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Here’s a little further insight into this lovely girls personality. She has three different states of being, she absolutely loves going out for her walks. She is such a sociable dog, absolutely loves other dogs and is always good natured with them. She is a fast runner and loves nothing more than a good chase. She bounds and smiles and sniffs and is mischievous. When we are out even if something unexpected spooks her she bounces back quickly and soon the tail is up and wagging again. In the house, when we are upstairs, she is playful with Ruby and they will have a good tousle and take turns nipping playfully at each others necks. She puts her front paws up on the bed to say hello to us and enjoys a neck rub or a nose scratch. If I sit on the floor she comes and settles in the circle of my legs and starts playfully pulling on my slippers. She has fallen asleep happily in that position. Downstairs she likes to hide under her blanket – so we are slowly trying to wean her off needing to hide herself away. I know this is hard for her as I believe she associates downstairs with the bad place (mentally and physically) that she was in when she first came to us. She is such lovely girl, she has come such a long way and I have no doubt that in the right home will thrive.
Hope (Izzy/Daisy as she is known at home) is doing great. She is a clever girl, she has learnt to sit and wait for her treat really quickly. She surprised me with her willingness to learn. Izzy had a little holiday recently while my husband and I went to Galway for a short visit. I was nervous at the thought of her going to another house but interested to see how she would cope. Well the little darling coped better than I could have dreamed of. This was mainly thanks to the lovely ladies she went to stay with (thank you Angela and Mags) and their two beautiful dogs, who are so relaxed and sent out all the right vibes and soon had her following their lead. I was sent a lovely photo of Izzy sitting on the sofa beside Mags. So I decided, when she came home, to start pulling her into family life a little more. She is now happy to cuddle onto my lap and fall asleep, she loves a good rub and will lift her head to your face for a little nose touch. She has made such great progress in the last little while! She is really friendly with other dogs and sees every dog we meet as a potential friend to run around with, but luckily she isn’t overly demanding and understands if the other dog doesn’t want to play.
DSC_0321.JPGDSC_0354.JPGDSC_0358.JPGYou may have to catch her in the act to be able to reprimand her – no point doing it after the fact. Does she look like she knows she has done something wrong when you notice? She sounds like a very clever girl to only do it when the coast is clear. You could set a trap – put something irresistible on the counter and turn your back, she if she bites – literally! (not sure what the law is on Doggie entrapment though!). Otherwise you could try training the rest of the family not to leave edibles out – probably an even more difficult task. Good luck – she does look like a very beautiful girl.
This 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.
DSC_0261.JPGDSC_0303.JPGDSC_0304.JPGA 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.JPGIt 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.JPGOur 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.JPGPolo’s story and earlier photos are heart breaking. It is unbelievable that he still trust humans -but it is also wonderful as it is obvious that he will go on to have a happy, loving safe life. How could anyone treat a gentle animal like this – there is no understanding the cruelty that exists in some people – they really are filth!! I hope Polo finds his forever home soon – he sounds and looks like a wonderful gorgeous dog.
Thanks, I will try that. But this really is a deep deep anxiety for her. Even when I have left her completely alone with the food – it is all still there when I return (even 5 10min. later). But I will definitely try this – something has to work.
