My GSP Mix Is A Major Resource Guarder, But Not For the Reasons You Might Think
Where We Began
In December of 2021, our daughter asked my husband and me if she could have a puppy. We already had one dog, a little Spaniel mix we rescued in the Dallas area who was and is attached at my hip, but she wanted one of her own. She was getting close to being a teenager and really wanted to have a little responsibility of her own, and we wanted to embrace that and let her learn something new. We knew that caring for a dog could teach her a lot about compassionate care, as well, so for Christmas, we adopted Dahlia, a German Shorthaired Pointer mix.
At the shelter, she had been placed in quarantine specifically for being a problem - they had labeled her a 'bite dog' at just 2 months of age. They'd adopted her out a week or so before, and was returned 5 days later, listed as a bite dog the owners wanted to euthanize. As soon as I saw her sweet little angel face, I knew. I knew she was the one for us, and she seemed to know, too. We had to wait the allotted time for the quarantine to play out, then adopted her at half price - god, that makes me sick to say. They are beings, not objects to buy - and brought her home to introduce her to our little dog, Lenya. The shelter unfortunately would not allow us to bring her up to see how the two got along before adoption. I wish they had given us that option, as it would have likely made a few things very clear:
- She is a heavy resource guarder, and it includes both food and toys.
- She has more issues for females than she does males.
This could have given us a lot of information and clarity that may have had us thinking twice about our choice to bring her into our home, simply because she would be a perfect 'only dog.' She even learned to chill with our cat until she passed of CKD this past year - I love and miss you, Emerald Kitty. You'll always be our gem.
At the time, I didn't have much experience with dogs, just those I'd had as a child and those of friends, so I didn't fully understand how bad resource guarding could get. Her and our Great Pyrenees are why I chose to get into veterinary medicine. I knew for Dahlia, I hadn't done enough research, and I take full responsibility for that. I should have known that it could get very bad very quickly, and I was likely going to need help getting her well-adjusted. So, I got a job at a kennel and worked my way up from there to make sure I was giving them the best life I possibly could.
Now I advocate for all future pet parents to do the most research they possibly can to ensure they are getting THE right dog for themselves. If you don't understand the breed/s you're looking into, please do not adopt a difficult one, and especially do not go for a large and difficult breed. I'm looking at you, fans of the Cane Corso, thinking they're all cute and sweet. They are not. They need a lot of specific training and guidance for you to get the best outcome, which is still going to be a large and stubborn dog, especially for a first-time owner.
Start with a Corgi if you really feel like you need a feisty dog. They're stubborn as hell, but much smaller and, generally, less likely to be aggressive toward people and other dogs. They will give you a run for your money, but they are so smart, and will bring you the sass you so desperately crave, almost guaranteed. Personally, for a first-timer, I would recommend something like a Cavalier King Charles - BUT be prepared for possible medical issues, especially cardiac-related - or a mini poodle, which tend to be quite healthy. They're adorable, and so fucking fun to have around! Great for families, too.
So, off my tangent - We brought Dahlia home and while Lenya was extremely unsure and not super happy about the situation, she did not cause any issues, and neither did Dahlia, for several weeks, if not months. Then, randomly one day, she 'attacked' Lenya. When I say attacked, don't picture some menace bounding toward you. She had an open mouth and they were mostly yapping at one another, telling each other off, and they were about the same size, so not causing each other harm for the few seconds until I intervened. It was that moment when we realized we may have a really big problem. She was already an ankle biter, and would sometimes jump to nip at our daughter, which became the main focal point. Her teething was genuinely out of hand, and we had to get puzzles and take more and longer walks with her to drain her energy, which helped immensely.
As she has gotten older, she mellowed out and was having no issues whatsoever with Lenya for once she'd gotten the 'puppiness' out of her system. Then, we found a Great Pyrenees on the side of the highway, emaciated and balding, clearly incredibly malnourished and likely with stunted growth because of it. I was told by a woman in a home nearby that she had 'owners' but they didn't take care of her or the companion that had been hit by a car not long before. So, I took her, and I let her go to a shelter an hour away for the allotted time until we could legally adopt her, and went up to pay for the dog I found on the street. I'd do it over and over again.
