Who is that Wonder Underdog Anyway?

My truest sidekick, the one that can really keep up best with me is Misty the Wonder Underdog. Yup, while she may be in her civilian clothes here, she really is a superhero dog.

Let’s start with the basics. What we know is part mystery, part factual since we got her from a humane society in New Hampshire. We picked her up when she was one and half years old and she had obviously recently had puppies. Her paperwork shows that three months before that she had a litter of nine puppies (I wish I knew where they were, because I would love them), been transferred from a Tennessee shelter, adopted once and brought back. Her breed was listed as hound mix at the shelter, but from various research, I can say she is most certainly part German Short-Haired Pointer and another type of hound mix. I also think she is either blue tick or American or English hound as well.

Can you believe someone actually gave her back to the shelter? They said their other dogs were too aggressive to her.

So now you know that she speaks with a Southern drawl and is right around two years old. She loves other dogs so much it is silly, cats too. She literally gets happy to see the cat when we walk back inside. She is extremely submissive. When she sees another dog coming on the trail, she will crouch down real low (some people think this is a sign of aggression when they see it) and say hi. Other times if she is up ahead I will find that she has lied down on the ground until the other dog approaches.

She stays with us when we hike, although once on the top of Mt. Wonalancet she kept going and we thought we lost her forever. She is learning that come means come and what sit, down, and stay mean.

If you ever happen to meet her while she is out doing superhero type things-saving kitties from trees, and rescuing small children- you will find that she seems like a mild, confident dog. This is a big change for her because when we first got her she was a big scaredy cat. She was afraid to get in cars, couldn’t sit in the back seat, afraid of bridges, water, loud noises, sudden movements, just about anything. We really tried to follow what the Dog Whisperer on National Geographic suggestions and not reward the behavior we want to change. Instead, we literally ignored her when she was scared. We walked confidently with her over bridges (on a leash), brought her around things she was afraid of (and we didn’t pet her and say don’t be afraid), in fact we brought her everywhere and that helped.

She had mange when we got her. Sounds nasty huh? It is just mites and none of the other animals got it from her.

When she is a civilian she rolls over frequently for belly rubs, will do anything for a treat, and never ever barks.

As a Wonder Underdog she has climbed a fence well over 15 feet tall, escaped from small open windows, and expertly handles all terrains.

As she would say, “it’s all in a day’s work ya’ll.”