She Really....Sucks?

I've had Shatze for just over four years. She's big, she's scary....she's a big baby!

Shatze was a "pound puppy." Home from college, I happened to be visiting an old youth group friend who was doing some "community service" working at the local animal shelter. I walked around with him for awhile making him show me all the animals while telling me about his life. Finally at the end of the kennels, there was "Sweetie" (aka: Shatze). Emaciated and shaking, there was no eye contact to be made by this 40lb dog.

Shatze was an "owner surrender," meaning she was taken from her owner, but that's about all my friend knew about her. He thought he had heard something about a puppy mill and kennels, but didn't know for sure. She was sickly skinny, wouldn't eat, wouldn't allow any attention to her, and hid in the back corner of the kennel with her back turned and shaking if you came near her. Of course, I tried to coax her to let me pet her - thinking maybe she just needed a non-threatening small female. Ummm...no. I crawled partially into the kennel where Shatze became paralyzed with fear. She didn't growl or snap at me, just zoned out and shook - then started crying.

I slowly backed out of the kennel and turned to my friend for his thoughts on her. She intrigued me. As I stood there talking to him with my back turned to her, I started bouncing a tennis ball I found at some point - probably to relieve the awkwardness of this conversation after no communication for four years (and I didn't know him that well to begin with). I guess we didn't find it important to shut Shatze's kennel since she was fear-stricken at the sight of us, but none the less, the tennis ball didn't bounce back up when I dropped it the last time.

My friend started laughing and I turned around to see Shatze sitting in her kennel looking at me, chewing my tennis ball! Bah? So, I took it back - and did it again. Once I turned my back to her, she snuck out and took it again. We played this game for a while and she finally quit going back in her kennel - then I could throw it and she'd bring it back to an extent and leave it. There was a lot more to this dog... I fell in love with her...

That's when my friend told me they had contacted the closest Doberman Rescue and they couldn't come get her because of her health, temperament, and location. So, that day happened to be Shatze's last day...unless she was adopted. I didn't need another dog - I had a terrible one already. I had a red Doberman as a kid - she was my favorite dog....

Well, obviously I adopted her...and changed her name to Shatze. (The name"Sweetie" was just...lame - and with the knowledge she may have been abused/neglected, I thought it best to change it to something that may sound similar to her, but was new). My father informed me "Shatze" meant "sweetie" or "sweetheart" in German...and she's a German breed - done.

The ride home was horrible - she cried, whined, and paced in the backseat the entire time (and still does 4 years later). I took her to the vet - they thought she was about 3 years old and had obviously had a litter of puppies recently (she was 40lbs and all teets!)

The point of this blog? Long story short, Shatze has a weird mental...thing. She curls in a tight ball and sucks her hip to go to sleep.

She opens her mouth as wide as she can and places it over her hip (action shot).

The top of her mouth goes almost all the way over to her spine and her bottom jaw covers that entire side of her underbelly. Then she sucks on it and whines through her nose until I make her stop or she decides to fall asleep.

Then she goes to sleep and her side is covered in dog slobber... It's usually this side of her body, but she will do the other side if that is the only option.

I mentioned this to the vet who looked at her hips and said he couldn't find anything wrong and that it was probably a coping mechanism she adopted from living in a tiny kennel, being weened too early, or maybe both. He also stated she would probably outgrow it with a normal home...

It's been four years and people are still mesmerized watching her do this. She completely zones out - the only way I can really make her stop is to put my fingers in her mouth. She does it no more and no less than when I first adopted her....

She has, however, gained almost 30lbs and is very social/loyal 7 year-old(?) dog who acts younger than she is. She thinks she's a lap dog and wants tons of attention. Don't mess with me or my roommate though, because she has made her loyalty pretty clear at my soccer games where she barked and snarled at anyone on the opposing team who came near me, nearly breaking her leash...and the bleachers she was tied to.

Has anyone else ever seen a dog that does this? Just curious if there are any other common theories out there because it really is just weird.