Response to Love

My friend emailed me a few days after I trapped Darlin'. She said that she had read a recent study where research showed that all animals (except snakes) respond to love. Kathleen has opened her heart and home to several cats that were abandoned or dumped at her farm. They were cats that most people would consider feral and unadoptable, yet she was able to domesticate them. I needed to read that email because I had been feeling blue that night thinking about Darlin being so fearful and how long it could take to rehabilitate her. Lots of love and a good home was what I hoped she would thrive on.

Darlin’ was here a little less a month when I moved her indoors to the garage kennel permanently. It would become her new living quarters. The first few days she would get fidgety when I approached her. I sat with her and continued with the same feeding schedule; bringing her treats twice a day and dinner in the evening. She still wouldn’t eat anything in front of me, but she began giving me more eye contact and started sitting up a little as I approached her gate. She looked more like she was trying to get comfortable, but it was her way of raising her head and chest up. Within a few days she was not looking away unless I offered her food. That week she showed me another side of herself, her gentle nature and her ability to respond my love for her.

She was happy there in the garage. I carried her outside to go potty and she would go limp in my arms when I carried her. I knew she was attached to her kennel so I started leaving all the doors open hoping that she would follow me back inside. She was heavy and I was exhausted having to lift her and carry her through our downstairs den to the backyard. My plan worked! It took a lot of encouragement from me to get her to walk back inside the house, but she did it!! And she mastered coming back inside within a day or two. It was scary though, she had to pass a TV and her eyes would get huge, she turned the corner at the couch so fast her feet slid out from under her, and when I put a rug there, she turned so fast that the rug slid too. She showed me how smart she was one morning by stopping at the corner of the couch, jumping up on the couch, then she jumped over the arm so that she made it just inside the garage before she ran to her kennel!



Even though I knew she felt safe in the garage, she was spending too much time alone and she didn’t want to spend anytime outside anymore. Considering that I spend most of my time in my office, I was at the furthest point away from her in our home. I needed to move her upstairs, at least a few hours a day. It was time for her to get use to the noise and people in our home. My husband built a gate for our formal dining room and I set up an area for her there. I remember thinking, “An antique glass collector moves fearful dog into her dining room.” Oh boy! I didn’t know what I was getting into, but this way she would have a place away from everyone, but see what was going on around her. She was still afraid of the dogs and would hide in the corner of the yard when I had them out together. At least upstairs she could get familiar with everyone’s routine, including the dogs.



That Sunday I was gone all day, transporting a Jack Russell to her rescue home. I felt bad about having to leave Darlin’ in the garage, but we had severe weather alerts in the area. She was alone 10 hrs that day. This dog has a ten gallon bladder and even though her kennel has puppy pads on the floor at the other end, she will not make a mess in there. She never has messed on the floor indoors.

Not only was she spending too much time alone, she was inside too much and needed to be outside watching the other dogs. I was told by a few Pet Finder members that one day I would walk outside and her tail would be wagging, just like it did when I use to drive up to feed her. That’s exactly what happened on 4/20/2009, just 5 ½ weeks after bringing her home!

I had put her in the outdoor kennel and let my other dogs out. I walked out on the back deck and she ran to the gate, but quickly ran back to her house. I went down to talk to her and she ran to the gate with her tail wagging! I was overcome with joy! I also realized she did not want to be outside! She gave me a play bow and dropped to the ground so I went inside and gave her a tummy rub. I had just witnessed behavior in her I had never seen before! She wanted to go inside and thought I was coming to get her! I did leave her there because we have had so much rain I wanted her to have some sunshine. She was so sweet, but when I walked away she had the saddest expression on her face.





And she spent more time out of her house that day than she ever had, including when the dogs were in the yard. She may have thought they would let her out!





