The Project Dog: Mars’ Story

It’s great to have you join us for The Project Dog series. Tell us, how does your story with Mars start?

Hi, my name is Lee, and as soon as I was able to do so, I adopted my own dog. Mars’ paperwork at the SPCA said he was good with dogs, cats, people, and kids. So I thought, "Perfect, an easy first dog." He is, in fact, not good with any of those things except kids. I had to learn how to work with him and help him feel more confident in a world where everything and everyone was scary to him.

That is quite a start to your story, we would love to hear more about what makes Mars a Project Dog.

Mars is a project dog because when I first got him I had no clue what I was doing. I just thought "yeah I'll adopt a dog and it'll be fine". It was not fine. We couldn't even walk out the front door without him screaming at everyone and everything. He would lunge at people, dogs, cats, traffic cones, garbage cans, trees blowing in the wind, cars, trucks. Everything. Everything made him upset; Everything made him bark. I thought initially that he liked other dogs and he barked because he was excited, but that wasn't the case at all. He was so abused before I got him that even if I touched him wrong or moved too fast he would growl, snap, or actually bite me. If he was frustrated he would redirect on me almost immediately. But I loved him. He was my best friend and went through a lot of things with me, so I couldn't take him back. He needed help, and I needed to learn how to help him.

That sounds really challenging. What do you feel has been the most difficult thing about having a reactive dog?

The most difficult thing about having him is that all the plans I had and all the things I wanted to do with him, are things I had to let go of. It’s embarrassing, but I was mad at him for a long time. I wished he could just be “normal" so we could do all the things I wanted to do. Then someone told me, "You need to mourn the dog you wanted, and accept the dog you have" and in an instant, that put everything into perspective for me.

Acceptance can be hard, but is such an important part of the journey with our reactive dogs. Once we can accept and love them for who they are, we can release our previous expectations and allow them the opportunity to flourish at their own pace. They may even surprise us by reaching some of our original goals! What is something you thought Mars would never improve on, but has?

I never thought Mars would be able to participate in a class or any dog sport. Currently, he is excelling in scent work and he loves it. When we first started training he couldn't even handle being in a building with other people and dogs, even if he couldn't see them. Now, he's working in a building full of other dogs and people. It's incredible. It took a long time to get here, but it is so worth it.

During your journey with Mars, have you made connections with other reactive dog owners? Has it been helpful to you, if so, in what ways?

All of my friends in the dog world have reactive dogs. My training mentors have them. People I look up too and aspire to be like have them. They helped me realize I wasn't alone, and gave me the skills and tools to help my own dog.

We can definitely learn a lot from other reactive dogs parents but we can also learn a lot from our dogs. What have you learned from your dog?

Mars has taught me more than I can describe. He taught me patience. He taught me that even if things are scary we can work through them. He showed me trauma doesn't define who we are. Mostly, he shows me unconditional love, every single day.

Mars sounds very wise! Do you feel like your journey with Mars has changed you?

He's made me slow down and think about things before reacting. I used to explode too, not think, just react. But training him to think and that there are other ways we can show we are afraid or upset has made me show those feelings in different ways too. He's changed my entire life and my entire view on life for the better. He's made me a better, more understanding person.

It sounds like you and Mars have a very special relationship, we have really enjoyed hearing your story. Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

Mars is my very best friend. I wouldn't change anything about him. And if I had it all to do over again, even knowing how difficult the first few years would be, I would still choose him.

Mars doesn’t trust everyone, but he trusts Lee

We first met Mars and Lee in 2020 when they joined their first Basics class. It has been a pleasure to witness the ups and downs of their journey and see such positive changes in both of them over the past 5 years.

If you are on a journey with your own reactive dog and would like to find out more about how we can help, contact us, and we can discuss what options would be best suited to your dog’s needs.