MOST pets that are abandoned usually end up at the SPCA or the city pound. Sometimes, homes are found for these pets. But most times, they are put to sleep.  

Maxx, a three-year-old Dachshund could have ended up as another statistic. Fortunately, his was a happy ending. 

Maxx had been wandering the streets of Bangsar in Kuala Lumpur for a long time. His previous owners had turned him out of the house to fend for himself.  

Luckily, a concerned neighbour reported him to a pet shop in the area and he was taken in. When Maxx was rescued, he was malnourished; his ribs were showing and he had a severe ear infection. 

Three weeks of Tender Loving Care (TLC) got Maxx back on his feet. All he needed now was a home.  

This was where I came in. 

Being an advocate of the motto, ‘‘what’s one more?’’ I made the decision to adopt Maxx – on a trial basis. He had to pass one last hurdle – Sian and Tara, my two dogs. 

Because I had failed to establish a hierarchy of dominance, they were prone to fighting with each other. 

Despite early attempts at socialising Sian and Tara with other dogs, they still had issues.  

The first thing I did was hit the books and the Internet to find out how to introduce Maxx to the dogs without any blood-letting. The next step was to call the vet and every dog owner I knew for advice. All I got was too much information but nothing I could use in this context. 

The advice I got was: look out for initial signs of aggression. Dogs fight to establish dominance so don’t worry. I didn’t expect Maxx to have a chance against the two females who were twice his size. 

So here I was with three dogs to contend with. One, whose temperament and history I had no clue of. Sian, a bully and a coward, and Tara who craves attention to the extent that she will bite the first thing that gets in her way. 

When I brought Maxx home, I tied Sian and Tara a safe biting distance apart.  

Sian immediately went on the defensive when Maxx went up to sniff noses. Sian growled and looked ready to kill. My heart was in my throat but I remembered my vet’s advice, ‘‘Don’t show that you’re nervous or worried because dogs can sense these things.’’ 

Tara, bless her, was friendlier. She curiously sniffed noses and showed no sign of aggression, her tail wagging quite happily. Because Tara had given the all clear on Maxx, Sian wanted to show that she too could be friendly.  

The next step was to put Maxx in a cage so that I could observe how the two dogs behave with each other around him and if Sian and Tara would fight for his attention. They didn’t but they did do the “eyeball thing”.  

This is when they would both stare each other down and size each other up.  

Nothing happened. I was relieved. The introductions were going better than planned.Over the next few days Maxx was introduced and re-introduced to the girls under strict supervision. There were a few warning growls and small nips here and there to establish boundaries. Watching from behind the curtain was a nightmare because I had to keep reminding myself not to interfere. 

I learnt a valuable lesson during this period – when dogs are getting to know each other, don’t bring food into the picture. They get possessive over their food.  

Maxx has finally settled in. The perfect picture I imagined of the three dogs playing together never materialised. Maxx is a people person while the other two are quite happy to have each other. Which is fine by me since Maxx is too small to play in the games that Sian and Tara exclude him from anyway.  

The dogs have settled into a nice routine and they actually get along. I don’t know how long the peace will last, but with pets in general, you never know what is going to happen next.  

You just have to roll with the punches and learn as you go along. 

When bringing Maxx home, I felt ill equipped to handle the situation but I survived.  

But I’m glad I took Maxx in because he is a beautiful dog who really just needed a second chance.W