mom was behind me and watching over my shoulder.
She asked about Lucy's behavior. I told her that Lucy was still young, but she is well-behaved when it mattered most: dog parks and crowded events.
Mom started telling me the story of her two German Shepards. I was ready to pretend to listen since I have heard the story many times, but I soon realized this was not the version she told me for decades.
The Latest Story
Mom lived in a poor province in the Philippines growing up. Poverty and food scarcity were common at the time. She told me she wanted to help make life a little easier for her elderly grandmother.
She took in two German Shepard puppies she believed would help her elderly grandmother. Mom intended to teach the dogs obedience at a young age and helpful tricks as they aged.
Unfortunately, Mom could not teach them anything. They always misbehaved, even when she hit them. They never did what she wanted them to do.
As they aged, they became more aggressive. They bit her several times. She started to fear them and realized she would not succeed at training them.
Mom gave the two dogs to her grandmother, anyway, hoping another family member would teach them obedience and helpful tricks.
Instead, the dogs were served as a meal for the family.
I was dumbfounded.
I asked Mom why she never told me this version of the story before. She said she was too ashamed to admit the truth.
Mom wanted to tell me the truth so that I would realize that I was destined to fail Lucy. If she could not do it, there was no way I would succeed in training Lucy.
I am curious to see which version of the story Mom will tell me next time.
What's Next?
I am determined to do what Mom could not do for her German Shepards. My goal is to continue obedience training with Lucy. I hope to get us prepared for the Canine Good Citizenship test. Wish us luck!
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam