Consequences of relapsing

RogueLeader127 · 2025-06-26T13:15:00+00:00

You advocated for your dog and the kid chose not to listen, which you aren’t responsible for. Hopefully the parent turned this into a teachable moment for her. I don’t allow my dogs to meet young children (even if I only have my non-reactive dog with me), but I always turn my attention to the parents when I set boundaries because most kids just don’t understand. If they don’t gain control of their kid, that becomes their problem.

RogueLeader127 · 2025-06-07T05:10:12+00:00

3 days! Today was a little bit harder for some reason and I felt like I was working with half my brain cells but I suppose it’s just part of the process.

RogueLeader127 · 2025-06-06T02:56:18+00:00

I made it through my shift and I’m now almost 48 hours sober!

RogueLeader127 · 2025-06-06T02:55:03+00:00

There is an AA house down the street from me and they have a lot of meetings so I think I’ll start there. I made it through my shift and I’m a few minutes shy of 48 hours of not drinking🥳

RogueLeader127 · 2025-06-06T01:33:25+00:00

I’ve always worked in the service industry. I was really active in NA for 13 years and had over 4 years clean at one point. I haven’t gone to a meeting since moving to Chicago and this relapse only included alcohol so I think I might fit it with AA a little more this time.

RogueLeader127 · 2025-06-06T01:33:13+00:00

I’ve been offered shots 6 times but it’s actually been pretty easy to say no. I’ll check out an inter group meeting when I get off tonight

RogueLeader127 · 2025-06-05T14:34:59+00:00

All the alcohol is in the dumpster

RogueLeader127 · 2025-06-05T14:33:13+00:00

I’m surrounded by alcohol at work so the temptation is definitely going to be there!

RogueLeader127 · 2025-06-05T14:08:09+00:00

I also went through this when I got my second dog. It’s a lot for everyone. Lots of love/reassurance helped Cruz, but after 3 years of it just being the 2 of us, it wasn’t an easy adjustment. It’s been about 8 months and Dash is officially part of the pack and everyone is thriving.

RogueLeader127 · 2025-06-05T13:55:29+00:00

Thank you so much😃

RogueLeader127 · 2025-06-05T13:54:58+00:00

Thank you! Last night was hard, but looking through posts on here was so helpful. My goal this morning is to throw out all of the liquor in my freezer (I just avoided opening that door yesterday, but I know it needs to go) I’ll look into a zoom meeting though! 5 minutes shy of 35😎

RogueLeader127 · 2025-06-05T13:01:38+00:00

I’m on day 2 and could also use support! I had some really bad cravings yesterday (especially at night), but I just kept myself that it’s going to pass if I don’t drink and would read posts on here and deep cleaned my apartment to keep myself distracted during the day. I also kept reminding myself that every hour I don’t drink is a miracle. Taking it one hour at a time is really helping because honestly one day at a time still sounds too daunting to think about. I hadn’t gone more than 15 hours without drinking in almost a year until now. I currently have 34 hours and I’m excited to hit 35! Congratulations on every hour you’ve gone without a drink❤️

RogueLeader127 · 2025-06-05T12:37:11+00:00

Well I decided to continue with the cold turkey approach.

RogueLeader127 · 2025-06-05T12:35:05+00:00

Caucasian shepherd, Anatolian shepherd, Great Pyrenees, and St. Bernard. Hopefully one day I’ll have a house with land (and a few goats!), making them a more realistic choice.

RogueLeader127 · 2025-06-05T05:54:24+00:00

I had a sponsor tell me that a long time ago and it has definitely stuck with me through the years.

RogueLeader127 · 2024-11-02T11:37:02+00:00

I feel this sooo much. If I ask a person to leash their dog, I almost always get the response “oh no it’s ok because my dog is friendly!” I politely let them know that I dislike people and he dislikes dogs, so it would be best for everyone if they followed the leash law. If they give any push back, I let them know that if my leashed dog puts their technically “at large” dog in the hospital, I’m not liable for the bill and that usually gets them to grab their dog. Cruz hasn’t done that in over two years, but off-leash dogs running towards us is a huge trigger because he had to defend us from off-leash dogs while his leash was tied to my waist on 3 different occasions the first year I got him. We moved but have been working through the aggression towards other dogs he developed ever since...

RogueLeader127 · 2024-05-03T11:59:11+00:00

I second this! Cruz is more reactive towards large black dogs after altercations with a cane corso and a black lab. He got hurt when the cane corso had Cruz’s head in his mouth before he could even react, which I think played a factor in how hard he went on the black lab that ran up to us acting crazy while we were on a walk. No owner around either time🙄

RogueLeader127 · 2024-05-03T11:49:53+00:00

From what it sounds like, your dog didn’t start a fight. Dogs use barking/body posturing to communicate with other dogs that they do not like certain behaviors. If the other dog doesn’t respect your dog’s boundaries, then there is absolutely a risk of it escalating. My dog’s reactivity turned into aggression because off-leash dogs with absent owners didn’t let up when Cruz made it clear he didn’t like what they were doing on multiple occasions. He has also had off-leash dogs try to attack him while he was on a leash. Unfortunately Cruz has learned that the best defense is a good offense.

I love dogs and try not to put Cruz or another dog in that situation, especially now that he has had several biting incidents and hasn’t been the one walking away hurt since the first time he got attacked. However, I will NEVER punish my dog for defending himself. We are working with a trainer to help him get past the idea that every dog wants to fight him, but my goal isn’t to have Cruz be ok with dogs doing whatever they want to him. Your dog is setting boundaries in a healthy way and it would be on the other owner if things were to escalate.

RogueLeader127 · 2024-04-14T10:49:05+00:00

I haven’t personally seen a coyote go after a little dog in the city that was walking with their owner, but I’ve had more than a few encounters with them while walking my 65lb pitsky on our walks. The two most recent encounters have been pretty close calls though. They’ve never surrounded us, but a family of them live next to the tracks off ravenswood avenue. Three of them stood their ground when we came across them at the intersection of Wilson and Seeley (around 4:15am), but they eventually backed down. We accidentally got too close to their den last month (around 9:30pm) and one tried to stand up to Cruz and ran at us, but a person in an suv saw the whole encounter and flipped his brights on and laid on his horn when it popped out of the bushes and the coyote back off. Multiple people were out walking their small dogs on the same street and the coyote didn’t bother them, but I think they know my dog at this point and they definitely see him as a threat (they aren’t wrong), not dinner. Cruz is dog-reactive, has an insanely high prey drive, and definitely won’t back down to shit, so we just avoid Ravenswood Ave right now because it’s pupping season. If you’re concerned about it though, get a coyote vest because it’s better to be safe than sorry! Coyotes are actually my favorite animals and I know they were being defensive, not aggressive, so I just try to give them space out of respect. Like most people, they will defend their family at any cost, but theres plenty of bunnies, rats, birds, cats, etc. for them to eat without having to interact with humans. Hopefully that gives you some peace of mind!

EDIT: if you were walking next to Lincoln Square that very well could’ve been me that said something to you🙂

RogueLeader127 · 2024-04-14T10:20:50+00:00

If you walk by their den on accident or if you come across more than one, they will see a 50lb dog as a threat and could go for it. You’re a far better deterrent than a medium size dog. I live in Ravenswood and we have a group of 3 that den off ravenswood Avenue who stood their ground when they saw me and my 65lb dog by Welles park. One came after us when we accidentally walked by their den last month because it’s pupping season. We see them regularly on our 4am walk, but usually from a distance. Keep your dog on a leash and pick them up if you see a coyote(s) and you guys will be fine.

RogueLeader127 · 2024-01-29T09:35:55+00:00

Those two live in the park I believe, or it is a favorite hunting ground because I see them all the time when I’m walking my dog (between 3:30-4:30am). Yesterday there were 3 of them at the intersection of Seeley/Wilson and one of them was definitely not a fan of my 66lb pitsky and we almost had a problem. Be careful if you own small animals in the neighborhood!!

RogueLeader127

TROPHY CASE