Lucy is a white German Shepherd. She came to us when she was 18 months old.
Before she came to us, Lucy resided with her breeder, where Lucy was crated almost 24/7, let out
to the yard a couple of times daily and occasionally taken to dog shows. We were
not aware of this information when we first got Lucy and only found out when a
few months after taking in Lucy I happened to meet a trainer who had worked with
Lucy's breeder in the past. Because of this past treatment, Lucy was very fearful. Her breeder was having trouble finding anyone who would be willing to take Lucy. She had tried
two homes, but Lucy was returned due to her shyness and the concern that she
might develop into a "fear biter".
For her first two weeks in our home, Lucy was terrified. She
wouldn't come within 20 feet of me if she could in any way help it. She was skittish and hand-shy, obviously not used to being around strangers.
I tried desperately to get her comfortable in her new surroundings, and it was never easy.
To further complicate things, she was losing weight and did not appear
healthy. I was new to the area, and repeatedly brought her to the vet I had picked from the phone book. He
repeatedly told me there was nothing wrong with her. Finally, a neighbor suggested I try her vet. I immediately made an appointment. On that first visit, it was found that Lucy had a severe kidney infection. Having that diagnosis, we were then able to treat her problem, and it was cleared up in a matter of weeks.
But, we were still dealing with Lucy's behavioral problems. She was fearful of being loose in the house,
probably never having had that
privilege before. There was a year-long period in which I was
lucky to get a few hours of sleep a night due to Lucy's issues.
We waged battle against separation anxiety and what we can only classify as claustrophobia. We struggled with fear and constant nervousness. Some people told me that I should just have her
euthanized--that Lucy wasn't worth it or that it wasn't fair to put her through
all this.
It was difficult, especially when her quality of life was questioned, but I kept seeing small improvements, like the day she decided it would be alright to lay on the couch with me and fall asleep. We had many set
backs...a chewed through
Vari-kennel, a two by three hole in my living room wall, a destroyed recliner, scratched doors and sleepless nights.
We tried Chamomile, Valerian Root and then, at the suggestion of my vet, Diazepam. We tried crating her, leaving her in the living room, and me sleeping on the floor by her crate. We tried letting her stay outside, where her nighttime barking disturbed the neighbors. We tried almost everything that was suggested.
A metal crate and creating a bedroom just for the dogs helped, but did not solve
the problem.
And then, purely by accident, everything worked out. A friend of
ours needed us to take his dog in for a while. Adding a fourth female to
our group required us to find a way to separate the dogs while they were
outside. A wonderful woman heard through the grape
vine that I was in need of outdoor kennels and offered her retired ones.
With the kennels erected far enough back in the yard to prevent nighttime
barking from disturbing our neighbors, I let Lucy stay out more and more.
It wasn't long before she freely came back into the house when it was raining or
too hot. After that I was able to bring her inside at night. And
then the diazepam was discontinued. Before I knew it, Lucy was happily
coming inside whenever I required it. She began to act like a normal dog,
her nervousness was much lessened; she was content.
Lucy just turned seven in August (2003). She has come such a
very long way. She will probably never be the calmest dog and she may
always be nervous meeting new people, but the important thing is that she is
happy and I no longer have any doubts over her quality of life. It has sometimes
been a struggle, but it has been worth it to see Lucy become such a happy girl.
Gracie
A few years back a friend called me up to ask if I would go with her to
look at a puppy that had been advertised in the paper. I agreed, but
before making our trip far out into the country I called my husband at work and
asked him if he would mind me bringing home another dog. I don't know why
I felt the need, or why he agreed, but it was done. My friend and I left
minutes later. Once at our destination, we found two dogs in a kennel
outside. One small brown puppy danced happily about the door, while an
adult Dalmatian huddled timidly in her dog house. I took one look at the
Dalmatian and knew I had to bring her home. I asked the owner, who claimed
to have just taken the dog in, but never gave me the specifics beyond that she
was a rescue they had taken in from a boarder, to see the dog. I was
surprised to find that while she was very shy, the dog was more than happy to
climb into my lap and cuddle for the ride home.
I named her Gracie before we reached home, knowing the name would
fit. She was criss-crossed with mostly healed marks that appeared to be
whip or lash marks and she weighed in at an emaciated 27 pounds.
That first night, she curled herself up to sleep on the couch, appearing for all
the world as if she was happy to be home.
Surprisingly, Gracie's issues were easy to
deal with. With good food and care she quickly put on weight, reaching 55
pounds in a short time. She had some fears, such as being afraid of
linoleum floors and fear of buildings, doorways and stairs. Despite her
nervousness with being indoors, she was very quick to please and highly
intelligent. She was incredibly trusting for a dog I believe to have been
severely abused, and trusted me in all things. Though frightened, she
would follow us anywhere, though occasionally she had to be carried into
doorways (thankfully, that didn't last long!).
She was slow to warm up to new people at
first, but was never frightened of children, always happy to greet and play with
them. She loved to be cuddled and quickly outgrew her fears, perhaps
because she was still a young dog, a year or so old.
She showed me then, and still does, why I
love animals. Her willingness to forgive and trust still astounds me...and
humbles me. I didn't have to work to help her, I just had to love her and
she did the rest. She is one of the most intelligent dogs I have ever
worked with. Dalmatians are not usually known for their willingness to
learn, but she has never had that stubborn quality. She is just Gracie.
Allie
Allie was one of a dozen or more puppies from an unplanned and unwanted
litter. Her mother was a show dog, a black lab. Her father was a
shepherd and husky mix, who jumped the fence to "visit".
I took her in as an 8-week-old puppy so that she could be a playmate for
my other dogs. The plan was that her lack of fear would help show them the
way to play and the way to interact with humans. She did a pretty good job
of it and also became my good friend. She is comical and friendly,
always ready to meet new friends. She has her own quirks, such as
developing crushes on our male friends and being a complete flirt.
During the winter she beefs up, putting on weight like a bear and
developing a thick winter coat. During those cold months, we call her our
"ottoman", since she looks much like one with her square-ish body and
short legs. During the summer months she hardly looks like the same dog,
with her sleek summer coat and less chunky body. She is the clown in both
looks and behavior.
Though I love Allie and do not regret her existence, I wonder how many of
siblings found good homes. With so many unwanted animals, I have a hard
time understanding why people do not neuter their pet-quality animals. I'm
also forced to wonder why a show-quality animal would be left unattended, even
in a fenced yard.
