Salinas' Brave Adventure

One thing that is important when you have a foster is to help them build confidence and also to test them out in different situations to see how they fare. That allows a foster parent to give future adopters a better picture of what a dog can or can't handle and let's me know if there are situations that a dog needs more practice with.

Salinas has likely spent her life with the same dogs - one of them being Chima. Because she is under-confident, she seems dependent on other dogs to be able to feel safe or comfortable. We haven't done a lot of separated practice on skills with Salinas and Chima and one of my worries is that without practice, the transition into a new home without her sister could be tough on both girls.

I decided to take Salinas to the Seattle Rat Terrier Meetup on Mercer Island yesterday to see if she'd be able to manage her nervousness without Chima there to follow, and also to see if she would be able to relax enough in a situation like that to leave my side and meet new dogs and people. I was happily surprised when Salinas not only managed without Chima, she actually was able to relax enough to enjoy herself a bit.

She REALLY didn't want  to get into the crate in the car and I ended up lifting her into it. I talked to her as we drove off and occasionally passed her pieces of kibble through the side of the crate. Pretty soon I looked back and she had relaxed enough to lie down and chew on the rope toy I had put in there for her.

The next challenge was the walk from the parking lot to the small dog off leash area. I used a leash with her harness that clipped at both her chest and on her back and clipped a fully loaded treat bag at my waist and off we went, very, very, very slowly. I wasn't going to drag her or carry her and wanted her to make the choice to follow along. So we'd stop and start and stop again when things overwhelmed her. Treats would get her moving again but sometimes we just stood there and watched whatever it was that made her nervous.  Surprisingly she didn't bark during this walk but would instead sit plastered to my leg. She was able to let large dogs pass her and sniffed a very, very fat beagle who waddled by. It was slow going but we made it to the small dog area finally.

Salinas looking very nervous and not at all sure that she wants to be at this place. That's  NR alum, Corwin, sniffing behind her.

After some initial nervousness, she started to wander around and as expected, had no trouble introducing herself to the humans in the park. She was a bit shyer with her fellow canines though but did meet several dogs and was fine with milling around with the group of terriers who were sticking close to the humans on the lookout for unguarded treat pouches. This video was taken soon after arriving at the event.

Making friends with the humans

Here Salinas is hanging out close to former NR foster girl Vespa's moms. Sal is thinking, "ignore the Frenchie, ignore the Frenchie, ignore..." 

A few of the many French Bulldog's that Salinas tried to ignore. She wasn't a fan after a few of them tried to hump her.

NR Alum Maddie introduces herself to Salinas with a sniff.

Still a bit nervous but starting to relax, Sal hangs out with NR alum Skittles.

Pretty soon she was able to roll in the best stinky spots, participate in butt sniffing conga lines and explore the park without feeling the need to check in with me constantly. Eventually she got tired and laid down to wait for the humans to finish chatting so she could head home.

Rolling in the prized stinky spot in the grass. I think all the dogs in the park took a roll there at some point during the meetup

NR foster girl Besoleil getting some love while Salinas sniffs in the background

Fully relaxed and kicking back at the end of the event, waiting for the humans to be done talking

The walk back to the car was much easier since we were with a group of her new friends and she had other dogs to follow as we made our way down the path to the parking lot. As a reward for managing her adventure so bravely, she was given a very stinky bully ring to chew on the drive back home.

The trip was so successful that I think next Sunday we may attend the Rat Terrier Meetup in Bellevue with both her and Chima to see how Chima manages. (Crossing fingers that the ball obsessed, resource guarding Jack Russell will not be attending.) Robinswood Park is quieter and secluded so I think will be a better fit for Chima who I am guessing will be somewhat leash reactive with big dogs and we can avoid them there. Who knows - she may surprise me too.