My family is now complete

I temporarily moved to Puerto Rico for a few months because of a job opportunity. I moved with my dog Arya who was two years old at the time. Arya is a mixed breed, mastiff and presa-canario. I adopted her a year and a half prior to our move. I initially went in in hopes of adopting a smaller dog. However, things didn’t work out that way. When I arrived, the small dog that I was initially interested in was being adopted by another family. I was disappointed but I was determined to adopt a dog that day. Arya stood out from the rest. There was just something about her that I connected with. It may have been the way she looked at me. Her eyes were wide and she was very alert. She followed my every move. I adopted her and she has been a beautiful addition to our family. She is extremely loyal but very protective especially in the presence of strangers. She is also highly intelligent. With her, I felt like my family was complete.

Arya and I spent many days on the beach while we lived in Puerto Rico. Our day began with a morning run and ended on the beach where we played in the sand and splashed around in the ocean. A few weeks into our routine, we noticed another dog coming around. He was always alone and in search of food. I saw him for days at a time and finally weeks. Arya would play with him which was surprising to me because Arya is very territorial. After seeing this dog around with no owner, I took him home with us one day. This was definitely a spur of the moment decision. I wasn’t searching for another dog but it seemed like the right thing to do. I asked around to see if anyone was missing a dog. I even made flyers but did not receive a response. I realized that this little guy did not have a home and was most likely a stray.

I formally adopted our new addition and named him Klaus. Arya was no longer an only child and now had a brother. Klaus is also a mixed breed Czechoslovakian wolf dog and part mastiff. He was maybe 9 months to a year old when I adopted him. I found out this information when I took him to the vet to get him vaccinated. Klaus resembles a wolf in his body shape and movement. He also shares some of their facial features.

Klaus was definitely unfamiliar with what it meant to live with a human being. I don’t think he understood what was happening. He was constantly ravaging through the house, chewing on shoes and destroying everything in sight. This made living within a home very difficult for Klaus at the beginning. Wondering around in search of food was his normal routine.

During the first few weeks of his stay, he ran away twice. Thankfully he came back both times. At times he would sit outside and howl similar to a wolf as if indicating that he was in search of his pack. I often contemplated whether or not I made the right decision. I never saw him with other dogs but I wondered if we had taken him away from his dog family, his pack or friends.

I had no knowledge of his breed and did some research to educate myself. I realized that dogs of the Czechoslovakian wolf dog breed require a lot of exercise as well as a great deal of socialization. They are also extremely high in energy which was very evident with Klaus. I also learned that it was normal for his breed to have a high prey drive. This explained why he would chase small animals around. Your responsibilities as a pet owner are not just focused on feeding your pet and providing a home. Your responsibility entails learning and educating yourself about your pet to be able to better meet his or her needs. I definitely should have started my research earlier as this would have eliminated a lot of frustration on both our ends.

To help Klaus, we began spending a lot more time together with a focus on cuddles and making him feel loved. As time went by, he got accustomed to it and would come up to you in anticipation of belly rubs and head rubs. The one thing I noticed was that he would eat constantly. Every time there was food present, he would eat. I believe he did that because he feared that he would go without food one day. He did the same thing when we went out for walks. Every time he saw a bone or food in sight, he got excited and wanted to run towards it. Having him on a leash was another challenge to overcome. Klaus was a free spirit.

I had to return to the US abruptly and I couldn’t take Klaus with me at that time. He needed his ID for traveling purposes and I was unable to get it in time. I left him with a family friend and took Arya with me. When I arrived in the US, I video called every day so that Arya and myself could interact with him. I could tell that he looked so sad. My friends even told me that he had stopped eating. I knew something was wrong when Klaus denied himself food. The thought of him being sad was heartbreaking to me. As soon as I could head back to Puerto Rico, I took the first flight back.

When he saw Arya and myself, he was jumping up for joy. His sister and playmate was back. I think he thought that we had abandoned him and I made it a priority to get everything he needed for travel purposes. There will never be a time when he will be left behind again.

There were so many firsts for Klaus. The first time he drove in a car, he got car sick and threw up. Poor little guy I thought. We had to develop a routine or more a position for him so he wouldn’t feel too nauseous. He was trained to lay flat on the floor as soon as he enters the car. As a result he wouldn't be able to gaze out the window and the bumps and turns wouldn't make him feel dizzy.

Klaus took his first plane ride when Arya and myself moved back to the US. We prepared him like we did using the car ride. Having Arya around helped out a lot. Klaus adapted her calm nature and he fell asleep next to Arya for almost the whole flight. I was so proud of him. He did amazing and he definitely got loads of treats as a result.

We initially flew to Miami for a few months. He adjusted very quickly to the new environment. We are, however, still working on changing his eating habits. It’s been a year and that has been the hardest habit to break. I do take the food away at times so that it isn’t always available.

One day Klaus had eaten his lunch. I decided to take him out quickly as Arya was still eating. She is a slow eater. I left his bowl on the floor next to her. when I got back, I realized that Arya had taken food out of her bowl and brought it to his bowl. It was then that I knew that he and Arya had developed a special bond. She has been an amazing big sister. They’ve become best friends and Klaus seems so much happier. I love the way he lights up when there’s a treat and how excited he gets when he knows that we are going out to play.

A few months later we travelled to Atlanta to visit my sister. Per our usual routine, we traveled together as a family. He did great on the flight there and the uber ride from the airport. Thankfully the uber driver was a dog lover and had no issues with Arya and Klaus.

My sister wasn’t doing well at that time. I woke up one morning and found Klaus sleeping on the rug next to her bed. I think he sensed that she was in pain and wanted to be next to her. If he senses that she’s in pain, he becomes very protective of her and watches her every move. He has a great personality and is a very caring dog. Having him around has definitely improved my sister’s spirits and I think his presence is helping with her healing process.

My sister was learning Spanish while we were there and I realized that I have never spoken to Klaus in Spanish. It made me reflect and I wondered if there was a language barrier. In hindsight there were times I would ask him to do something and he wouldn’t. I think he may not have understood what I was saying. My sister asked him to sit and to stand in Spanish and he did it. This definitely confirmed that Klaus was bilingual which I thought was extremely fascinating. If he didn’t know that many English words before, he has definitely learned a lot during the past 2 years. I will continue to talk to him in both English and Spanish from now on to maintain his ability to understand both languages.

Klaus has finally settled into his new life as a member of our family. He loves to eat. I call him a typical boy because you can always hear him burping after every meal. He always seems to be having the best dreams. When he is asleep at night, he can be heard barking which he doesn't normally do when he's awake. His barks are soft and he seems to be having fun doing whatever he's dreaming about. He is definitely a hyper 2 year old and at times its hard to contain his excitement but I am so glad that we found him. He will be celebrating his third birthday soon. I couldn’t imagine life without him now. I am not sure what adventures lie ahead for myself, Arya and Klaus but I know that this is just the beginning of our story. No one knows what the future holds but I can bet you that Arya and Klaus will always be a part of it.