You always want to stack the deck in your favor when meeting a dog who is worried about meeting strangers. So before leaving I made sure to chop up a hot dog. Right away he will know by the smell of my treat bag that I am someone worth investigating further.
 |
| I buy all beef, nitrate free hot dogs and keep them frozen individually in the freezer for occasions that require super high value treats. Chopped bits of roasted chicken works well too. |
I also loaded up the car with a crate, lots and lots of old towels and a collar since it was pretty likely that he'd be going home with us. In his owner surrender papers it mentioned that he gets car sick so I figured the extra towels might be needed.
First stop was to meet our last foster parent Tolkien's adopters and to hand him over to them so they could head back to Bend Oregon. That went great!
After arriving at the shelter Troy and I were led to a large room and the shelter coordinator went and got Obi from the kennels. I had my treat pouch on and hot dogs at the ready. When he first entered the room he stopped a moment when he saw strangers but then his nose twitched a bit and he quickly crossed the room to investigate what it was in my hand that smelled so good. I sat on the floor to meet him which is less imposing than standing or even sitting in a chair and towering over him.
By his body language - tucked tail nub, looking away, lip licking, one paw lifted - I could tell that he was not super comfortable but he was willing to stick around and when I didn't give him treats for a bit he would just step back a little bit and then watch my hands and the treat bag. The video cut of the end part of all that touch I was giving him - he got a big hot dog jackpot since I could tell it wasn't easy for him. The reason I was touching his back, even petting over the top of his head and his ears was to see his reaction and if he would back away - which he totally had the option to do - but he didn't. Brave boy!
Next I had him meet Troy since his owner surrender papers noted that he was afraid of men. I didn't notice much difference in how he greeted Troy from how he greeted me, though. So that was good news.
I walked him around on the leash a bit and then knew we would be taking him home so the coordinator went and got his shelter paperwork and we signed the agency transfer papers to officially make him a New Rattitude dog.
The next part was scary but he did great - we had to exit through a lobby full of people and lots of kids. Hot dogs helped.
One problem that Obi had with this shelter is that it is located next to a gun range and Obi is extremely fearful of loud noises like that. So in the parking lot the gunshots were much louder and he froze up and couldn't walk. In the first video above you can see him stop and look up when the semi-automatics are shooting. I didn't really notice it much when inside but Obi was clearly very aware of it. To help Obi out Troy brought the crate from the car over to him and I threw a generous handful of hot dog pieces in the crate and helped him inside.
He does get car sick and by the time we had driven the 160 miles back home he had vomited and done tons of drooling. Poor boy was really feeling awful. After a short walk around the front yard area though he quickly seemed to be perking up.
Stay tuned for the next post when he meet the Rat Pack for the first time...
First stop was to meet our last foster parent Tolkien's adopters and to hand him over to them so they could head back to Bend Oregon. That went great!
 |
| Tolkien meets his new mom |
After arriving at the shelter Troy and I were led to a large room and the shelter coordinator went and got Obi from the kennels. I had my treat pouch on and hot dogs at the ready. When he first entered the room he stopped a moment when he saw strangers but then his nose twitched a bit and he quickly crossed the room to investigate what it was in my hand that smelled so good. I sat on the floor to meet him which is less imposing than standing or even sitting in a chair and towering over him.
 |
| Obi watching the treat bag very closely |
By his body language - tucked tail nub, looking away, lip licking, one paw lifted - I could tell that he was not super comfortable but he was willing to stick around and when I didn't give him treats for a bit he would just step back a little bit and then watch my hands and the treat bag. The video cut of the end part of all that touch I was giving him - he got a big hot dog jackpot since I could tell it wasn't easy for him. The reason I was touching his back, even petting over the top of his head and his ears was to see his reaction and if he would back away - which he totally had the option to do - but he didn't. Brave boy!
Next I had him meet Troy since his owner surrender papers noted that he was afraid of men. I didn't notice much difference in how he greeted Troy from how he greeted me, though. So that was good news.
 |
| Getting some treats from Troy |
I walked him around on the leash a bit and then knew we would be taking him home so the coordinator went and got his shelter paperwork and we signed the agency transfer papers to officially make him a New Rattitude dog.
 |
| Introducing New Rattitude's Obi |
The next part was scary but he did great - we had to exit through a lobby full of people and lots of kids. Hot dogs helped.
One problem that Obi had with this shelter is that it is located next to a gun range and Obi is extremely fearful of loud noises like that. So in the parking lot the gunshots were much louder and he froze up and couldn't walk. In the first video above you can see him stop and look up when the semi-automatics are shooting. I didn't really notice it much when inside but Obi was clearly very aware of it. To help Obi out Troy brought the crate from the car over to him and I threw a generous handful of hot dog pieces in the crate and helped him inside.
He does get car sick and by the time we had driven the 160 miles back home he had vomited and done tons of drooling. Poor boy was really feeling awful. After a short walk around the front yard area though he quickly seemed to be perking up.
Stay tuned for the next post when he meet the Rat Pack for the first time...
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment