4/14/07
Today, we picked up our new foster Flopsy aka Rusty, in San Diego. She flew in from Missouri. She is nearly paralyzed with fear. I think we are going to have a long haul ahead of us with Rusty and getting her ready for her adoptive home. She has absolutely no facial or body expressions. We haven’t even seen a slight wag of the tail. Those D^%* Puppy Millers have literally stripped the life out of this girl! I am hopeful that over the next several weeks, we can teach her to trust and enjoy her new life.
4/17/07
5:30 a.m. Took Rusty outside for potty. She does her business. Frantically paces around the yard. Stops on occasion to see what I am doing. We go back into the house, Rusty reluctantly comes in. Tony helps me catch Rusty to put in her x-pen for breakfast. Rusty has a good appetite and finishes her meal in no time, however, she will not eat in front of me.
I take her back outside for potty. She paces around the perimeter of the yard.
I put Rusty in the x-pen while I am at work; no more crates for this girl during the daytime hours!
3:00 p.m. Come home from work; there are no accidents in the x-pen! Take Rusty outside for potty and she frantically paces the backyard. You can literally see the fear in her eyes. I take a towel out onto the grass and sit there. Rusty runs circles around me, over and over again. I have Tony help me catch her and we sit on the towel and pet her. She stands there frozen, unsure what to do. She eventually walks away and begins doing her pacing around the yard. She ventures close by us, but not too close, so we can’t touch her.
Inside, Rusty does continuous circles around the kitchen island. She is so scared and unsure of herself, it is breaking my heart. I hate what those D^%* millers have done to her!
We brought a large crate into the living room, so Rusty could be close and watch us interact w/ our fur kids. She started to relax and eventually fell asleep.
Today, we picked up our new foster Flopsy aka Rusty, in San Diego. She flew in from Missouri. She is nearly paralyzed with fear. I think we are going to have a long haul ahead of us with Rusty and getting her ready for her adoptive home. She has absolutely no facial or body expressions. We haven’t even seen a slight wag of the tail. Those D^%* Puppy Millers have literally stripped the life out of this girl! I am hopeful that over the next several weeks, we can teach her to trust and enjoy her new life.
4/17/07
5:30 a.m. Took Rusty outside for potty. She does her business. Frantically paces around the yard. Stops on occasion to see what I am doing. We go back into the house, Rusty reluctantly comes in. Tony helps me catch Rusty to put in her x-pen for breakfast. Rusty has a good appetite and finishes her meal in no time, however, she will not eat in front of me.
I take her back outside for potty. She paces around the perimeter of the yard.
I put Rusty in the x-pen while I am at work; no more crates for this girl during the daytime hours!
3:00 p.m. Come home from work; there are no accidents in the x-pen! Take Rusty outside for potty and she frantically paces the backyard. You can literally see the fear in her eyes. I take a towel out onto the grass and sit there. Rusty runs circles around me, over and over again. I have Tony help me catch her and we sit on the towel and pet her. She stands there frozen, unsure what to do. She eventually walks away and begins doing her pacing around the yard. She ventures close by us, but not too close, so we can’t touch her.
Inside, Rusty does continuous circles around the kitchen island. She is so scared and unsure of herself, it is breaking my heart. I hate what those D^%* millers have done to her!
We brought a large crate into the living room, so Rusty could be close and watch us interact w/ our fur kids. She started to relax and eventually fell asleep.
At bedtime, when Rusty was in her crate, she started to whine when I left the room!! This is the first we have heard from her. Funny, she doesn’t want to be near us, but doesn’t like when she isn’t near us! Rusty still won’t take treats from my hands.
To Be Continued ...
Thank you so much for sharing your journal, Karen. It is so helpful to be able to read about Rusty's progress - I hope lots of prospective adopters are able to read this and see how these beauties can come to recognize love and trust.
ReplyDeleteLois