We are continuing to make progress with Hope. She has not had a single accident in the house for the last couple of weeks
and she is becoming more comfortable coming back into the house from the garden. She is now walking out of the sittingroom and out to the garden on her own every time and with minimal amount of coaxing. She likes being outside in the garden as it is when she is at her most playful. We have a lovely game of ball and she tries to engage Ruby with varying amounts of success. We got through Halloween brilliantly – luckily there were not too many fireworks and bangers during the week so everything went smoothly. Last week we went to the dog run in my local park. I wanted to see if she would come back to me when we were ‘Out walking’. She was great and absolutely loved having a really good run around and chasing the ball with Ruby and having me chasing after the two of them like a mad thing. And she did come back to me when I called her! But it’s too early to let her off the lead anywhere else as when she gets spooked her instinct is to run and I’m not sure she would stop running. At the moment my immediate concern is that she is still not eating on her own – She has huge anxiety around food and I don’t know how to break through it. I am trying putting the food on different things – recently I have tried the plastic sheet, a paper plate with the rim cut off, now I’m trying a plastic chopping board. This will be the biggest breakthrough when it happens. I will be delighted to let you all know as soon as it does. But she is a beautiful girl and she is well worth the effort.DSC_0431.JPGDSC_0427.JPGThanks Marie, the harness is great. She never really pulls at the lead unless she is spooked by something -but it is much more comfortable with the harness. I am using the Thunder Shirt every day. I’m sure it is helping (but she’s such a nervous baby it’s hard to tell sometimes)
and Jetta is giving us some great advice and things to read up on. It’s just going to be a matter of time with this little girl.DSC_0383.JPGDSC_0380.JPGA little update on Hope. This sweet little girl is just so gentle and her fear never comes out as aggression. There have been some good developments over the last couple of weeks. She has not had any more accidents in the house since we had a small breakthrough one day (when she came over and lay beside me and let me pet her) I think her accidents in the house where just a result of how stressed and anxious she was feeling. She seems happier and more playful especially in the garden. Noises and people appearing suddenly still stress her and send her running for somewhere to hide. But in the last five days she has been walking out of the sitting room and out to the back garden on her own (with three doors to get through this is no mean feat for her). She enjoys her walks, lets me put on her harness and even walks out the door and into the car on her own (most times), She is doing great when passing other people and dogs and even if she gets scared during the walk she recovers quickly and carries on walking. If she stops and refuses to walk I just wait until she is ready and the minute she moves again I say ‘Walk On’. She seems to be starting to recognise this command and will start walking again (most of the time) when I say it. She is still very nervous around meal times – I have never seen a dog who reacts this way to food and I think it is the most telling thing. But she is putting on weight well – I can no longer see her ribs and the bones at the base of her spine no longer protrude so terribly. Although she does not always follow Rubys lead or rely on Ruby I think she would be better in a house with another dog as she is more willing to come out of her shell when she sees Ruby interacting with us. This little girl deserves to be loved and to know she is safe for the rest of her life, I hope some kind person can give the her a safe, loving, calm home.
DSC_0345.JPGDSC_0346.JPGDSC_0352.JPGI’m really happy to report that there have been some improvements with Hope. About four days ago I sat on the floor and let her come over to me, she paced around for a while but then sat down beside me and then lay down (Sphinx position to start but then she relaxed her back half into a proper lying position). This was the first time she had willingly lay down and allowed me to pet her. It was wonderful and we have continued building on it – I don’t think she was used to being petted so it’s wonderful to be able to work on that. She is enjoying the walks but jumps at every sound, gust of wind, stone accidently crunched underfoot etc, but she is getting used to people and strange dogs passing by so it really is going well. She has started coming back into the house, from the garden, more quickly and on her own. She has begun to get a little more playful in the garden and will nudge a tennis ball with her nose and paws and chase after it if I throw it low to the ground. She has even tried to engage Ruby in a tug of war
but Ruby is very noisy when she plays and that scared Hope off a bit. Last night another big breakthrough – she walked from the sitting room into the back hallway and then into the kitchen and out to the garden on her own!! (without being carried!! – it took her about five minutes of going backwards and forwards but she did it). We have just come back from the Vets and she has put on weight, up to 11.4kg. She is eating well but not on her own. