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Here is Chapter 7! Not deterred by the fact that my puppy didn't love me (or seemingly care about me at all!) when we first took him home, I set about building that relationship from scratch. Things are progressing well until a chance encounter with a new dog in the field goes horribly wrong.

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Chapter 7 - The Attack

As it always does, dawn brought a new day. The initial awe at the fact that we had a dog gave way to making room for the adjustments that having a dog brings. Working from home allowed me to spend lots of time with Nova, something which I really cherished. The hurt I felt at our lack of connection soon gave way to stubborn determination to make this relationship work. I took some time to reflect on our situation. 

Taking home a puppy is a largely selfish act. Regardless of how good a life you will provide for your pup, you’re not doing it for the dog, you’re doing it for you. This dog has known one set of surroundings for its entire life. He had litter mates to play with and a yard to bound around every single day. I thought about how much I had loved visiting Lynda’s place over the previous year and it struck me that we had taken him away from the only home he had ever known. Not only that, we changed his name and expected immediate and unconditional love. Just like Jack Conroy had done with White Fang, I realised I had to build this relationship.

Nothing truly changed in terms of how I interacted with Nova. It was just a change in perspective. I developed patience with Nova when he didn’t respond to his name. I started reading about how dogs think, how they learn, and how they react. I learned that dogs need mental exercise as much as physical exercise. I found forums chalked full of dog owners just like me sharing their experiences and their advice. It was enlightening and relieving all at once.

We took the days pretty slowly at first; lots of playing and fun. Nova’s funk after leaving Lynda’s lasted about a week and then, one day, it was just over. He was as happy as I’ve ever seen him. He was excited to see us, he wanted to see what we were doing all the time, and he just seemed to relax and smile more. 

I knew I was making progress but we still weren’t the inseparable duo I had imagined. 

Two weeks after bringing Nova home, a good friend of Danielle’s invited us out for drinks to celebrate her birthday. We weren’t ready to leave Nova home alone yet so we decided to all walk down to the pub. It was a decent distance but I thought Nova could handle it. 

The walk took longer than we expected and when we arrived the pub was just shutting down. Everyone was milling around outside, getting ready to make their way to the next location. Nova immediately attracted all the attention as adorable puppies tend to do. I stood like a proud papa as our friends fawned over our dog. He would go from one pair of legs to the next trying to get as many pats as possible before moving on. When he thought he had had enough, he simply plopped down under a chair. That was something we quickly learned about him. He wasn’t a needy, in-your-face kind of dog. He got his fill and then he liked to have his own space. It wasn’t just with me, that was who he was. 

Danielle went out with the group and I walked home with Nova. I began to feel much better about my boy. I knew he cared about us, I knew he was happy with us, he just didn’t feel the need to show it all the time. We got home and he plopped down by the sofa. I sunk to the floor and lay down next to him. It took about 15 seconds before he got up, plodded to the other wall, and lay down about 5 feet away from me. 

“Oh come on!” I muttered. 

We were fortunate to have a massive fenced-in field next to our house. This was part of the cemetery but wasn’t used for burials. The neighbourhood residents all bring their dogs there on a daily basis to run and play with each other. We were slowly getting to know them as we took Nova there more frequently. On one such visit, as we were making our way across the field, we spotted a couple coming our way with their dog. She was a black mutt about the size of a boxer. A nice-looking dog and a nice-looking couple. We stopped for a chat and Danielle let Nova approach their dog. “Umm, I wouldn’t do that, she’s not that friendly with other dogs.” her owner warned. 

“Oh,” we replied, having never considered that, “that’s ok.” 

We talked about nothing in particular and the dogs both relaxed. Then the wife offered that their dog seemed pretty calm and that the two dogs could probably say hi. We were only too eager to oblige and so we let Nova jump up and say hello. He moved to sniff her face. 

And all hell broke loose. 

