TROUBLE IN PARADISE

I noticed that Eli stares at our youngest Rug rat whenever they are in the same room, and that she lowers her head when she hears his voice from anywhere in the house. It is not a good sign. For some reason she has a total aversion to him.  I stayed close by on Friday morning as the boys prepared for school. Six year old T was coming down the stairs and she raced toward him, barking and growling. The child backed up in fright, but Eli kept closing in. I grabbed her collar and it took all my strength to quiet her enough to shut her away in another room.  

Eli is short for Elizabeth, and she was one of the five puppies who spent her first couple of months here with her mommy before being picked up by the rescue group for adoption. She was my favorite, and I cried a little more for her than for the others when she was gone. From the litter she had been the brightest, the most curious, the first to try anything, confident and a bit bossy, but oh so loving!!  Still, I had convinced myself that I only wanted ONE dog, so let her go in spite of my desire to keep her. I should have heeded that desire. I kept checking on the Rescue site and little Eli was the only one of all the puppies still up for adoption. I couldn’t understand it, and inquired often, but it seemed each potential taker didn’t work out.

I don’t know what happened to this poor little girl while she was gone; I just know she was not the same playful, sweetheart when she came back to spend time here while her present fosters were on vacation. She was skinny and extremely hyper...and so fearful, lashing out at Mommy and Sam, shaking and defensive when anyone approached her. It took a least a week before I could even let her interact with the other dogs. I only released her to play when Sam and Mommy were outside, and each night I dragged her cage into my bedroom so that she could sleep beside the bed, while Sam and Mommy would cuddle up with me. One evening I put her in Sam’s crate with HIS cushion and HIS blankets instead of her own. After spending the night surrounded by his smell, she decided that he was a friend after all, and they were soon playing together.

 It was maybe 2 days before they were to come and pick her up. The three doggies were romping around me, and she looked much calmer. At one point she broke away from the game and came to sit beside me, much as she did in her puppy days, gazing up at me with such a happy face. It was 11 PM but, my decision made, I texted the rescue group immediately. This baby was going nowhere; she would stay right here where I am sure she was meant to be from the get-go. I had already been investigated, so her adoption went through without a hitch.

Eli has come a long way from the behaviour she exhibited on her arrival. She has learned to trust again, and to do doggie things without always looking around to see who is near her. She prances, much like Bud used to do, and is high energy but very sweet and listens well.  The reaction she has to T makes me suspect that one of her many foster homes had young children, probably boys, who were not kind to her at all. She is afraid of him, and a frightened dog will bite. There doesn’t seem to be a problem with the other children – her gaze centers on young T. Immediate steps need to be taken. I had already looked into behaviour modification sessions awhile back, but they are very expensive, she was doing really well, so I had decided to wait and see.  There will be no more waiting; tomorrow I’ll call and book her evaluation, stressing the urgency.

Sorry – I know my post is long, and with the family all returning today I have no time to edit. I’ll try to do better next time. Hoping my sending out a HUGE SMILE with it will make the reading easier!!! Here’s to y’all!!

 

Luv from the Bush in Quebec.