Bringing Home Dogs

This is Abby. When my youngest dog passed away, R said he would find the perfect dog for me. He picked her off of the street, running in a pack of four dogs. She would not come to him willingly, like the other three, he had to trap her. I watched the video, and it broke my heart. She had a length of barbed wire intertwined with her collar, and duct tape wrapped around her paws. There were deep gouges in her back legs from having been bound with wire. I assume this was from forced breeding, not being used as bait, as there were no other injuries. She spent a week or so being vetted and decompressing, and then I brought her home. It took her a little while to be 'okay'. She was depressed and subdued for several weeks. A friend of mine who does Reiki massages gave her some sessions, and it really did help. After the first session, she was like a different dog, open and cheerful and play bowing.

D.U. was her pack mate, and was not doing well in the shelter without Abby. It seemed like he knew she lived with me. He would sniff me with more interest than he sniffed anyone else, and he stayed focused on me when I was around. So I brought him home. He is, and always has been, a very outgoing and cheerful dog. But when I brought him home and he saw Abby? I thought he would explode with joy.

This is my whole pack. They've come a long way since their rescues, but I won't lie, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. They're all a little particular about people, and Conrad (in the middle) really needs to be socialized with other dogs. They know their obedience commands, have learned to jump through a hoop, Abby and D.U. run on the treadmill in the basement.