Daisy's 1st time alone with a 'stranger'

Daisy had her 1st day in 8 months away from her foster family and did WAY BETTER than we had expected! An wonderful man who met Daisy at adoptions a couple of weeks ago decided to doggy-sit her yesterday in order to get to know Daisy better as well as assist us in gauging her progress and how she would potentially adjust to a new furever home.

After we left his house in the morning, as we expected Daisy sat by the front door and cried for a bit (which is very common for dogs that have been with us for so long). After going on a long walk with him, Daisy calmed down and began to sniff and check out the new environment.

To my surprise, she did not try to hide or run away from him, rather she jumped on the couch next to him to share his space and get some pets. She was happy to take treats from the getgo, which was a clear sign that she was pretty comfortable with the new environment as dogs who are experiencing extreme fear or anxiety refuse to eat (even the best of treats!).

This day confirms to us that Daisy is in fact ready to move on to a quiet and peaceful furever home. She has come so incredibly far and we are SOOO proud of her. In a slow and loving environment, this little girl will continue to grow and evolve and will be a wonderful companion to her new owner.


After Daisy's new adventure, she came home and was happy to get a greenie to enjoy (before dinner at that!). Among her fellow pack members, here she is chewing away on her treat. She sure was a happy (and tired) girl who should be very proud of herself! Life isn't as scary as she thought after all!



Daisy will definitely need an adjustment period to her new home as many dogs do who have had an abusive past, but she is ready to take on the challenge and just needs some lovin' to do it!

Daisy's second time at adoptions...

Yesterday was Daisy's 2nd time at adoptions and she did so much better than last week! We do adoptions each Saturday from 12-3 at Petco in Moorpark and last week was our first week. Last week she was timid and didn't want to take any treats (even hot dogs!) as there were many people looking and petting her which was out of her comfort zone. She handled it even though she was nervous and after the first hour was getting a bit more comfortable with the whole thing. About half way through the day she was walking around on her leash, sniffing around and checking out the scene.

This week - much improved! For the 1st 30 minutes or so we had Daisy in a crate for her to adjust to the situation, watch the other dogs being pet and sniff away at all the people passing by. A wonderful young couple came in and asked to see Daisy and she began to come out of her shell with them pretty readily. The young woman held her as Daisy sat on her lap within a few minutes and took in the pets and attention. I decided to try some treats with her and she was all over them which told me that she was not as scared and nervous as last week. I gave the young woman treats wondering Daisy would take them from a "stranger" and not only did she take them, she got up on her hing legs to get them! This little girl is too cute and is getting LOTS of attention at adoptions from many people. The socialization she gets from all the visitors play a huge role in her advancement. Thanks to all who come by and visit with Daisy as you are all helping her strengthen emotionally to be able to handle a transition to a furever home!

Daisy - Follow up on her leg

Yesterday was Daisy's follow up appointment with the specialist in at VMSG in Ventura for the nerve pain she was having in her rear left leg. To our pleasant surprise that nerve pain is gone! No wonder she has been jumping on and off the couch so freely in the past couple of weeks! In testing her pain level, Daisy had absolutely no response to the pressure on her nerve unlike the first time when she jumped out of her skin. As it turns out, her nerve pain was secondary to a condition in her knee called a luxating patella. This is a "minor" problem that is fixable through surgery. A luxating patelly is farely common in dogs where the knee pops in and out upon movement (more aggravating than painful). According to the vet, she is not in pain, but probably discomfort when she walks or runs. So all in all, great news for Daisy!

Daisy - Her first meet and greet

This past saturday, Daisy had her first meet and greet and she did very well! Her potential new parents were wonderful, gentle people and she definately sensed it! As you know, Daisy is very playful and happy at the dog park, which is where we all met. It gave her a chance to run around and feel free... Unsure of strangers, Daisy was hesitant, but did let others pet her and hold her a bit. With that awfully cute face and short little legs, it is hard to imagine where she came from and that she is still very hesitant at home.

