The long road

When the three shepherds first arrived they seemed like shell shocked refugees. The HOWS Project volunteers and I carried them in their transport crates back to Daneland because they knew that it would be impossible to leash them and walk them back there. They had only known the pen where they were born and had lived for the past two years. They were essentially feral. They clung closely to each other because all the three brothers knew or had ever known was each other. When the first vet appointments came along I had to virtually drag them from Daneland to the van because they would not walk on a leash and they were desperate to stay together.

Dakota, Fargo, and Sturgis came a long way since their arrival here on March 18th. They did learn to walk on a leash. They did learn to take food from the hand of a stranger. They learned to actually enjoy getting out for hikes. They learned something about toys and how to use them. They learned about crates and didn't hate them. They even learned to live indoors and to enjoy the comforts of a house. 

Sturgis was the first to leave the family pack and he did well in a new foster home, learning to stand on his own four feet and to be his own dog. Best of all, Sturgis was the first to be adopted and he made friends with a somewhat difficult, older female shepherd in his new home, even getting her to play with him like their were both still puppies. Fargo had a rougher time in his new foster home. He seemed unable to accept the other canine resident, and he suffered a lot of anxiety. Dakota remained here during that time and he was certainly learning to be a dog. A week or so ago Fargo came back here and was reunited with Dakota. Both boys were overjoyed; they played together outside, ate together, and slept in adjoining crates indoors. On Friday, Dakota and Fargo were adopted together into the same home, as the only canine residents. They have two teenagers who really want to love on them, and a cat that they don't seem to even acknowledge. 

All three dogs have come a very long way in the past eight weeks, but they still have far to go to be fully integrated into society. The last two at least still shy away from people and avoid human touch to the extent possible. They have learned to live around humans and to enjoy the things we provide, but learning to actually like people, and develop that German Shepherd/human bond, well, they aren't quite there yet. I believe they can and will get there but it will require time, patience, and a lot of work.

Learning to accept and even enjoy human touch is probably the next big milestone. The kids in their new home will help a lot with this, along with the fact that they will need to be kept leashed outdoors.

This is the first picture I saw of Dakota and Fargo in their new home and it made me happy and also made me laugh. There are two nice beds, one for each dog, but Fargo is trying to be as close as possible to his brother still. That is Fargo in a nutshell.

Fargo in his new home.

Dakota on his new bed by himself.

I like this picture of Dakota's ears framing the Green Dogs magnet on the van behind him and I'll tell you why. I took in these three dogs because they needed to get out of a bad situation. I hadn't met them and really knew nothing about them. I couldn't commit Green Dogs to taking them into the rescue because I really didn't know anything about them, even if they were, or could ever be, adoptable. But Erika (Green Dogs) didn't hesitate to agree to accept them and to help them.