Darlin’ was home six weeks when I started introducing her to the upstairs…where we live and spend most of our time. At first she spent a few hours in the dining room in her bed, but I took her to the garage to eat and sleep. Since she wasn’t comfortable eating around anyone so I wanted her to feel secure and relaxed during dinner. Carrying her up and down the stairs was no easy task either. After a couple of days I decided it was time for her to live upstairs permanently, although I was dreading having to take her outside. The only way to the backyard is to walk down fifteen deck steps - just something else to add to my already aching knees.



Those first few days upstairs were easy. She wanted nothing more than to lie in her bed, eat in her bed, and watched me pass by her. That weekend was more challenging for Darlin’ because my husband and children were home and she was exposed to new scents and sounds. I have to admit, I did, and still do, ask my family to consider that there is a fearful dog in the room. Right or wrong, I don’t want loud music or voices to scare her into a setback. There wouldn’t be a day go by around here where everyone is tip-toeing around anyway.

The dogs weren’t sure about having a dog in the dining room that they couldn’t sniff. I kept them away from the gate so they wouldn’t get overly excited. They ate their dinner, while she let hers sit until no one was around, so the smell of her food attracted them to her gate as well. She acted like she had never been around dogs before and still showed no interest in socializing with them. I was concerned about introducing a fearful dog to five dogs too. I have never brought a dog home that wasn’t introduced to them right away. And I have a dominant female JRT (Bonnie) that is quick to move forward in an introduction. I knew I was going to have to watch her body language closely. I had introduced all of the dogs to her out in the yard, as a group and one on one, but I kept the two females on leashes.



That Sunday night we had another round of thunderstorms come through around midnight. To my surprise she was out of her bed behind the gate; she was panting and uneasy, just like she had been during other storms. I opened the gate and brought her to the couch with me and she managed to settle down, but she continued to pant and breathe heavily. Darlin’ obviously has a noise phobia due to thunderstorms, but she hasn’t lived with me long enough to determined whether she has Neophobia (fear of the unknown) or other phobias. Yes, she has fear of the unknown with me now because she was living in the wild for a long time. She may not have had human contact for years and may have ever been inside a home before. It’s too soon for me to determine or predict her behavior as she is still being introduced to new surroundings and I have no prior history on her.

I have a small Eskimo Spitz that has fear of thunderstorms and I do not comfort or console her when she becomes anxious. Well, I have pet her if she’s in the bathroom when I use it, but I don’t seek her out to nurture her during a storm. I had an Australian Shepherd for 10 years that was also fearful of storms and I learned early on with Daisy that there was no amount of comfort or ignoring her behavior that could change her fear of thunder. She was six years old when I adopted her so her fear of thunder was already well established. If you have a food or toy motivated dog, you may be able to distract them, but once you stop they are likely to show a fear response again. Darlin’ is fearful of everything right now, so much so she didn’t touch the bacon I gave her and I threw it away two days later. Can you imagine a dog not eating bacon?

Canine Behavioral Experts recommend that you NOT comfort or pet a dog during any type of fearful situation. They tell us by doing so we nurture the behavior and condition the dog to continue to respond anxiously. Or that we are telling the dog through positive reinforcement that there is something to be afraid of. In my opinion this may be true depending on the dog and the dog owner, and whether or not the dog owner comforts the dog during every fearful situation.

I did take advantage of Darlin’s fear that night by petting her until the storms passed. I sat quietly and calmly on the couch watching television with one arm draped over her neck while I scratched her behind the ear. She moved closer to me on the couch and at one point she laid her chin against my leg. That night was another turning point for Darlin’ as she seemed so much more relaxed in my presence now - at least during a thunderstorm!

Since she spent time on the couch that evening, I left her there and went to bed. She was in her bed the next morning, but she sat up as though she wanted to come out on her own. Seeing her front feet on the floor made me feel like she was greeting me! I started encouraging her to go outside with the dogs, but it was obviously hard work for her getting her body to move forward and in sync with her mind. She did walk outside, with her tail tucked tight between her legs, moving as quickly as she could through the kitchen, with her head and body low to the floor. She began to trust more and I was so excited by her progress! I started leaving her gate wide open and removed yet another one of her protective layers. Toby, the broken coat Jack Russell, wanted to make friends with her right away.