After spending some time, I decided that Daisy wasn't quite ready emotionally for the transition into her furever home. She has come a LONG way from when she arrived, but I would like to be sure that her transition is a successful one and not traumatizing on her mentally. She has just begun to act "normal" here around the house and I want to solidify that normalcy before placing her so that she does not go back into her shell and unwind her progress. I would say that Daisy should be ready emotionally in about 45 days or so... Sometimes when working with these fearful cases, it is hard to tell when they are ready to take on the transition until you get a feel for how they are with strangers. Although much improved, Daisy gave me all the signs that she is close but not quite there - hopefully her potential adopters can wait! They would be a perfect match for this sensitive little flower :)

Daisy sports a mohawk!

As she was sitting on the couch tonight, we played with her hair and some different styles, it has grown since her last grooming... She particulary liked the the mohawk look, so here it is for all to see! Being that her pack members are male toy poodles and a male beagle, she is the only girl in the house and gets that special girly treatment!

A WATCH dog at that!

So now that she is comfortable and settled in, Daisy is learning that this is HER house too! Like most dogs (although not her up until now), she now barks when strangers arrive. Nothing out of the ordinary for a dog, as most alert you when a "stranger" comes to the door, but now she is on alert and in step with the rest of the pack. This began early this week, so we have worked throughout the week on stopping her when told to stop. Barking can be a great asset and deterant and is one of the perks of having a dog in the house, but the dog must know when to stop the alert as well. As most of us know, barking can be one of the hardest habits to break, but she is listening and learning when it is time to stop quite quickly. She is better than my own dogs when it comes to listening, but unfortunately they aren't learning as much from her and she is from them!!!

Daisy also got a home made bath this week in the kitchen sink. She is only 12 pounds, so bathing her in the kitchen sink is one of the perks of being small! The last time Daisy was bathed here at home was the first day she arrived, so obviously that was a unmemorable experience for her as she was already scared enough that first day - but what a difference time makes! She wasn't thrilled about the idea for the first couple of minutes, but never-the-less she put up with the ordeal. After the first minute or two, she stood in the warm water, stared into my eyes and I think she surprised even herself and enjoyed it! She didn't try to jump out and had a nice shampoo rub and massage. After her bath I wrapped her up in a towel like a baby, her nose and eyes were the only part of her exposed! She sat in my arms for about 15 minutes and tried sooo hard not to fall asleep. Because of her hair type, she was dry very quickly so she just shook herself off when I unwrapped her and that was that. Ending the event with some of her favorite treats - off to bed for the night she went!

Daisy - She is moving along!

This little girl has come leaps and bounds this week! It seems so far as though the medication that the vet put her on for the nerve in her leg that has been bothering her has been working. We will know much more about how much it is helping her in about another week... Her leg doesn't seem to be stopping this little girl though! When we come home at the end of the day, she comes flying out the doggy door to the backyard running to the front gate jumping and barking and wagging her tail with excitement along with the other dogs. Up until now she would stay in the house when we arrived, but not anymore! The minute we open the door she flies back through her doggie door jumping around with excitement! You would never know she was scared of people or that her leg was tender. As soon as we sit on the couch to say hello, she leaps up and is right there to be first in line for her rubs! Daisy is a happy girl and her rehabilitation progress is really starting to show. We are very proud of her!

Daisy Craving Affection

After her exhausting day with me yesterday and all the fun and excitement of the dog park, much of Daisy's nervous energy was drained. After a nice nap in the late afternoon, for the first time in 4 months she jumped up on the couch and sat next to me for attention! That is unheard of for Daisy! Relaxed and with her tail wagging, she looked at me waiting for me to pet her. Not only does Daisy not come to me voluntarily for affection, but she has a sore nerve in her back left leg that causes her to skip when she runs, so jumping on the couch is not her thing. She has gone up via the steps we put out for her, but NOT when PEOPLE are sitting on it! She has always preferred to watch the happenings from her comfy dog bed... So this was a treat for me to see and I rewarded her with a nice long belly rub for coming uncalled!

