Pack
I’m sitting here in Southern California. I want to be sitting in Pittsburgh, but haven’t sold the house yet. On one side of me is my 5-year old black Tri Australian Shepherd Laika, and on the other side is her nephew, my 2-year old black Tri Aussie, Inti. I do a lot of thinking about what it will mean for them to be full-fledged members of the RCE community, how to move them with me, and what we’ll need to add to our current routine, once we’ve made the move.
Things will certainly be different for them! Currently they have the freedom to go outside when they want to do dog things in the big back yard. This can include digging holes, hunting gophers, chasing rabbits, communicating with the neighbors’ dogs and generally keeping watch on things. Our house at RCE, while almost twice as big (including the second floor), will have a tiny yard in comparison, and daily walking on sidewalks, trails, around North Park Lake, and exploring the surrounding parks and forests will be required. This means a leash, as Cumberland Road is uncomfortably close for an animal that can run a 30 mph sprint. We use either a 6-foot or 4-foot leather leash, and sometimes a leather coupler where the two clips attach to their collars, and the ring attaches to the 4-foot leash. I like leather, since as it ages, it gets soft and pliable, unlike nylon. I do NOT like retractable leashes, as it’s too easy to get tangled up, and I’ve both seen an heard of bad falls taken by people caught up in them. At RCE, leashes over 6’ long, especially retractable leashes are not allowed.
Allegheny County and the State of Pennsylvania have different rules regarding licensing and rabies vaccinations than San Diego County. Here, you have to have a current dog license, and buy one for one or three years. Rabies vaccinations are required, for all dogs older than 4 months, and every three years for all adult dogs. In Allegheny County, you can buy a lifetime dog license for one fee. But rabies tags need to be obtained from the state, once again adult dogs need to renew the tag every three years, and both license and rabies tags need to be permanently attached to the dog’s collar.
And then there’s the bugs!!! I live in a semi-desert, and though fleas and ticks rear their ugly heads once or twice a year, heartworm is much less of a problem in a dry, relatively mosquito-free environment. No deer in my area, no Lyme disease. Once I decide on a Pittsburgh area vet, we’re having a long discussion about vector-borne disease.
Both Laika and Inti have had a lot of obedience training, though you’d never know it sometimes…they are, after all, dogs! For the most part they truly do understand that when they’re on a leash they are not allowed to pull or tug, they are not allowed to sniff or play with other dogs, and they are most definitely not allowed to jump on any humans in greeting. It is said that the best way to live to be 100 years old is not to fall, especially as we get older. It is especially important for the canine members of our community to be polite to both other humans and other dogs. There’s an obedience club in Butler County, just to the north, and one in Dormont, just south of Pittsburgh. Laika, Inti and I will be joining to continue our classes in Rally, scentwork, and agility. Keeps all theee of us out of trouble!
Being dogs, they have no idea of the changes coming. Being their human, I have the responsibility and the honor to care for them, and bring them into a new community of people and their animals. They are not my children…I love them for their dogness, that goofy, silly, profoundly powerful attachment to their pack. And I know they’ll make the adjustments that are needed, with animal grace and intelligence.
– Paula Strasser, Founding member and future resident of RCE, October 1, 2024