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know. She will eat from my hand and if I put small amounts on a plastic sheet on the floor she will eat those – but she will not go anywhere near food in a bowl or plate, even if she is left on her own with it for 5/10 minutes. I do know that letting her hide is not good so we don’t let her into the sitting room until later in the day when we are in there ourselves. But during the week when she was particularly bad – she was so distressed that if she hadn’t been able to hide at times she would have exploded. One week after we got her she went missing, we could not find her anywhere, we searched the house top to bottom. The back door was open and I was convinced that she had somehow gotten out of the garden and run away (it didn’t seem likely but she really was not anywhere in the house or garden). We were beside ourselves, I was distraught. We formed a search party and went out looking for her – My son eventually found her – she had crawled between our headboard and the wall in our bedroom – a space of about 9 inches. The other time when she got under the shed if I had not seen her crawling there I would have had no idea where she was. I hope that as she relaxes she will no longer need to hide, but she can be quite determined ! But the developments over the last few days have been great. We’re trying not to push her to move faster than she is ready to – but we can see subtle changes and that makes us so happy. We are getting so much help from Kathy and the gang. Thanks to them all. EI’m really happy to report that there have been some improvements with Hope. About four days ago I sat on the floor and let her come over to me, she paced around for a while but then sat down beside me and then lay down (Sphinx position to start but then she relaxed her back half into a proper lying position). This was the first time she had willingly lay down and allowed me to pet her. It was wonderful and we have continued building on it – I don’t think she was used to being petted so it’s wonderful to be able to work on that. She is enjoying the walks but jumps at every sound, gust of wind, stone accidently crunched underfoot etc, but she is getting used to people and strange dogs passing by so it really is going well. She has started coming back into the house, from the garden, more quickly and on her own. She has begun to get a little more playful in the garden and will nudge a tennis ball with her nose and paws and chase after it if I throw it low to the ground. She has even tried to engage Ruby in a tug of war
but Ruby is very noisy when she plays and that scared Hope off a bit. Last night another big breakthrough – she walked from the sitting room into the back hallway and then into the kitchen and out to the garden on her own!! (without being carried!! – it took her about five minutes of going backwards and forwards but she did it). We have just come back from the Vets and she has put on weight, up to 11.4kg. She is eating well but not on her own. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know. She will eat from my hand and if I put small amounts on a plastic sheet on the floor she will eat those – but she will not go anywhere near food in a bowl or plate, even if she is left on her own with it for 5/10 minutes. I do know that letting her hide is not good so we don’t let her into the sitting room until later in the day when we are in there ourselves. But during the week when she was particularly bad – she was so distressed that if she hadn’t been able to hide at times she would have exploded. One week after we got her she went missing, we could not find her anywhere, we searched the house top to bottom. The back door was open and I was convinced that she had somehow gotten out of the garden and run away (it didn’t seem likely but she really was not anywhere in the house or garden). We were beside ourselves, I was distraught. We formed a search party and went out looking for her – My son eventually found her – she had crawled between our headboard and the wall in our bedroom – a space of about 9 inches. The other time when she got under the shed if I had not seen her crawling there I would have had no idea where she was. I hope that as she relaxes she will no longer need to hide, but she can be quite determined ! But the developments over the last few days have been great. We’re trying not to push her to move faster than she is ready to – but we can see subtle changes and that makes us so happy. We are getting so much help from Kathy and the gang. Thanks to them all. E
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but Ruby is very noisy when she plays and that scared Hope off a bit. Last night another big breakthrough – she walked from the sitting room into the back hallway and then into the kitchen and out to the garden on her own!! (without being carried!! – it took her about five minutes of going backwards and forwards but she did it). We have just come back from the Vets and she has put on weight, up to 11.4kg. She is eating well but not on her own. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know. She will eat from my hand and if I put small amounts on a plastic sheet on the floor she will eat those – but she will not go anywhere near food in a bowl or plate, even if she is left on her own with it for 5/10 minutes. I do know that letting her hide is not good so we don’t let her into the sitting room until later in the day when we are in there ourselves. But during the week when she was particularly bad – she was so distressed that if she hadn’t been able to hide at times she would have exploded. One week after we got her she went missing, we could not find her anywhere, we searched the house top to bottom. The back door was open and I was convinced that she had somehow gotten out of the garden and run away (it didn’t seem likely but she really was not anywhere in the house or garden). We were beside ourselves, I was distraught. We formed a search party and went out looking for her – My son eventually found her – she had crawled between our headboard and the wall in our bedroom – a space of about 9 inches. The other time when she got under the shed if I had not seen her crawling there I would have had no idea where she was. I hope that as she relaxes she will no longer need to hide, but she can be quite determined 
! But the developments over the last few days have been great. We’re trying not to push her to move faster than she is ready to – but we can see subtle changes and that makes us so happy. We are getting so much help from Kathy and the gang. Thanks to them all. E