Progress Report Week 7.5

Who is this dog?

My Mom stopped by this morning to drop her dog off at my house... bet you all didnt know I run of free doggy-day-care on the side? So we're chatting, blah, blah, blah and she tells me that Quinnie lets my Mum pet her through the fence??? Wha-wha-What? When did this start? Come to find out its been going on for at least a week...

So that brings me to my next story. Yesterday evening we had visitors and I invited them into the living room. Quinnie was in her crate but the door was open. She barked initially when they came into the room and then settled right down. After a few minutes she ventured out of her crate... to be honest it was more of her bolting through the living room into the dining room and then looking wearily behind her to see if anyone had noticed. She danced around the dining room for a bit then bolted back into her crate. This went on for a few minutes. She was clearly nervous because of the guests but everything about her behavior with these strangers was different...

She looked at them with more curiousity than weariness, she stayed toward the front of the crate as opposed to pinning herself against the back, she only barked initially whereas in the past when I have had guests over every time they have shifted positions it would set her off barking again... her body was tucked but she stayed on her feet and did not army-crawl and though her tail was also tucked, it was wagging most of the time, and did I mention that she came out of her crate?

So I brought Frankie, the biggest of the puppies, into the living room with us. Frankie had a blast jumping all over the guests, running around like a cheese-head, and ofcourse playing with Quinnie. I know I have said it before but Quinnie is a sucker for puppies and she can and will ignore almost anything if there is one in front of her. So she hung out with us in the living room, climbed all over our laps, let everyone pet her, it was pretty comical. Eventually Frankie and Quinnie settled down so I sent them both out for a potty break and Quinnie came right back into the house with out a sideways glance at the door...

I would like to thank the manufactures of Prozac for this amazing evening and also my guests for their patience and understanding, and ofcourse all the people behind the scenes, and my fans, I couldnt do this without you... Oh wait, sorry, I got a bit carried away there, where is Kanye when you need him?

But seriously, how awesome is it to see a traumatized, shell-shocked animal begin to relax and begin to trust again?

Progress Report Week 7

I started Quinnie on a bit of pharmaceutical help last week. Dr Kucia and I had a discussion when I first brought Quinnie to the vet's office about considering medication to help with her fear issues. After 6 weeks I decided it was time to give something else a try. She has been on Prozac for about 10 days and so far, so good.

No side effects thus far and still waiting to see if they take effect and how.

She has been a lot more vocal this past week. She grumbles to be let out when she is in her crate when I am actively playing with the other dogs in front of her. If the puppies are running around the house she is beside herself to be out with them, lots of muttering and barking and pawing at the crate door. She does love her some puppies.

Door ways have not been an issue these past few weeks and she has not had any accidents inside the house (or her crate).

She is ridiculous in the evenings when its her time for some attention. She all but throws herself in my lap and there is lots of rolling around on her back, burrowing her head into my lap, flailing her legs around and getting up to do it all over again. Her affection is very frenzied and comical and my poor dog is so confused by it that sometimes I think he just stops and stares at her and wonders what in the world is wrong with her.

Progress report Week 5

Its been hills and valleys these past two weeks.

Quinnie has decided that we are friends, but occasionally she forgets. She will always come out of her crate for petting if I sit down in the living room but hasnt been very consistent when in the yard and hanging out in the house.

She also had a brief few days where she forgot that doorways were her friend too. Getting her inside became the chore that it used to be and on a few occasions I had to crawl around the yard to catch her and bring her back inside.

She is still a night mare on the leash, all panic and belly crawling. I brought her for a quick car ride to a nearby park and when she got out of the car she tried to crawl underneath it. To be hoenst, I have no idea what I was expecting, but, lesson learned. At this point we are just working on getting out of the house, into the car, going for a drive and coming back home without it being a traumatic experience. Lots of praise but she is so scared she could care less about treats.

Quinnie has started to bark at guests. I'm not entirely sure if that is progress or not. She is clearly scared of them but where she used to stay quiet and hope that no one noticed her in her crate she now barks in warning.

Turning Point 11.17.09

Turning point, it sounds ominous doesn't it?

Today was a great day! Earlier Quinnie and the other dogs were running around my house, I was busy at my desk, typing away, when out of nowhere this multi-colored muzzle appeared beneath my elbow and pushed my arm.

Quinnie and I are now the best of friends. I cannot sit down without her coming over to me and trying to crawl all over me to give me kisses and get some pets. She loves affection and handling and the moment I stop she starts pawing and squirming and doing everything in her power to get me to start back up again.

So, after 3 weeks of housing, feeding and cleaning up after this baby it appears that the cold war is over. I'm sure I have said this a hundred times in the 3 weeks that she has been with me, but its hard to believe this is the same dog...

3 week Progress Report 11/15/09

It's finally safe to say that she is in fact progressing.

She is still the same normal and happy dog when she is in the backyard with my other dogs. She is playful and loves to run around and wrestle with them. When I am in the yard standing or walking around she is now walking normally around me. If I am upright she will stay about 3-5 feet away and follow me around the yard but if I squat down she all but tumbles on her side for belly rubs.