Manifesting change

When Darlin’ lived on her own, there were many times that it rained or stormed and I wondered where she was hiding out. She would show up to eat if it was drizzling, I knew because I left food covered and when I went back later it was gone. I fed her out of Styrofoam bowls and would put a bowl on top like a lid, then I placed a small stick there to hold it down, but a dog could easily move it with its nose. One time my daughter took a video of her on her camera phone at 1:30 am. I didn’t see her that night so she went by to check the food on her way home and Darlin’ was out there at the tree eating. Now that I had her home and recognized how fearful she was of thunder, it explained why I didn’t see her those times. It must have caused her a great deal of anxiety to be alone out there in the woods somewhere hiding. It felt so bad for her that while I thought she was just hiding out, she was actually hiding and panicked.

I wasn’t sure when I should try a collar and a leash on Darlin’. Many of the experts and dog trainers do it right away, but Darlin’ was no ordinary dog; she was fearful and shut down. In my opinion there isn’t a text book that can help you to know when to move forward with a fearful dog. I think it takes good instincts and allowing the dog to come out of their shell at their own pace. Additionally, if you make any progress and you push for more when the dog isn’t ready, you could set the dog back. The best advice I received and that I can give today, is to earn the dogs trust and give it all the time it needs to reciprocate. If you’re not careful you could add to its stress and the dog will become more fearful of you.

You may wonder how to earn a dogs trust. I thought a lot about the subject myself. You spend time with him/her, allowing the dog to get use to your presence. Darlin’ knew me, she already knew my scent after months feeding her, but that didn’t change the fact that she was afraid of me. I sat on the ground and tossed her hot dogs out there by that feeding tree. She didn’t eat them until I got back in my car. I called to her “come eat” many times, but I had to get in my car or give her lot’s of room for her to move forward. What I had done wasn’t enough for her to feel comfortable with me. In addition, I had no clue as to how Darlin’ came to be a stray dog. If she suffered any abuse at the hands of a human (as many strays have) it was going to take a lot of time and patience from me for her to get comfortable with me.

I spent a lot of time just sitting near her. She would shake like a leaf, whether I spoke or not. It didn’t matter if I was carrying a bowl of fresh cooked meat, I was the boogey man and she was scared to death of me. I was advised to put a shirt of mine near her so that she would get used to me. Instead I bought a stuffed bunny and had it inside of my shirt all day and then slept with it before giving it to her. I’m not sure it helped. A week later I did put a dirty shirt at the entrance of her house, just inside the door. I placed her dinner on the ground just outside and when I checked on her the next morning she hadn’t touch it. That made me wonder if the shirt became a barrier for her. Like I had suggested that beyond this shirt belongs to me, that’s my food, don’t touch it. I’m quick to analyze every situation! Needless to say, I removed the shirt!

That afternoon that Darlin’ was in the garage during the thunderstorm seemed like a good time to try the collar. I thought that if I put the leash on her then perhaps she would walk back outside. I was also curious how she would react, thinking she may have had a leash on her in the past. We had a break in the rain and the sun came out so I put a collar on her. She didn’t mind, but when I clipped the leash on she trembled in fear. Not that she was comfortable when I put her collar on, she was not, but the leash intensified her anxiety.

She never acted out aggressively, but I do know that some dogs show fear aggression so I was cautious. That collar seemed to finalize that she was my dog now, I even told her as I put it on, “You’re mine now.” Given that she was so afraid of the leash, I decided to pick her up and carry her back to her dog house. She cowered in the corner at the fence when I put her down, so fearful, trembling like she was coming to a boil and would explode. It’s hard to watch a dog in such a state of anxiety!

I took the top off of her house for her and snapped a few quick pictures before she jumped back inside. All of my pictures of her were with her behind the fence, mostly taken from my office window. This time I was inside with her and the fence was in the background. One of my favorite pictures of her was taken that day and is at the side bar on this blog.



