Whisper

I was at the pound today picking up:
Carla Tortelli

and Cliff Claven
.
(Sorry about the lousy pictures. When it's freezing in April, you see how long you want to stand around getting a dog to look nice!)

It's not unusual to head on over there and find more or different dogs than I went for in the first place. Today when I walked in, the dog warden said a woman was just there and dropped off her mother's dog. She died and no one is able to care for him. He's a schnauzer mix, 1 1/2, neutered, just had his shots. His name is Whisper. Sight unseen I say, sure I'll take him. I walk back to the kennels and there's this tiny gray dog, backing up and barking his head off at me, obviously scared to death and looking like he'd be more than happy to bite me if I move too quickly. I go back out to the car to get a leash and a treat to try to win him over. When I walk back in, the little dog is running across the room, with the dog warden's 90 lb red doberman in hot pursuit. The dog warden had gone back to see if he could grab him for me, and he raced out of the kennel instead. The dobie loves other dogs and really only wanted to play. I'd just about bet if he were chasing any of us, "oh he just wants to play!" wouldn't be the first thought that crossed our mind, and it was no different for a 8 lb little dog who doesn't know how the hell he ended up in this place to begin with. We got the dobie out of the way, which left Whisper snarling and snapping in a corner. I wouldn't mess with most dogs if they were acting this way. This one got another shot at it because he just came in and had no time to adjust before he was hit with all of this chaos, and also because he's a tiny little dog. Fair or not, little dogs get away with more. I looped the leash over his head, gave it a tug and he was happy to get the hell out of there, even if it was with me. He got right in the car with no problems. We had to take the other dogs to meet the foster, and every time I stopped, I talked to him a bit, and by the time I got home, he would let me pet him. Still he's absolutely terrified. It's heartbreaking. I put him in the crate in my bathroom/short term boarding kennel for pound dogs and leave him to chill out a bit. Every time I check on him, he is a wreck, growling, backing into the corner. I leave the crate door open so he won't feel as trapped. I still can't get near him again. He is shaking so hard the water in the bowl in his crate is moving. I talk to him the whole time, tell him I know he's very scared but no one is going to hurt him and he has to get over it. He just looks at me with some of the saddest eyes I've ever seen. I'll tell ya, I am notorious for ending up with fosters who take forever to get adopted and while I'm sitting on the floor with Cujo Jr snarling every time I move my hand towards him, I'm thinking this one isn't going to be going anywhere anytime soon either.
As luck would have it, one time I walked in eating a piece of pecan bread, and since I'm always willing to share, I held out a small bite. Miracles of miracles, he scooted right over and ate it right out of my hand! And then a few more bites. Then he let me pet him again. And from there on in, he is my new best friend. He came right out of the crate, walked by me, walked around the room, came when I said "come here," got on my lap, nudged me to pet him. Pecan bread. Now there's a training tip I'd never tried before! He's still going to need some time, and he's not going to be a dog that will work out in every home, but he is a sweet little guy and before too long, he'll be settled in for his second chance.