The biggest (and best) change that I have noticed is that she no longer has issues with coming in and out of the house (unless I have company). She will even come in if I am standing in the doorway (not just behind the door).

She is also okay with me approaching her crate and no longer shrinks to the back or side walls. More importantly I no longer have to be conscious of my approach, I can walk in straight line to her, body facing forward, making eye contact and she will still stay toward the front of the crate... head down but tail wagging feverishly.

Every evening I sit in front of her crate (with the door open) petting and talking to Harley and Tuck and she now sticks her head through the door to sniff and greet me. She is comfortable with all handling and occasionally paws at my hands for more. When she greets me I massage her head, tug on her ears, give noogies to her muzzle, and tell her what a weirdo she is over and over again. She seems to find it all very relaxing and I just laugh at her and wonder if she will be the longest ADR foster EVER...

She is still not housetrained and I think that is going to be our biggest hurdle. Housetraining in my house has always been me giving lots of praise when the dogs do their business outside and if I catch them in the act inside I make a ton of noise and promptly escort the dog outside to finish their business. Unfortunately, making a ton of noise and rushing her out the door isn't really an option with this one.

I do let her loose in my house to explore when she comes in from outside but only for about 20 minutes. She is fascinated by the puppies and if I have one in my lap, you can all but guarantee that Quinnie's head is there too.

She has started to take notice of what is going on outside of the fenced yard and she is unfortunately a barker. I of course treat her like I do the rest of my kids and yell at her to shut her mouth, its really only effective if I come outside and take notice of what it is she is barking at, which leads me to believe she just wants me to know what is going on.

When friends are over and she is outside she does bark at them while keeping her distance. If they sit on the ground or crouch down she will stop barking, move closer to sniff (10ft away) and occasionally chuff. A friend of mine, who visits often, has not been shaving the past week or so and Quinnie has taken a noticeable dislike to him recently. She has always been very reserved but she is down right weary of the beard. I have never felt that she has been abused as much as she has been under-socialized but this has me wondering.

2 week Progress Report 11/8/09

This week I made an effort to put myself in her way. In the evening I sit in front of her crate with the door open and I play and pet and chatter to Tucker and Harley. I think she is wondering why in the world I insist on doing this right in front of her space. She lies in her crate tail tucked and watching but makes no effort to poke her head out the door or otherwise acknowledge us. The only thing I have notice is that after a few minutes she no longer pushes herself against the back wall but rather just accepts that I am there.

She is doing better with the doors and I can now stay in sight when I open the door and she will come into the house. If I didn't know better I might say she is a bit OCD. She climbs the steps, touches a paw to the door frame, then turns and leaps off the stairs, circles around, climbs back up the stairs and comes all the way in. She does it every time regardless of how much momentum she has coming up the steps or if she is sitting at the door pawing to come inside.

Turns out she LOVES puppies. Unfortunately she is most definitely a boxer as she cant seem to not bat them with her paws. Vegas, who is the boldest and healthiest of the litter is completely unphased by her but the others are nearly as scared of her as she is of the world. So for a short time every day I let Vegas and Quinnie into the front yard to interact.

No real leaps and bounds this week. She does great with the big dogs and is most comfortable when she is outside. She is very interested in everything that I am doing but is infinitely more interested if I am doing it with a puppy in my arms. She is sweet and scared and she seems to want to interact with me but just cant bring herself to do it just yet.

The biggest concern I am having is that she is irresistible to anyone over the age of 25. You cant help but want to fix her and everyone seems convinced if that they just go over and introduce themselves to her she will understand that they mean her no harm and she will be magically cured of her debilitating fear. Oddly, tell an 8 year old that she is scared and they innately seem to know to just give her her space. So I found that I am constantly begging them to just ignore her, just let her be. I have 8 week old puppies here and people are more interested in her than they are the itty-bitty adorable loving puppies that aren't terrified of them.

Fortunately , I found a cure. I make them hold a puppy and sit on the floor and Quinnie is so interested in the pups that she will willingly do just about anything to stick her face in theirs and lick and sniff them... including letting a stranger pet her.

1 week Progress Report 11/01/09

Oh my goodness, what a long week.

I am starting to feel like a bit of a monster. It is so hard to have a dog in your home who is just TERRIFIED of you. When I approach her crate I walk toward her in a curved line, I look away from her, I lick my lips, and I turn my body to the side, heck, I even get on all four and crawl. And still she sees me approaching and pushes to the farthest corner of her crate, tail tucked and still and doing everything she can to avoid me.

Since the spay surgery on Friday she appears to be slightly more relaxed. That is to say she is doing somewhat better with doorways. Its no longer a 2o minute ordeal to get her in the house. I can now call the other dogs, leave the door open, walk into the next room and when I hear her mad dash through the dining room, into the living room and in her crate I can come back in and shut the door. It is still ridiculous, but it is progress.