The black dog snapped at Nova and spun around to jump on his back. Our leash got immediately tied up with theirs and so when everyone tried to pull their dogs back, it just tightened them together. The black dog gnashed at Nova and then clamped her jaws around the back of his neck. Nova was going ballistic. 

B-A-L-L-I-S-T-I-C. 

His tiny teeth gnashing wildly at the air, his eyes rolling back in his head, and desperate yelps coming escaping his throat at a frantic pace. 

In a moment like this there is no such thing as rational thought, it’s all adrenaline and reaction. Without thinking I reached down and grabbed the black dog's top jaw with one hand and her bottom with the other. Forcing my hands between her teeth and Nova’s neck I pulled as hard as I could. Her jaws came off and Nova, sensing freedom, tried to run. But their leashes were still tangled and so he only got two feet away before he was jerked back into the fray. He was free from the other dog but he was still yelping and biting the air wildly, his eyes were more white than brown. 

He was completely terrified. 

Danielle reached in and managed to unclip his leash. Now free, Nova took off for the house. He got halfway across the field before he stopped to wait for us. We rushed over, waving off the other couple’s apologies, and checked on our dog. He wasn’t bleeding, he didn’t seem hurt, he was just terrified. Dani had caught one of Nova’s sharp baby teeth on her hand and I had lost a little skin from the black dog but, all in all, everyone was ok.

Back in the house everyone was able to take some deep breaths and calm down. Nova seemed to return to normal relatively quickly and Dani and I both promised to keep Nova far far away from any dog whose owners weren’t 100% sure they were friendly. 

The next night we hosted a regular group of friends for a dinner party. One couple, Cameron and Nikki, had a beautiful boxer/cattle dog cross that they had rescued named Harry. Harry is a muscular dog and definitely an alpha male type. He’s not an aggressive dog, but he is energetic and will not back down if conflict is offered. Nova and Harry had met before and got along famously but we weren’t sure if the recent attack would have changed that. We got our answer straight away when Harry arrived. 

I was cooking at the stove when I felt a furry mass press itself against my leg. I looked down and Nova was there, trying to disappear into my calves. His ears were flat and his tail was between his legs. Seconds later Harry came bounding in, looking for his playmate. 

I did my best to encourage Nova to play but it was plain that he was still shaken up. He would run to me immediately whenever Harry came to say hello. Harry picked up on this straight away and began approaching Nova with an adorable ‘concerned older brother’ attitude. He would sniff gently, lick Nova’s face, and gently paw him as if to say “Hey buddy, it’s ok, let’s go play!”. It had no effect on Nova. When we went outside to eat, Nova refused to come with Harry there. He wanted no part in any other dog – not even his buddy. I was about to leave him in the kitchen but it just didn’t feel right. He wasn’t going to get over this by sitting inside and being a sook.

I picked him up, brought him outside and tossed him at Harry. As soon as his paws hit the ground he came running back to me to once again try to meld with my legs. After a few minutes I’d try again, and then again a few minutes after that. When we were about halfway through dinner he started to venture out from under the table on his own. Success!

The night progressed, many glasses of wine were consumed, and the dogs provided the entertainment. Harry would poke Nova on the nose and Nova would gently probe Harry back with his own paw. Harry would nuzzle Nova and Nova would turn and nuzzle him back. He was getting braver and braver and by the time our guests left he was starting to look like his old self. 

I felt a bit of pride at my first successful bout of fatherdom. With our guests gone and the kitchen cleaned up, Danielle and I retired to the living room. I sat down on the floor and Nova came over to rest in my lap. He seemed exhausted from what was surely an emotionally stressful evening. I hoped I was doing the right thing and that getting him into that altercation in the field wouldn’t scar him for life. It killed me to see him so timid, coming to hide with me all night. I gave him a scratch behind the ears and let him know it was all going to be ok. He rested his head in my lap and his breathing levelled as he drifted off to sleep. 

Danielle looked at us for a minute and I could see a twinkle in her eye. 

“What?” I asked. 

“Well, you’ve got what you wanted,” she said with a grin, “he’s stuck to you now!”