Tremendous Progress

I had a hard time finishing that last post because something wonderful happened. Bonnie suddenly came out of her corner and started pacing. First she jumped up on the other couch and looked out the window. Then she came over to where I was sitting and stood in front of me. I was very touched when she not only allowed me to pet her, but seemed very much to enjoy it.

But the best part was that she suddenly jumped up on the couch I was sitting on, and layed down on my lap. She decided that I was trustworthy, that I wouldn't hurt her, and she needed me. I am so happy for her -- I never would have thought that she would come so far today. I truly expected that I would spend the next few weeks trying to build up her trust.

I think this bodes well for her future. If she can come around so quickly with me, hopefully her shyness is something that can be overcome. I've promised her that I will make sure that no one ever hurts her again.

The photo is of Bonnie feeling right at home in my house -- looking out the window while perched on the back of my couch.

I Lost Her!

Well - not permanently, but I was a bit worried.

I made Bonnie sleep in my bedroom last night. She found a spot in the corner of the room around the corner of the dresser. I think she learned that the only way she was safe was to stay out of the way and be quiet -- anything else resulted in punishment. The more I get to know this dog, the angrier I get at her former owners!

This morning we were socked with about a foot of snow. When I came back in there was no sign of Bonnie! I looked everywhere - in the bathroom (even in the tub!), in the kitchen, under the bed. I even checked the entire house twice and still couldn't find her. I was worried, even though I knew she HAD to be in the house somewhere.

I should have listened better to Mystic. Several times he stood and pointed to the area behind the stairway, but because I'd already checked there twice I ignored it. Finally I checked a third time, and found her hiding in corner between the wall and an old TV. Poor thing was too scared to come out.

I ended up pulling her out and putting her in my bedroom with some food and water. She hadn't eaten or drank since I brought her home, and I was hoping she'd feel more comfortable if we all left her alone.

Today

Of course I couldn't leave her there. She was terrified and I knew that she most likely needed to go into a foster situation instead of being adopted out. I must be nuts -- I have 3 dogs of my own and they are very insecure whenever I bring other dogs home.

It occured to me as I was driving home that she probably has some very bad associations with the name "Keena". I needed to change it, and gave it a lot of thought.

We have her down as being a papillion x american eskimo. But she is most likely a sheltie mix. (I actually think she looks quite like a very chubby Belyaev fox... But there's no way she could be one. http://8e.devbio.com/image.php?id=477 ) I wanted something Scottish and Bonnie seems to fit her.

I put her in the backyard when I got home and then let the dogs out to meet her. She was a bit overwhelmed and a tiny bit afraid -- although not nearly as afraid as when people try to approach her. She ran to the far end of the yard after the greetings and watched as my dogs chased each other through the snow. Several times she started to chase after them.

I had taken some things from the car and brought them into the house. So when I let the dogs in I opened the back door. My dogs came in. Bonnie remained in the shadows at the far end of the yard. I finally got my jacket and boots on and went out to get her.

I knew she wouldn't let me handle her - I wasn't even going to try. I hoped that she would follow me. In the end I finally got behind her and herded her to the back door. She actually seemed relieved when I opened the back door and she was able to get into the warmth of the kitchen.

Initially she was a busy little thing -- checking everything out, poking her nose into all the corners of the downstairs. I see this as a good sign -- I think it means that she still has curiousity and a willingness to explore. Somewhere in there is a dog who is ready to learn how to be happy again.

Finally she settled herself around the corner of the couch. She's in the same room as the rest of us -- but out of sight. Every now and then I see her peek over the arm of the couch at us -- checking us out? Making sure she knows where we are?

She seems to be housetrained -- once she got up and went to the back door whining. She was happy when I opened it for her and she ran right out. She also came back in when I opened it a few minutes later.

I haven't forced her to interact with me at all. Right now Bonnie needs to know that she is safe here and that no one will hurt her. Maybe soon she will want to interact with me, but I need to build some trust with her first -- trust in people is something that was taken away from her. Those former owners certainly gave her no reason at all to want to trust anyone. I just hope that tonight -- maybe for the first time in 7 months, Bonnie is able to truly relax.

The Beginning

Up until 3 minutes ago her name was Keena. She originally came into our shelter last spring as a 5 month old puppy and was adopted out to a couple. They brought her in for a private consultation with our trainer earlier this week who talked them into surrendering her back to us.

I wish these people could have been charged with abuse. Apparently she was submissively urinating. In response they smacked her, grabbed her and shoved her face in the urine. They also kept a shock collar on her and used it pretty liberally -- anytime she did something they didn't like. And this was just what they admitted to the trainer -- who knows what else they were doing that they were ashamed of.

She was placed in our adoption area, and on Tuesday I tried to get a photo of her for our website. She fearfully ran from me to the other side of the kennel. I came in the kennel and sat some distance from her -- tossing treats. 5 minutes later she was still frozen in the same corner on the opposite side of her kennel from me. I walked out and 15 minutes later she was still in the same corner.

She was supposed to have been adopted yesterday, but the potential adopters changed their minds after hearing what they would have to go through in working with this damaged dog. It was a good choice -- this will not be an easy dog to work with, and she should only be adopted by someone who has the patience and ability to help her.