A rambling narrative about my life and my passion, dog rescue.
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Farther along
I'm not the most patient person in the world. That probably won't surprise anyone and I'm quite aware of it myself. Shy dogs try my patience but I've been doing my best to be calm, cool, and collected around Ms. Harper. I don't yell at any of the other dogs if she's around. They probably think something has happened to me. Harper has been coming around slowly, and she's made significant improvements but I decided to try to accelerate the process a bit. She's been laying near me and will let me touch her, so I decided to pull her up into my lap and hold her to work on the trust/bonding thing. I started that on Monday and it's a good thing I did because we had to go to the vet on Wednesday.
She came with no vaccines but I wasn't going to rush her to the vet for that alone. However, she started having a few episodes of vomiting so I figured we'd better go in. I held her in my lap for most all the exam and the vaccines and she was fine, better than some of my other dogs (Vince, Trooper, Sparky). The vomiting has just been occasional so far, and the vet felt nothing in her belly that concerned her, so I brought home some meds and will just watch it for now.
I had taken Maya along to the vet for moral support and when we got back home I took both girls out for another hike. I thought it would accelerate her learning to trust and bond with me, and besides, she needs to get out for some exercise. She walked much better than the first time, but I still had Maya out front and Harper behind me for most of the five miles that we walked. Maya loves our hikes, but I realized that the last time Harper was out in the woods she was lost and alone, abandoned by whatever her former life had been. The great outdoors may not carry the same connotations for her as it does for Maya, but she walked with us and came back home with us, so I hope she realized I wasn't going to dump her.
Harper, Maya, and Gigi, all trying to be in the corner under my desk.
At the vet's office, Wednesday afternoon.
Walking and sniffing with Maya
A little musical accompaniment for blog viewing:
2 comments:
Anonymous
said...
That Harper is a real beauty! You are definitely winning her over:-)
She is a beauty, I particularly love the ones that are timid and shy, never having been shown love or a kind hand. Bonding with another dog is great for her and especially since you have lots of canines she must feel comfortable, taking her cues from them. How old is she?
This is a blog about my life, which largely revolves around a dog rescue operation. I write mostly, but not exclusively, about dogs. I am gay, with a very understanding partner (now husband!); Democrat; liberal; Kansas native and a current resident of "real" Virginia. My husband and I live on 7 rural acres near Charlottesville, Virginia. We have multiple large dogs of our own, and we have fostered large breed dogs for several different rescue organizations. German Shepherd Dogs, Great Danes, and Rottweilers are among our favorites, but we love most large breed dogs and mutts. ALL VIEWS EXPRESSED HEREIN ARE MY OWN.
I'm not the most patient person in the world. That probably won't surprise anyone and I'm quite aware of it myself. Shy dogs try my patience but I've been doing my best to be calm, cool, and collected around Ms. Harper. I don't yell at any of the other dogs if she's around. They probably think something has happened to me. Harper has been coming around slowly, and she's made significant improvements but I decided to try to accelerate the process a bit. She's been laying near me and will let me touch her, so I decided to pull her up into my lap and hold her to work on the trust/bonding thing. I started that on Monday and it's a good thing I did because we had to go to the vet on Wednesday. 
She came with no vaccines but I wasn't going to rush her to the vet for that alone. However, she started having a few episodes of vomiting so I figured we'd better go in. I held her in my lap for most all the exam and the vaccines and she was fine, better than some of my other dogs (Vince, Trooper, Sparky). The vomiting has just been occasional so far, and the vet felt nothing in her belly that concerned her, so I brought home some meds and will just watch it for now. 
I had taken Maya along to the vet for moral support and when we got back home I took both girls out for another hike. I thought it would accelerate her learning to trust and bond with me, and besides, she needs to get out for some exercise. She walked much better than the first time, but I still had Maya out front and Harper behind me for most of the five miles that we walked. Maya loves our hikes, but I realized that the last time Harper was out in the woods she was lost and alone, abandoned by whatever her former life had been. The great outdoors may not carry the same connotations for her as it does for Maya, but she walked with us and came back home with us, so I hope she realized I wasn't going to dump her. 
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2 comments:
That Harper is a real beauty! You are definitely winning her over:-)
She is a beauty, I particularly love the ones that are timid and shy, never having been shown love or a kind hand. Bonding with another dog is great for her and especially since you have lots of canines she must feel comfortable, taking her cues from them. How old is she?
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