Our Dogs Experience

Finding Our New Family Member – Gryphon!

I “nagged” my husband forever about getting a dog.  I’ve had a cat for the past forever years, and when I moved in with my boyfriend I left the cat behind.  I hadn’t had a dog since I was a little girl, and I got the inkling.  He finally broke down and said we could get one once we moved to a bigger place.

Well, that time came and he remained true to his word.  We headed to the humane society and tried to find an Australian Shepherd.  There was a huge pit for puppies to live in and we saw about five or six australian shepherd puppies all playing and rough housing.


In the back there was a timid beta puppy who wasn’t fighting and biting but being calm.  We asked about him and it turned out his name was Gryphon.

And he wasn’t available… he had been on television the week before on one of their commercials!  He was a TV star!  Well, that had led to lots of people coming in asking for him and there was a long list.

They told us the only chance was to come back next week and hope the people didn’t come back to claim him.  They were to bring their family dog and kids to make sure Gryphon the puppy could get along with them.

I don’t guess it worked out, because we went back next week and they sold us Gryphon the supposed Australian Shepherd!  They skipped us way up the line just to get rid of him… because it turns out he was a little turd!
Gryphon the Ravaging Beast!

gryphonGryphon turned out to only be part Australian Shepherd.  He is probably three quarters Corgie!  He still tries to herd us, nipping at our feet and legs.  He tears us the walls and tears up the linoleum.  He destroys our shoes and clothing.

He tears up the wood on the back porch!  But we still love him.  Anyways, when he is on his leash he pulls forward and tugs his collar against his throat.  We thought this was the reason his eyes were red.  Turns out he was having dog food allergies.

We didn’t know what the deal might be until we asked at the veterinarian’s office and they suggested putting him on a hypoallergenic dog food.  We did the whole elimination trial, getting him on hypoallergenic dog treats and cleaning his cushion constantly.

He was being bathed in a hypoallergenic shampoo regularly and we were cleaning the house.  We only

let him outside to quickly use the bathroom then right back in.  This went on for about ten weeks and his red eyes were gone!  It wasn’t just red eyes though.  He was gnawing at his paws and chewing bald spots in his skin.  And he had an ear infection.  These are all tell-tale signs of dog allergies.

The solution was switching him to a hypoallergenic dog food.  We have since then reintroduced him to the outdoors and we clean and bathe him less frequently.  Problem solved!  No more allergic symptoms!  He doesn’t even scratch!  Think about switching your dog to a hypoallergenic dog food if your dog is having issues.