Love me, damn it!

We moved the two new Great Danes indoors after Obi got adopted. It may be more accurate to say that they moved themselves indoors because that first night he was gone they would not be quiet in the outdoor kennel. Maybe they heard fireworks that I didn't, I don't know, but they were spooked and would not stop barking.

It used to be that the female, Indigo, would be in front
and Hunter, the male, would hang back. For whatever
reason they have reversed roles.

I fed them, I medicated them, and finally after midnight I made Clay get up and go outside with me to bring them in. That wasn't easy because they were so spooked and scared they just ran and ran around the kennel. The male, Hunter, must have eaten all the medication I put out for both, because he was actually fairly easy to catch. When he came in it became apparent that he didn't know stairs, but he made it upstairs finally, with assistance, and settled down once I shoved him into a crate.

Catching the female, Indigo, took a lot longer. She was scared of us, scared of everything. It was like chasing a skittish mare around a paddock. Finally she ran into the shed and retreated to her "safe corner" and let me leash her. She bounded up the stairs like an old pro, but would not go into a crate and would not settle down. If I left her and went back to the bedroom she would scratch at the door. I tried making myself a bed on the floor of the office using some dog beds, but there was no way I my old bones were going to be able to stay there all night.

Indigo in her crate in the office.

I finally medicated her again and just left her loose in the house. The next morning she was downstairs with Theo and Rugger and everything was fine. But it seemed that the few days she was in the kennel or the trauma of the fireworks? had made her revert to being feral. She had been the friendlier of the two, but now she wouldn't even walk near me to go outside or to come back in. It's frustrating for me when a dog I'm trying to help is too scared of me to let me help. Maya, Harper, Jackie are the first three to come to mind who were in that same boat.

Hunter and Rugger in the front yard

But Indigo is getting better, they both are. They are getting into the routine movements from the crate and office to the AC yard and then back again. I was up with them only once last night, about 3:00 a.m. when one of them started barking from the office. Both will now use their crates and even go in on their own accord, generally. Today I took them both out on a leash, individually, just to walk around the yard. I'm not putting them into the dog yard until I know that they will come to me readily, and obviously I'm not putting them back into that outdoor kennel. They need socialization. They need to learn to love me. More importantly, they need to learn that at least some people can be trusted.

Another view of my container garden

Hunter has very unusual color markings.

Nice profile head shot.

Notice the wagging tail, please.

One of the barrel planters between the boxwoods.

Hunter is still skinny, but he's going to be a
great looking dog.

Indigo, looking nervous.
Rugger in the rear.

She's a pretty girl.

She's got a nice head and a beautiful coat.

That's Rugger in the rear. The front yard is his domain now.
I'm keeping him indoors mostly, but he goes out with me all
the time. He loves it when I water the garden.

She seems a bit more relaxed indoors.

Hunter (left) and Indigo (right)

Hunter is actually beginning to look pretty
happy. He's a big goof.

Indy looks pretty happy here too.

I hate that she's scared of me, but she spends a lot of
time watching me and that's a good thing. She will
figure out that I'm a nice guy. 

Like I said, pretty girl.