Dasher was rescued when he was just a tiny puppy, and at first, he was very calm — but that didn’t last. Now, he’s a great big ball of energy who likes to make his presence very known anywhere he goes.
“Anything he finds he will eat it,” Tiffany Pond, Dash’s mom, told The Dodo. “Washing on the line? Yes please! Leather couch? Why not. His own bed? You bet … Nothing is off-limits with Dashy. He is like a toddler on steroids, can’t even leave a glass of water on the coffee table in case his enthusiastic tail wags knock it off.”
When Pond first started dating Dasher’s dad, the couple made sure to introduce Dasher and Pond’s dog, Charlie, very slowly to set the relationship up for success as much as possible. Dasher is still very much a puppy and Charlie is on the older side, so they weren’t sure exactly how it would work out. So far, though, it’s been going pretty well.
When Dasher came over to Pond’s house for the first time, they didn’t want him to overwhelm Charlie too much in his own space, so they decided to have him hang out in Pond’s little courtyard area for a while.
“I have a courtyard leading out from my bedroom and it’s fairly bare at the moment, haven’t really done anything with the space, does have a gorgeous water feature with some fake grass surrounding it and a few lovely statues though,” Pond said. “I thought it would be perfect for Dashy while he settles in because he can be a little crazy inside in new environments and in my mind I reasoned that there was nothing he could possibly wreck or ruin out there! It’s all brick or statue, good luck gnashing on that Dash ha!”
The couple put Dash in the courtyard with his bed and let him be for a bit. They figured he couldn’t get into much trouble out there — but of course, they were wrong.
While Dash loves his dad’s new girlfriend, he thought it might be smart to test out their relationship, just to make sure they were on the right track. His first test? He decided to completely destroy not only his bed (which he’s done before), but also the entire courtyard.
“He had torn up all of the fake grass and dug deep holes in the sand, chewing and snapping off all the pipes for the water feature,” Pond said. “Just when we thought his reign of terror was over and he couldn’t possibly show his disapproval through any other means, we are proven wrong!”
As the couple surveyed the damage, Dash just sat there, his hard work proudly on display all around him. He didn’t seem guilty in the slightest.
“We couldn’t help but laugh, he looked so innocent, like he hadn’t just Tazzy deviled the joint,” Pond said. “He is a puppy after all and is still being trained, plus, this is no real surprise, it is a total Dashy signature and very consistent with past behaviors.”
For some people, Dasher’s destruction may have been a relationship dealbreaker, but not for Pond. She already loves Dasher so much, and would much rather help him work through his behaviors than cut and run. Lucky for both Dasher and his dad, Pond is a total dog person, through and through.
“When you adopt a dog I believe the responsibility of the owner is to be patient and understanding knowing that shit will get ruined while you are teaching and training them through their phases,” Pond said. “I didn’t know Charlie had a mild heart stutter when I got him or dermatitis, I also didn’t know he had a marking habit. Regardless I love him to pieces and I would never have changed my mind about adopting him, he is the sweetest, most cuddly, gentle little boy I have ever met and only wants to be close to me. Dashy is the same, when he is calm he is a big baby and only wants cuddles and kisses.”
Even though Dasher destroyed his new mom’s courtyard, she’s in it for the long haul — and will just remember not to underestimate his destruction habits going forward.
“I really do believe from the bottom of my heart that with the right training, attention and love, every dog will give their best and purest love to you,” Pond said.