I picked up a litter of puppies today (also from Fitchburg) and interested is an understatement. This whole week she has shown no interest in being anywhere except her crate and outside but when the puppies were scurrying about the kitchen she made a quick detour to sniff them through the baby gate.

How she got here

** photo of Quinnie riding shot-gun in the Animal Control vehicle.


Quinnie went to the Sterling Clinic this morning for a full vetting. I figured it was best to get all of the vetting and trauma out of the way before I start attempting to build trust with her. She came right into the house when we got home and headed straight for her crate. I treated her with a 200c staph remedy and will do so again tomorrow. For those of you unaware, I try to follow a holistic approach with myself and my dogs and Staph is used to treat genital trauma, it is often given to rape victims.


The Animal Control Officer who found Quinnie reached out to me today to give me some details on where/how she was found.

Apparently Quinnie was dumped on 5th Mass Turnpike in Fitchburg, its a heavily wooded area off Route 2, which is a well known dumping ground for just about everything. A passerby spotted her and stopped to try and catch her, only to have her dart away into the woods. He then called Police who contacted animal control.

When the ACO arrive she found this absolutely beautiful pup who was scared of the world. In the area where she had called her own were taco papers (freshly made Taco Bell papers), along with other junk food. We don't know if someone saw her and was feeding her for if someone tossed the tacos to keep her occupied while they drove away.

The man who spotted her helped the ACO pick her up and get her to the front seat of the truck.

No way was this petrified little girl going to the back of the truck and get more panic stricken. Once she was in the truck, there she stayed, shaking uncontrollably and glued to the driver's seat.

Only this little girl and her previous owner know what she has been through but in the animal control officer's career, she has never encountered an animal this terrified or heartbreaking.

To the Vet 10.28.09

It has been 3 days since I picked Quinnie up from Fitchburg and I cant say that any of them have been particularly easy. Quinnie is very nervous around me and more frustrating than that, she is very nervous going through doors.

Getting her in and out of the house is turning into quite the challenge. I have been putting a lead (sorry, a leash, after years of working with horses any 6 foot length of nylon is a lead) on her while she is in her crate then walking her to the door. She cant seem to get there fast enough until she gets there and then all she wants to do is turn around and go back to her crate. I sort of have to barricade her until she decides that the door is less scary than I am and then she bolts through.

Getting her back in is even worse, I open the door, call the other dogs, she follows them right to the entrance, then freezes and jumps of the stairs, she tries over and over again and you can tell she wants nothing more than to be in her warm, safe crate, but that is one scary doorway she has to cross through to get there. I have to go in the kitchen and wait until her foot hits the living room rug before I can dart in and shut the door... if I move to fast she'll barrel right back outside and we have to start all over. You cant imagine how many times I've been late to things over the past few days because I cant get her craziness into the house.

This of course included us being late to the vet today. It was a bit of a long shot but I figured if there were any physiological reasons for her fear then we should find them out. We went to visit my friends at Uxbridge Animal Hospital. Dr Kucia was unbelievably patient and gave as thorough an examination as Quinnie could bear. She appears to be a very healthy 7-9 month old pup who is just terrified of people.

Dr Kucia was only concerned about her dilated pupils. We changed the lighting to see if we could get a reaction but they were "blown out", meaning she was so afraid of everything that was happening that they were simply not responding to the changes in lighting and were fully dilated. The vet says she has only seen a fear response this strong in wild animals like racoons and the occasional feral cat.

Quinnie was so relieved to be out of there she made a bee line straight for my car and as soon as the door was shut she curled into a little ball on the floor board and remained there the whole way home. I am starting to feel like a monster.

** This video was taken the first day Quinnie arrived, if you look closely you can see that when I am standing Quinnie army-crawls and as I transition to my knees Quinnie gets up on all fours and walks very tucked.

Welcome Quinnie 10.25.09

I went up to Fitchburg earlier this afternoon to pick up a new foster dog. Joy had sent a photo of a gorgeous blue merle boxer mix and of course I couldn't resist, I'm a sucker for a sad story especially when its attachd to a bully breed.

I'm not sure what I was expecting but what I saw when I got there was a stunning young dog who was absolutely terrified, and then ofcourse I had to catch her. I closed the exterior door to the kennel, opened up her pen and walked away. After a few minutes she crawled out of the pen, the kennel staff have been letting her roam around the kennel while they clean her pen, after a good ten minutes I managed to get her out into the main area and the pen shut so she couldn't go back in and hide, and finally, I'm ashamed to say, I cornered her to get a collar on her.

It was heartbreaking. She was shaking in fear, her tail tucked but still wagging, and she was doing everything she could to just hide from me which basically meant she was burying her head into her side in that "if I cant see you, you cant see me way" that dogs sometimes have.

I tried leading her to the door which she seemed to think was the worst idea I had come up with yet and I finally gave in and picked her up. I carried her to the back of my SUV and put her in the crate. She pushed herself as far back as she could manage and seemed so relieved when I shut the gate and walked away.

I would guess from her pearly white teeth that she is less than a year old, likely 9 months and I don't want to even think about what has happened in her short life to make her so scared of humans.