There will always be a special place in my heart for a frightened shelter dog. I love all shelter animals, but the pups that are petrified…the ones that shake when you look at them…that cower in the corner when you walk into their kennel…that growl at you when you talk to them…well, these guys are extra special to me. And sadly, these dogs are routinely killed in shelters across the country because they are un-adoptable. Because they are fear biters. Because they are temperament to human. On my first morning In Canon City I met a little guy name Duncan. A male Chihuahua that showed his teeth when I stopped at his kennel. I entered his kennel that day and he growled at me. He even shook his head while growling. I assume Duncan was saying, Ill bite if you come any closer old man. The first day I spent 10 minutes with Duncan. The second day 20. The 3rd day 30 minutes. The 4th day 38 minutes. The 5th day 45 minutes. He had little use for me. If only he knew that dogs like Duncan, at least at my shelter, will live to see another day, he may have welcomed me to Colorado rather than try to scare me off. Every morning between 7:30 and 8am Duncan was first on my to-do list. Every night when I went home, Duncan was the last thing on that list. Today, less than one week after meeting Duncan, he had breakthrough. I wanted to spend time with him while eating my mid-morning snack, a greek yogurt. As I walked into his kennel, Duncan ran to the back of the kennel and started shivering in the corner like always. I sat on the floor, actually laid on the kennel floor as if I was watching TV on my couch, and started to eat my yogurt. I felt wetness on the back of my shirt from the floor so I knew it was either water or the little mans pee. Before today, Duncan never showed interest in raw hot dogs, or wet dog food, or treats, or sandwiches. Nothing. He refused to eat yogurt off of my finger, though he dearly wanted too. Watching him do circles wanting the yogurt a few feet away was rather amusing. When I was almost done, I put the cup on the floor. He licked the remaining yogurt out of the cup madly. Before he could finish, I picked up the cup and placed it in his small bed. The only way he could get to the cup was to climb over my arm and into his bed. Rather than climb my arm he jumped it. While licking the cup I touched him for the first time. He jumped. I waited 10 seconds, touched him again. I touched him 5 times. He jumped every time. When he gently laid his head on the blanket in his bed, and he wasn’t shaking, and he didnt have at least one eye on on me, I knew we were close to another major breakthrough. Tomorrow Im bringing in two yogurts. One for me and a smaller cup for Duncan. We will eat them on my morning break in his kennel. I dont expect him to jump in my lap after our yogurt, but I do expect to spend some quality time with my new best shelter buddy. If only Dunkin Doughnuts was in Canon City... Id bring him his own Duncan in the morning.
Posted on: Thu, 02 Oct 2014 01:27:46 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015