However, it did create a new problem for us. Dahlia was okay meeting her at the shelter, but getting home was a different story, even though they rode home together the entire way. They were skeptical of each other, so we wanted to integrate them slowly, setting up baby gates around the house for Len and Dahl and then our Pyr, Jinni, so they could see each other and interact without the ability to go at each other and cause any injury. This worked really well, and after several weeks, we started integrating them more and more, taking them outside in the yard together without toys and making sure no food was around, knowing Dahlia would guard and attack over it.
Then, when I was at work one day, my husband forgot to put the harnesses on our two big girls, and they got into a fight. He was able to break it up quickly enough to keep them from severely injuring each other, but Dahlia's ear had a tiny little chunk taken off of it, which, strangely, isn't even noticeable anymore. They have had skirmishes every once in a while, every few weeks to every couple of months, not like clockwork and not in a clear pattern, but definitely suspicious. There was an obvious correlation somewhere, but I wasn't quite sure where just yet.
Cue the Girls' Annual Check-Ups, 2026
The vet our girls see is one I worked with in surgery for a good while, and she has been caring for them the entire time we have had them, other than Lenya. She went to one other vet once, when she was still a puppy, and never again. Right back to our regular doc. She's an incredible veterinarian, graduated early, and has been working as a vet since she was 25, if I remember correctly. She and I had discussed that Dahlia has what is called a hooded vulva before, but we didn't really think anything of it other than "aw, her lil coochie has a hat on!"
But this year, it was different. I had noticed her vulva was more engorged than usual, and it had been growing a bit for a few weeks. I knew her annual was coming up, so I wasn't too concerned, and she didn't exhibit any symptoms of illness, so no reason to rush her in. Once we got to her appointment, our vet saw and muttered the words I was afraid she was going to: Uhhhh she might have Ovarian Remnant Syndrome...What's that mean?, you may ask. Well, it means that when she was spayed, the doctor potentially left remnants of ovary - name fits, huh? - in her abdomen, which is now acting as if it has a heat cycle with no uterus.
Essentially, this goober has likely had pieces of ovary left in her little belly for years now, progressively seeming to release more hormones lately, which has made her more agitated, and our other two more curious about that area. Now we are facing a potential $1600 surgery, with my discount, because the shelter we adopted from couldn't be bothered to wait the recommended time before spaying. If her vulva had been larger all these years before, I would have known immediately what was going on. However, her little body has somehow managed to make it incredibly unpredictable and engorging 2 years after becoming full-grown.
So, what do we do now? Unfortunately, we don't have the money right now to get her surgery done. However, my husband and I do have the education and know-how to make sure that we keep them all safe, even if we have to go to our last resort and use basket muzzles for reintroduction. I'm not a fan of muzzles, for the most part, but they are a great tool for certain situations in which someone could get hurt otherwise. As long as they are a basket muzzle, properly fitted to their snouts, they are humane and ethical. They simply keep your dog from putting his or her mouth where it doesn't belong, and you don't get slapped with a charge for your dog harming someone.
Now, I'm going to have to have a discussion with our vet about a time that seems reasonable and feasible, and spend a shit-ton of money, all because a shelter didn't want to adhere to what the AVMA recommends. Dogs do not need to be spayed at 10 weeks or sooner. Genuinely, I find that to be insane, and I would even call it malpractice. I don't like when they're altered before 6 months, personally, but I know that varies from practice to practice and even vet to vet.
The reason I tell you all of this is to remind you that you can't possibly know what you don't know. Even working with dogs and going into veterinary medicine, I wasn't absolutely sure what I was dealing with, behaviorally, when it came to Dahlia. I still had to ask for a second opinion, other than my own, because ORS isn't very common. Our vet has seen one case of it in over 12 years. So, I guess I'll be updating you all on her condition once we find out a little more and raise money!
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If you want to donate to the cause, my cash app is $ChronicallyCammy and my Venmo is @chronicallycammy. We would be so incredibly grateful if you are able to contribute. Anything helps, and we would love to see if this helps our girly get her hormones straightened out, leading to a happier, lighter home environment for us all.
As always, stay happy and healthy, and remember: you should be kind, but that doesn't mean you always have to be nice to everyone.