Daisy has seen 2 vets for her back leg and a specialist. The specialist has put her on a medication to reduce the swelling around the nerve hoping to improve the aggravation the nerve is causing her. We should know in a couple of weeks how much this medication works for her. The vet specialist told me she may improve greatly and the pain may go away or she may have aggravasion in her leg permanently. Like back pain for people, not much can be done, just managed, so we hope the medication works...

Daisy's Day at the Park

Daisy had her first day at the dog park today! In the morning, she and I ran errands and then ended the day on a nice walk through the dog park in Thousand Oaks.

In the morning she started out a bit insecure with the car ride even though we have traveled together before. She was panting and shaking a bit unfamiliar with the ride and where we were going. By the end of our errands a couple hours later though, she was relaxing with her head on the passenger seat and at times looking out the window and everything going by! With the window cracked, her little nose was sniffing all of the hundreds of smells outside! What curiousity and happiness!

In the house Daisy is very comfortable now, she comes when called of course (when there are treats) and always wants to be part of the mix. Comfortable at home, I still wasn't sure how she would be out in public, but to my surprise she was "tentatively" friendly with everyone that wanted to pet her and walked around the whole day in and out of the stores with her tail up and wagging (and of course loved the food treats we ate during the day together!)

After all my errands were done, to the dog park we went. I had stopped at home to get another member of our pack to lead the way for her at the park, and she followed him all over from the minute we got there to the minute we left. No hesitation to leave my side, and when a bit insure came running back...

She was definitely curious, smelled each tree and each bench - she actually went up close enough to smell some stranger's ankles! Not close enough to be pet, but a good start! Tired and exercized out, we came home after about an hour at the park and she is now curled up on her bed catching some zzz's...

Good day for Daisy, what progress!

Daisy - her third month

With the help of a small daily dose of prozac, Daisy slowly began to find serrenity in her own skin. For a dog who had spent so much of her life shaking/trembling in a corner or under a table, this was the first time she has chosen to wag her tail instead! Daisy's alertness and curiousity has grown each week, and her "doggy appetite" was becoming more apparent by the day! These were all great signs of progress for this little girl.

The next step - to go from "tolerating" human affection to yearning for attention from people as well. Until now, a simple caress or tummy rub has provoked massive fear, anxiety, trembling, and at times even submissive urination. For the next month, we are going to redirect her fearful response when touched to one of relaxation and peace...

Daisy's second month

After Daisy had about a month to become familiar with the routine around here, we noticed that her fearful trembling did not improve. In order to ease the trauma of this transition and to help facilitate her rehabilitation, I put her on prozac to take her edge off. I quickly recongnized that Daisy was one of the worst cases I have ever seen and that there was no need for her to suffer through each level of her rehab. I have never medicated a dog for anxiety or aggression, but each dog's temperment is different and we need to look at each one as their own case. The prozac took about a month to take full effect, relieving her slowly of the most extreme trembling, frozen from fear behaviors and Daisy's rehabilitation began to very slowly take hold...

Daisy - Her 1st month

When Daisy first arrived to our home, a "normal" dog she wasn't. As we all know, dogs will drop everything for a tasty treat! Daisy though had never been offered a treat before and didn't even know what one was. She was so scared of everything around her, she wouldn't even let her nose guide her to the likes of human chicken or turkey!

My dogs however, showed her otherwise.

The excitement in the room when the "people food" came out became infectious to little Daisy and now our reach for the fridge door incites excitement in this little girl! We have found her favorites - deli sliced turkey, chicken, and American cheese and have used those as incentive for her to come out of her shell.

Other than her food and periodic treats, we refrained from giving Daisy human touch for the first month as she had plenty to "work on" settling in here. Building Daisy's trust at her own pace was the goal for month 1.

Daisy has arrived....

Daisy came to us on Thanksgiving weekend last year and however thankful she was! Daisy was adopted from the East Valley Shelter; shaggy, scared, fearful and in pretty bad shape. At the time, she was in heat, had swollen and bloody gums, and was scared of her shadow. Now, about 4.5 - 5 years old we can see that she has had at least one litter and poor emotional care in her past but like many delicate souls we find in the shelters, we have no other information to help guide us as to how she became so scared, distrusting, and uncomfortable in her own skin.