On Wednesday February 1st, 2012, BHRR's Adele and BHRR's Shiva(she was dropped off at KAH to come back to BHRR from her latest play date Temp Foster time!) came with me to a BHRR Volunteers House after work for a bit of a walk/visit.

She took everything in stride and as explained to the Volunteers; when it comes to cars or things that come up behind her that may make her nervous; she is NOT what I call a 'walk & talk' dog. She needs to stop, be able to see what is coming, be told quietly plus calmly that 'all is ok' and I use the words 'car' and give her a reassuring soft touch on her neck and then we walk again.

These things are ALL new territory for her and she cannot be rushed or forced. She is NOT the dog that one can just walk to the local store and leave outside(not that I am in agreement with that being done by folks anyway but I see it all the time at our local grocery store) and pick up a loaf of bread etc. and come back out and unleash and go home.

She needs her leader to be with her at all times during walks and to be calmly plus positively directed. She knows her 'turn right', 'turn left' and 'go straight' and she will be so willing to trust someone as long as they gives her a reason to trust them. Her leash manners are amazing! This is a dog that had never had a collar or leash on in her 6+ years of living. AND she has picked up obedience including housebreaking so fast. She is not to be yanked or pulled(AND I also do not support people who do this). She knows 'Adele, come' and she will respond.

She is still not the fondest of getting into a vehicle but getting better! She is excellent to travel in a car and exits really nicely too.

She loves HOME the best. She is now comfortable laying on a Costco dog bed in front of the TV, that once terrifed her. The vacuum still makes her a bit nervous but she is a lot better. The fans can still make her also a bit nervous but she is a lot better. She is still very afraid of dog bowls if they are above her head and so we move very slowly and carefully during feeding time AND she still loves eating out of the rubbermaid of kibble as I feed the other dogs(BHRR's Peanut and BHRR's Gretta do this too and I am AOK with it!) and then she will go into a crate to then eat a good bowl of food. She is one lean muscled GD right now, and very slowly still trying to get on that rest of the weight I want to see on her. When people see her for the first time, they remark on how thin she is and I tell them, you should have seen her 20 pounds lighter from when she first came into BHRR. She was barely 61 pounds back then.

She still adores her windows and at this play visit; they were able to witness firsthand the desire and not just desire but need to be able to go in and out of the patio doors when she wants to. THIS is her comfort thing. This is her being able to know that she has FREEDOM, that she is no longer caged in darkness with poor ventilation and no love. 🙁

So, she went in and out and in and out and in and out and became more relaxed each time. THANKS to the home for being so kind to her!!! 🙂

She got along just fine with their two dogs as I knew she would. She is a very accepting dog and she is also very much still a 'mom' for when one of their dogs got a bit nasty with her not once but several times; her patience wore thin and she told him off and I was proud of her. She was quick, effective and it was done. She then went back to looking out the windows. 🙂

I need to try and get some better shots of her BUT the camera makes her nervous still.

SO, any home interested in her has to realise and understand that she though she is a very low maintenance dog; she is a product of her environment and a simple round of obedience classes is not going to 'fix' her. She does not need to be 'fixed', she needs to be understood and worked with to be the best dog she can be; not forced.

Giving her love and treats and spoiling is NOT going to do that for her. She needs routine, structure, patience and time along with consistency in ADDITION to the love and spoiling. Homes that try to 'make it up' to dogs like her that were rescued from such horror are only going to ruin her. She needs more than love. She does not live in her past. She lives in her present and we look towards her great future. She is a product of her past and has much potential for her future! THAT is what people need to understand about adopting a rescue dog.

BHRR's Adele is also excellent about letting you know when she is done with something! LOL She goes to the front door and that is it…time to leave! 🙂

BHRR's Adele – February 1st, 2012
*photos courtesy of M. Bird