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She looks incomparably better. You really are doing a wonderful job with her. She is beautiful and you are an amazing fosterer.
Our darling Hope is making slow progress but we are moving in the right direction. She has been with us for about five weeks and she is still extremely nervous – she is still on high alert around the house still hides herself away whenever she can and skulks from sight whenever anyone enters the room she is in. But the small improvements are giant steps for this poor little girl so I can’t tell you how happy we all are when we have a little breakthrough. We have had no more accidents in the house and she is doing really well at walking out to the garden on her own. I have only had to carry her out of the sittingroom 2 or 3 times in the last two weeks (very occassionly she closes down and just wont venture out). She is most relaxed around me and will let me give her a good pet or massage (I’ve been learning Tellington Touch from Jetta and we are using the Thundershirt and the body wrap). She is playful when we are out in the garden and enjoys her walks (unless something unexpected happens – but even then when the ‘threat’ is gone she relaxes an enjoys it again). There has also been an improvement with her feeding. In the last couple of days she has started to eat on her own from a plastic chopping board. I stay with her while she eats but she does it all on her own, Yay
. Unfortunately the poor darling is in heat now so she is a little more tetchy and out of sorts but we are getting through it fine. She is such a gentle baby. She will need a very understanding, calm home, preferably with another dog – but with time I know she will come out of the dark place she is currently in. Time and patience, love and gentle care is all she needs.DSC_0381.JPGDSC_0421.JPGWell done Hope and family ….keep the milestones coming we are all rooting for you on your road to recovery ….
Fabulous to see the progress Hope is making, little by little, at her pace. She is filling out which is great to see. Well done foster family, great patience and understanding!
It has been a long while since I have posted for Hope. I am pleased to say she is continuing to progress and there have been some wonderful breakthroughs in the last few weeks. The most important of which is that Hope is now walking off the lead and absolutely loving her new found freedom. It was a long time coming because I had to be absolutely certain that she would come back when called and also because she was in season for a few weeks. She is absolutely wonderful and comes back every time she is called, she really loves exploring, sniffing at everything and running and playing with Ruby (our dog). She will also happily tear around on her own when Ruby isn’t feeling so energetic. She is just so funny and it is so wonderful to see. She has become so much more playful with the extra freedom. She is happiest when we are out walking and even goes to greet other dogs and their walkers (she doesn’t get too close to the owners but is quite happy walking towards them and having a sniff). Unfortunately at home she is no where near as relaxed – there have been some great improvements but there is still work to do. She is now much more comfortable walking around the house on her own and her fear of passing through doorways seems to have all but gone. She is eating completely on her own now and even looks like she is excitedly anticipating her food. She still sits in her hiding place in the sitting room but does not have to be coaxed out. Now an offer of a treat and she will happily walk out to the kitchen with me. Unfortunately she does still creep around the house as if she expects to be given out to most of the time and is still not relaxed around the other members of the family (especially my husband). That is what we need to work on next. She still does not accept that she is not in danger and no-one is going to hurt her – I think this is something her brain just needs to accept but hasn’t done yet. I am attaching a small video we took when we were walking this weekend. It shows just how beautiful a dog Hope is. http://youtu.be/xiEQJeOu664
DSC_0579.JPGDSC_0586.JPGDSC_0512.JPG To see that big waggy tail waving around and a happy dog at the other end of it is just superb. What a difference. Slowly, slowly she will get there but really it has not taken you that long to get her to where she currently is She will get there, you must be over the moon with her progress Oh how wonderful to see!!!
You deserve ENORMOUS credit, foster family for all your work with this beautiful lady. May she continue to go from strength to strength! I’m also lost in admiration for what you’ve achieved in such a short time with Daisy [Hope] it’s a real miracle of love and patience given how anxious this little girl was on so many fronts. Nobody meeting you casually on a walk, could guess at the journey you’ve both made. And she really is a very fine looking dog – so elegant and with such lovely markings.
The difference between the first pictures of Hope and the last one is amazing! You’ve done an amazing job!
Wow, such a difference! Well done foster family!
Seeing her playing in the woods and reading of her latest progress is just brilliant. I know from experience how long it can take to bring around a shy and traumatised dog (we rarely know what lies in their past) and the patience and understanding required. Hope is coming on in leaps and bounds! A quick update on this beautiful, delicate dog. Hope is still at her best, most relaxed and happiest when we are out walking. Then she holds her tail high, runs sniffing and exploring with the happiest expression on her face. In the house she is still nervous and unsure of her place, because of this she still likes to be somewhat hidden away, her go to place in the sitting room is still between the sofa and a chest, when she is in her bed she likes to be covered with a blanket. You can see that she is comforted when she is under the blanket so u I do cover her usually. This beautiful little girl has a way to go yet. Unfortunately it’s a bit of a catch 22 situation – she needs to find a permanent home as soon as possible – she needs to be settled, to have stability to feel secure and safe and begin to develop a long lasting relationship but at the moment very few people, if any, would be willing to take her on. She needs a quiet mature home with very patient people who are ‘absolute’ dog lovers and are willing to put in the extra effort that she needs at the moment, also a home with another dog preferably. She is very much worth the effort -because when this lovely girl forgets to be scared and runs up to you with a smile (literally) on her face it is the most wonderful thing.
DSC_0003.JPGDSC_0029.JPGThis little girl is progressing at her own pace. With a dog as timid and nervous as she is it is all we can expect. She had her operation a couple of weeks ago and was a very good brave girl. We got a soft cone for her (thank you Claire) which was great until she chewed through the strap one night, and then chewed through the replacement strap the following two nights (sorry Claire). At that stage I stopped replacing the straps. But she was as good as gold and did not fuss at her stitches at all. She is making small improvements around the house. She comes back into the house from the garden quite easily now and knows when it is feeding time and comes out of her usual day time sleeping area when she hears her food being prepared. She really enjoys her first visit to the garden in the morning and is very playful and enjoys a pet and a quick game of catch with the tennis ball. She still absolutely loves her walks and is most playful and relaxed and happy chasing around with Ruby (our dog) and exploring. Quiet places are best (forests, parks, beaches etc) as loud traffic or other noises still send her into shut-down mode. All I can say is that she will need a home that has patience and is willing to give her time to get over whatever horrible start she had in life but when you see her happy and relaxed it is absolutely worth the effort.
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