Meet The Pack

I've introduced you to the herd, I figure it's high time you meet the pack. First up, is Riley. He's my old man. He'll be 12 sometime this winter. I'll have had him 10 years this coming October. I can't believe it's been 10 years already. He was my first dog and my first Belgian Malinois. I adopted him from the ABMC Rescue. At that time I was giving up on horses. The horse I had then was the one that broke my back and my confidence. I lost the joy of riding. I decided enough was enough. Riding is such an expensive and time consuming hobby that I'ld darn well better be enjoying it. And, I wasn't enjoying it.

So, enter the dogs. Riley had been bounced around to 3 homes before I got him. Poor guy. He's a good dog, tries to please, which is typical of a Mal. Within 24 hours he had figured out that I was the best thing to ever happen to him and he's been stuck to me like glue since then. He's kept me company on long weekends to Virginia. He was with me the day I first saw this property. He gave it his stamp of approval before I bought it. He's put up with my mistakes as I learned how to train dogs instead of horses. Similar theories but different in practice.

When I first got him, he was very "interested" in the cats. I was really scared he was going to kill them. He spent the first 3 months with me either in the crate or attached to me via leash. But, by the end of the 3 months, he stopped trying to chase them every time one of them moved. He has protected them from visiting dogs who want to chase them. They've become "his" cats. I can't say that the cats feel that way about him, but they've adjusted.

I did some agility with him--never competitions but lots of training. He taught me alot and I just hope I've given him half the happiness he's brought me over the last 10 years. He keeps up with the two young 'uns. Still goes for 4-6 miles of walks every day. Plays ball. Runs around with the other two. He just had his annual physical last week and he's doing great.

Next, is sweet little Lyca. She'll be 5 this fall. Another rescue. She was supposed to be a temporary foster, but she's just so darn cute! Actually, she was supposed to be my ex's dog, but like most things with him, I'm the one that took care of her and he left her when he moved out. She supposedly had been living outside before she came into Rescue, but she quickly figured out the joys of living in a house.


She is a bundle of energy, always running around at top speed, ready to play. Mals are supposed to be aloof (not shy, not aggressive, just aloof) to strangers but she didn't get that gene. Everyone is her Best Friend. The worst she will do to someone is lick them to death. Very un-Mal like. But, her enthusiasm for life is typical of the breed. During the summer, we take our morning walk over at the pond. Every morning I throw sticks into the pond. Every day, she chases each stick as though it's the first one she's ever gotten! Leaps into the pond with the biggest leap she can get, swims at top speed out to it. When she gets to shore, she runs full tilt to me just so that I can toss it back into the pond for her to chase again. :-) She has taught me about enjoying the simple things, remembering to get as much joy and laughter out of each day as I can.


I did some agility training with her, but she doesn't the focus that Mals usually do. Indoors she would do well, but outdoors, when we were running a course she would get distracted and go off chasing a bug or a toad or whatever happened to catch her eye. It was too bad, as she has the speed to be competitive. Not that I have the time for that anyway.

Finally, we have Dutch. Technically, he's a foster dog, but since I've had him for over a year now, I think I'm stuck with him. He's about 6 yo, a product of divorce. I can understand people's lives change and they might not be able to keep their animals, but after 5 years, they just dumped him in a kill shelter. :-( He was very depressed when I got him, very thin. I had a heck of a time getting weight on him. Did all sorts of medical tests, tried different foods. Long story short, it turns out he had very atypical clinical symptoms of a low thyroid. Normally, hypo-thyroid dogs gain weight and are lethargic. He was so thin I winced when I looked at him. It took 6 months to figure that out, then another couple of months for his weight to adjust. He's still thinner than I would ideally like, but at least I can't count his ribs and vertebrae anymore.

He is very much the typical, high drive Mal. Always on the go, always wants to play. He would play ball 24 hours/day if he could. In the hot weather I have to be careful not to let him get overheated. In the winter I have to be careful he doesn't slip on the ice and break a leg! Last winter he would cut his paws on the ice--there would be blood all over, but he still wanted me to throw the ball for him.

He's been a challenge. He's very reactive, barks at most anything that moves. He didn't have much concept of self-control when I first got him and that's still a bit of a challenge for him. I used to have to walk him separately from Lyca and Riley because he would bark and leap and lunge about uncontrollably on the leash at other dogs or people or cars. He has pulled me over on more than one occasion and at 5'11" I'm not exactly a lightweight. Now, after a year, I can usually just tell him "No" when he sees something while we're walking and he'll behave. Sometimes, I'll still have to put him into Sit to make sure he'll behave. Small, slow progress.

I feel guilty because I don't have the time to put into him that he deserves. He learns things very quickly, wants to please, and is very quick. He would be awesome at agility and probably fly ball--his reactivity isn't a problem when he's "working". With the horses and the farm and the job, I just don't have the time or energy to do anything with him. But, he doesn't seem to mind. Like Lyca, he enjoys every minute and chases each ball that I throw as though it's the first time he's seen something so fun! His tail is always wagging and he's always sure we're going to do something fun.

So, that's my pack. They all sleep on the bed with me, spoiled rotten as they are. Sometimes, there's not enough room for me in the bed!