Baby steps
He and his bigger sister, Sunny, arrived Thursday morning.
Sammy never made eye contact and immediately hustled upstairs where the dark bathroom would be his sanctuary for the next seventy-two hours.
Breakfast and dinner still need to be delivered to him as he will not respond and come downstairs to eat.
His owners said that Sammy was undoubtedly abused before they adopted him and that he’s this way at home too.
We have not seen his tail wag once in three days so I decided to try something.
Baby steps precede walking.
Twice tonight, I’ve entered slowly into his man cave and laid down near him.
His paw would reflexively pull away quickly when I first tried to pet him. Wary eyes remained fixed on the very young intruder.
I decided to conduct a test.
Lying still beside him, I slowly placed my right hand on the floor beneath his chin. His eyes remained fixed ahead and head firmly locked in place…high alert state if ever there was one.
Whispering his name and ‘good dog’ seemed to lessen Sammy’s tension in the next few minutes. I thought that he lowered his chin just an inch as as I continued speaking softly to him. Two minutes later, another inch I was certain.
Eventually, I was thrilled when Sammy gently placed his chin on my hand.
He seemed to relax even more as I continued saying his name and reminding him of his dog goodness. Truth be told, I could have remained with Sammy like this for an hour or more.
It might not seem like much but heck…it made my day and maybe it will be two twenty minute sessions tomorrow.
Sammy even allowed me a nose to wet nose touch before I left him for the evening.
Life is good.
What You’re Saying