When it was time to add a dog to their home, Cecilie Gaffney and her husband, Patrick, wanted to make sure it would be a smooth transition for all involved.
Including their three cats.
Because Gaffney had grown up with dachshunds and wanted a dog with a longer body while her husband wanted one a bit bigger, they knew they would bring home a basset/pit mix. It was an unusual pairing they’d discovered in New York City years ago. “I really fell in love with him,” she said. “Every time I see them, I just melt because they’re just so silly and cute.”
After they moved to Philadelphia, they found their puppy. “He has a big, blocky kind of pit head, with a longer body and short little legs,” she said. “He’s brown, black, and white like a basset, with a basset tail and huge paws like a basset.”
They also wanted to name their dog something that would fit in with their tuxedo cats, Louis, Leonard, and Joyce. They settled on Connie, derived from Conrad, a traditionally male name. “We thought, ‘You know what, it’s time to get a Connie,’” Gaffney said. “I thought it was kind of a silly name, an old man name.”
Before they brought Connie home, Gaffney discovered Philly Unleashed through her work when her boss recommended Dana and a client suggested Nicole. “They both gave me their numbers and I reached out to both,” Gaffney said. “Both were prompt and helpful and nice, and I didn’t know who we were going to choose until a week later, I realized they’re both Philly Unleashed.”
And due to the sessions with Dana, Connie gets along with the cats. They started taking classes, and Connie recently entered Level 3. He’s also boarded at the farm, where his training is maintained and advanced.
Gaffney found that training made all of the difference, especially with their life at home. “I was probably overprepared,” she said of their in-home lessons. “I kind of laugh and cringe at the neurotic things I do and say because I didn’t know. I was really cautious about what to do. … I think it was for all of us, for me and my husband, and for Connie. We have to be trained just as much as he does. Dana came over a couple of times and we kept it going with the classes. And obviously, we did a lot of work at home too.”
And then there’s the fun stuff — like training Connie how to sit in the front of a cargo bike to get around Philadelphia. “He’s also a cool dog, he really is,” Gaffney said. “I think any dog, no matter what, will benefit from at least some training because it gives them direction and a purpose and helps them feel like they’re doing the right thing. They’re on a schedule. They know what to expect every day.”
And Connie has a sweet, natural demeanor. “He’s a great mix of curious and active and calm and crazy and all of the things that you want,” Gaffney said. “I feel like I lucked out a lot to have the three cats that get along and throw a dog in the mix. They can be in the same room. Connie can control himself. He doesn’t mind getting hit over and over, which is good. He just has a really great temperature. He’s a really great little guy. He’s just so cute all the time. I really didn’t train that into him.”
Gaffney enjoys working on “heel up” with Connie, which directs him to return. “I like all of the commands that bring him back to me,” Gaffney shared. “That’s when I feel the most connected. We have a lot of work to do, but I like those commands that bring him back to my space.”
She’s looking forward to working more on complex behaviors and off-leash training with Connie in Level 3 while reinforcing everything he’s already learned. “All of the stuff on day one you have to do on day three,” Gaffney said. “You have to run through it constantly because that’s how they get it done. It’s all about reinforcement. We’ll continue to work on everything we have learned and hopefully the recall stuff I really want to work really really hard on.”
She’s found that having Connie around has been a lesson in patience and understanding. While she babies Connie a bit more, Patrick gives him a little more room to be a dog. “I fuss over him more,” Gaffney shared. “I’ve learned to let him be a bit more too. That’s good for him too, to not be always looked over. That’s all thanks to Patrick.”
And the communication they’ve been able to establish with Connie has made a huge difference. “My advice would be to invest in training and remember that they’re also dogs,” Gaffney advises. “They need certain things. I know they’re our babies, but they’re dogs. And they’re capable of a ton.”
