DIANNE’S DOGHOUSE
Shadow and P. J.
Once in a great while, the right person is fortunate enough to get the right dog, to have time to take care of her and to connect with her in a profound way.
In the spring of 2021, I received a call from a female who needed to re-home a dog she rescued. She was going to be evicted from her trailer in the next twenty four hours if a home for the dog was not available soon. I called my friend Doug and asked him if he could go with me to pick up this pup. He immediately got in his truck and drove up from Loudonville.
The eight month old pup was beautiful with sleek black fur and a white chest and completely out of control. Off leash she jumped into the front seat and plastered herself against Doug. He named her Shadow and to this day in 2025 she still talks, “thank you, thank you!”
Dog trainers and handlers understand that their work is to train the dog’s human. Dogs more or less know what they need to do. The issue is almost always how to communicate what you want from them in a positive way. It may cost you fifty dollars but it will be the best buy of your life.
Doug’s wife Sherry thought she was getting a small dog, so I said, “because we are getting older, someday soon we will teach Shadow to STAND so that if your balance is off you could call out to Shadow to STAND and she will come to your side until your balance realigns itself.
Two months later, Doug suspected Shadow was pregnant which was absurd since she just turned eight months. Very soon eleven puppies were born. One died at birth and one died from choking, but the other nine were healthy and beautiful. Sherry picked out the cutest little female and named her P. J., short for Pure Joy.
Doug continued to work with Shadow and Shadow continued to train P.J.
In January 2025, Sherry was diagnosed with lung cancer. The two pups never left her side. When she was sick and Doug had to leave to get groceries, the two pups became guard dogs. When Sherry was sick in the night, P. J. retrieved Doug for help.
Doug’s household hardly had a bad moment, the four of them so neatly fit together, interlocking pieces of a puzzle that is the partnership between humans and dogs.
Sherry died on September 25, 2024. Days were very lonely for Doug and the pups, but Shadow and P. J. made their master get out of the house for walks and meet new people. They provided real companionship; not a replacement for a human being, but a steadfast and loving presence.
Walks make humans more conscious of what’s in the world, they induce you to pay attention and share their enthusiasm for whatever they see.
Doug and Sherry were grateful for their dogs and their gratitude made them very joyful folks.
Blessings,
Dianne Hammontree: dog sitter, trainer, artist.
419-606-4433
