Welcome again to my monthly post of gratitude. If you'd like to read more uplifting posts from around the globe, head to LeeAnna's blog,
Not Afraid of Color where she writes a weekly post, and others link up theirs. It will definitely lift your spirits; often these things we all note are simple things, don't cost much, if anything.
1. I am grateful for a very wise and experienced dog trainer named Maggie Mason, highly recommended by my friend Liz. About three weeks ago we went to her, at our wits' end with Xena. Walking her had taken a severe downturn, she was still charging and barking at Bella, and she was so fixated on the truck. A ride somewhere in it seemed to regress her, and she would withdraw, become aloof and anxious. Well. The one-on-one time with Maggie was invaluable in that she gave us a couple of pointers, was able to observe Xena and evaluate her, both outside and inside her facility, and said that although it was clear she'd been very abused, she knew there was a very good dog in there. I had realized within a few days of having Xena that she'd been on a chain for probably most of her life; her paw sensitivity and dexterity with her legs when the leash wrapped around them, and wherewithal to extract her leg(s), even literally doing a little handstand to hop over her leash (we'd kept her on leash in the house for the first several days as she acclimated to us and us to her) had made it click. Well, Maggie observed from the way her neck skin wrinkles from time to time that she had not one but two or possibly three chains around her neck... Maggie gave us some puppy training stuff to work through, since she figures she never really got to be a puppy, and said to call us in a few weeks when she should be more ready for training.
Well. The next day I suggested we walk together, all four of us, instead of one of us taking Xena, and one taking Rufus. MacGyver reluctantly agreed; we don't walk well together. My natural pace is much faster than his, and the dogs often play off one another which aggravates his rather short fuse of patience. So, off we went. Well, not quite like that, as Xena did NOT want to leave the house or 'her' truck, but with some liver treats (Maggie said treat, treat, treat), and the fact Rufus was leaving too, as well as both of us, she did come along.
From that very walk, it was a revolution in her behaviour and progress. A lightbulb went on in her head. It's been uphill ever since: she is much less reluctant to leave home, she is HAPPY as she trots along, tail up in the air, wagging, she's smiling in that wrinkled cheeks way that bulldogs do, we don't have to treat her as much on the walk, and her at-home behaviour has markedly changed. She's more affectionate; she comes OFTEN to give us kisses, sashaying her hips, wagging her tail, all wriggly; asking us to sit with her on the dedicated quadruped loveseat, she lets us hug her for short periods, LOVES my nightly jaw, cheek and head massages, even rolls back for short, very short, belly rubs. It's like she has established in her doggy mind that we are a pack. She seems, little by little, to be realizing this is her HOME. She's even instigated some play with Rufus, she has regular zoomies (mostly outside...), and she's actually sort of figured out how to play with a ball! Before, she'd just look at me, like huh? What is that? Why are you looking at me like that? Go get it if you want it.