Over the next week I would take her top off of the dog house every morning. She would lay out there all day watching the birds fly by and observing dogs out in the yard. I was actually concerned that she wasn’t getting enough exercise. She would lie as low as she could when I came down the stairs and I could see her anxiety before I ever reached the kennel gate. I did put Frontline flea control on her as well. I just moved her hair, put it on, and walked away. Later that afternoon she jumped back in her lid to get away from me. I think she was still upset that I touched her earlier putting on the flea control.

I started talking to her more and reaching in her house and scratching her behind the ears. I had read not to touch, no eye contact, and that I shouldn’t speak, but it seemed time to let her know that the hands that feed her would not harm her. She began giving me more eye contact and I could see her watching me from our back deck. I knew then she was starting to trust me.



We built an indoor kennel for her because Alabama has its share of tornadoes in the Spring, anytime for that matter. Besides the weather, I am not comfortable with my dog living outdoors. It’s also inconvenient for me as a caregiver, having to go down to feed and spend time with her, I do have four other dogs. Once I had her indoors, she would never spend another night in the rain, nor would she ever have to suffer outside alone through another storm. Since I had carried her inside during that first storm, and I had picked her up to put her back in her dog house when she cowered inside the lid, the pattern would continue until she was ready to walk on her own.

When my dogs were in the house I would leave the gate open to the dog pen hoping she would want to explore the yard. She just laid there comfortable in her house and showed no interest in leaving. I would pick her up and carry her to the yard, most times she was too scared and ran back to her house, but one afternoon she did venture out and quickly found a safe corner by the fence.



I did this a few more times that week; most times she cowered and trembled in the corner at the fence as I approached her. I picked her up and carried her back to the dog pen when it was time to allow my own dogs out again. There was a time or two that she ran from me as I went to get her. Her behavior concerned me because she looked like a wild dog running wild in the yard. The last thing I needed was to be trying to catch her in my own yard. Additionally, I have a Jack Russell that has a mind of her own and doesn’t come when I call her if she's out hunting or checking her holes in the yard. I did not need another stubborn dog!

So I decided to try the leash again, but she wouldn’t budge. I ordered a 30ft. leash hoping the distance would encourage her to walk because she could get further away from me. Each time I clipped the leash she froze, trembled, but became more submissive. That was when the tummy rubs started! I couldn’t get her to walk, but I was touching and giving tummy rubs, so she was telling me that I’m in control and she was trying to trust me!



We had more rain and storms on the way. I decided to bring her indoors to the garage the night they were supposed to start. This way I wouldn’t have to rush out in the night to get her. She was scared, but made herself comfortable in her bed. I would go down to the garage and sit quietly with her, offering her treats, and I even brought toys that my stir her curiosity. I rolled a red ball down the length of the kennel and it hit the wall and rolled back. She showed no interest whatsoever.



I carried her outside to go potty; she did her business quickly and always ran to the corner of the fence. She actually began to find comfort in my arms. There were several times that I carried her outside when she raised her paws up for me as I reached for the door handle! I would rub her behind the ears on our way out and kiss the top of her head. Outdoors, I would walk over and get her and carry her back inside.

After a few days the weather cleared and it was time to move her back outside. I watched her from my office window and noticed she kept staring at the back door! I went outside and opened her gate, but she didn’t do anything. I went back upstairs and stood on the deck and she ran to the back door. I was amazed that she wanted inside so I ran down to open the door and she wasn’t there, she was behind the hot tub! It took a few minutes of coaxing to get her to move forward. Actually I persuaded her with the broom to her bottom, just enough that I was touching her. Once she was within reach I pulled her out and took her to the garage. She quickly made herself comfortable and that was the end of her attachment to her dog house. It was actually just a few days shy of one month here when she moved indoors to the garage kennel permanently. Once I realized she was happy inside, I felt a renewed sense of hope about her making great progress.