To the Rescue

 

I see myself as an intelligent person, so when husband and I decided to adopt a rescue dog, I figured I knew what I was doing. Wrong. My latest canine experience has taught me many lessons.

All of the dogs we’ve adopted in the past had a loving human in their lives. They simply needed a home for a various number of reasons. Our new dog came from a South Carolina shelter with an unknown history. However, once we got him home, we realized he must have suffered numerous negative experiences from humans.

He flinched even if a friendly hand was trying to pet him. He didn’t like anyone behind him. He spent the first few days running from door to door, trying to escape. Needless to say, we were very careful going in or out since he seemed to be an experienced escape artist.

He calmed down somewhat after a few days. However, when unexpected company dropped in. He high-tailed it to the back of the house and ran between a bedroom and the bathroom until the guests left.

Yet, through it all, he wasn’t aggressive. He seemed to crave affection even when frightened. His disposition was sweet, especially when we could persuade him to relax. He absolutely adored his daily walks and loved to eat, so I knew everything would work out.

When I decided to write a column about rescuing a dog, I did some internet research. How I wish I’d done this before we brought our dog home. The information is invaluable.

I learned a lot. First is to expect the unexpected. Ky (the name he came with) is quite friendly to me during the day, but towards evening he backs away from me. There is no logical explanation other than an unpleasant past experience has reared its ugly head.

Patience is the key word. I learned that abused dogs don’t trust humans due to their bad experiences, and the best way to help the dog is to slowly and surely gain its trust. Within the first few weeks, our dog bonded to my husband. He now goes everywhere with him and trusts him.

Other bits of advice: you are fighting a war with months or even years of abuse so be patient. Don’t yell. Use kindness and convince the dog you will protect him if necessary.

The effort has been worth it. It’s very rewarding to see our new dog do “doggie things” as if he’d always lived here.