GREAT news for Scooby Doo!

TLC sure has been through some major challenges this year... And at times, I truly wondered if this was what we should be doing!... MORE than once I have felt I was over-worked, dramatically underpaid (tongue-in-cheek for we are all volunteers and unpaid) and thoroughly un-appreciated...

And then?...

You get one of those 'paw-print' moments that walk across your heart, leaving memories and warm fuzzies... You realize that these small achievements won't change the course of history and the state of the nation's affairs... But DID dramatically change one dog's life...

Such is the case with ScoobyDoo... For his back story, please read his entire blog... It has been a long rehabilitation mid July until now... It doesn't take me much to remember the day I pulled him out of the shelter, and just holding him, he shook so hard he left my shirt totally covered in his white hair... I remarked to my husband he was shaking so bad, I could hear his skeletal cage rattling... And ScoobyDoo was so thin, it didn't take much of an imagination for you could count every vertebrae and rib bone down his rib cage... Sigh...

Scooby's weight was an easy battle to win - he liked to eat, but would always wait until everyone else had... I just had to make sure there was still something left and easily got into the routine of holding a bit back, and then refilling the far dish for Scooby...

His fearfulness?.... I don't think I have ever seen a dog so fearful... Initially going to adoptions each Saturday, he would throw up in the kennel enroute... I pushed back feeding him to EARLY Saturday morning so his stomach would settle... Once at adoptions, he practiced his 'Mr Invisible' routine, sleeping in an Xpen as far away as possible from people coming by...

Every step of his rehabilitation was made by tiny, TINY steps... I'd push just a tad... He'd shake and stammer through it... I'd repeat... And again... And again if necessary... Until Scooby was OK with it for awhile, and then we'd try something new...

This past week, someone submitted an adoption application for Scooby via the fax and I called them, letting them know Scooby would be at adoptions like normal... When they arrived, the first thing I asked was if they had read his blog... Blogging has been a great way for people to learn all about a dog up for adoption long before the visual and physical impressions...

I watched as the two children approached Scooby once out of the Xpen and on lead... In particular, the younger child allowed Scooby to come to him on Scooby's terms... Not rushed, not 'into his face' kind of attention... It is my sense this young man 'has the touch' with animals... And I told his parents it is truly a gift... The older young lady was kind and compassionate towards Scooby as well... I have ALWAYS thought Scooby needed a family with children to grow up with, so I have to admit I got a bit out there with my feelings as I watched the interchange between the kids and Scooby...

Home check passed, Scooby intro'd with their dog well and Scooby finally won his very own furever home - AND WITH KIDS TO GROW UP WITH~!!!... Ta DAH~!!

Took us almost 6 months to get Scooby from his 'hopeless' mindset and state to a hopeful one, and I feel confident that his new family will see him blossom into the dog Scooby was always supposed to be... THIS is what rescue is all about - doing what needs to be done for the dogs, in their time and not ours, to the end goal of them receiving the furever home they so aptly deserve and need...

Congratulations to ScoobyDoo... I'm SO proud and happy for you!

Scooby continues to make progress...

Scooby continues to steadily make progress... Last night for the first time, he stayed on the couch when we sat down... And stayed within 6" of us, allowing us to gently reach over and pet him from time to time... No shaking, no 'bolt like on nitro' off the couch, nothing... He stayed and 'enjoyed the moment' like any other dog would do...

Scooby now weighs 9 pounds and he's not the type of dog to be overweight, so this is just where he needs to be... He'd still prefer to be 'Mr. Invisible' for the most part, but his world is not built on fear 24/7 now... Great potential to be a fabulous dog!

Sweater, Scooby-style....

And not to be left out, Scooby sports a grey cable-knit sweater as well! 

More progress for Scooby!

Scooby is now waiting each night to go to bed with us... He prefers to sleep in a doggie bed on the floor unless he sees an opportunity to climb into bed once my husband is asleep...

And he's also learned it is OK to play 'touch foster football' on the bed later as well... I do a play bow, he follows suit... I can't always touch him immediately, but he will come and kiss my hands once I've initiated the playing...

At night? Scooby is now coming up onto the couch and while he won't sit in my lap, he'll crawl across it to a cushy pillow that sits on the side of the couch... For a dog that had given up on humans, Scooby has made AMAZING progress!

Scooby - sunbathing with pals...

My crew like to lay in what we call the 'Chihuahua Penthouse' in the mornings... It is actually nothing more but a set of wide shelves underneath the window sill where the sun comes in during the early mornings... And Chihuahuas love to sun bathe by nature...


STRETCH-H-H-H!



So I snapped a series of photos this morning when Scooby, Frito and BeeGee were curled up, sunbathing and enjoying life! Frito and BeeGee are our pet therapy dogs, not available for adoption (they're both terminal liver shunt dogs) but as you can see, Scooby gets along fantastic with them too!... OK, I'll let you all go back to sleep!

Scooby-doo.... Before and after

This morning I took a few pictures of Scooby laying in the Chi penthouse with Frito and BeeGee... I was struck by how much progress he physically and mentally has made in the two months since he arrived here... Even the areas of his body that take a LOT of time to lose their muscle mass and tone have now 'fleshed out'... the sides of his forehead above the eye sockets, the forearm muscles, etc...

Scooby will ALWAYS have to be in a home with friendly dogs that can show him the way --- that it is OK to trust humans again... But he now has such GREAT potential for the right home and/or family... He's never been a barker, and I never fail to get a tail wag when I say his name... He sleeps at either the side of our bed in a doggie bed or on the pillows at the headboard piece of furniture... That's a LOT of progress for a little dog that had given up on life and humans!

Scooby, Scooby, Scooby...

Scooby, Scooby, Scooby... Where is your furever home?... sigh...

Scooby is no problem at all - he doesn't bark, he doesn't whine or cry, he gets along with all of the other dogs, he just doesn't show well at adoptions...

Scooby's typical day is to sunbathe outside in the early morning hours as he watches the sun come up with the rest of the crew... Join in at mealtime... Sleep an afternoon siesta... Eat dinner... Hang around... Curl in for the night and then it starts all over again the next day...

If you call his name, he wags his tail through to his mid section... He readily comes for treats now and REALLY likes the dehydrated chicken strips... He's never had an accident in the house... But how do you find a furever home for a dog that is so painfully shy???

... "I don't want one of those yappy Chihuahuas!" (he NEVER barks!)
... "I don't want a male because they mark in the house." (he doesn't)
... "I don't want an aggressive dog." (Scooby wouldn't hurt a flea)
... "I don't want a Jack - he looks like a Jack Russell." (looks can be deceiving because Scooby has none of the Jack traits nor the Chihuahua traits)
... "Does he get along with cats?" (I don't have any, he doesn't chase the sparrows around here nor the lizards, so I don't know if he'd even be interested in a cat!)
... and so on goes the list when people are looking to adopt a dog... Because Scooby is not 'all out there' in personality, he gets overlooked every time...

The best I can say is that the last time he went through the shelter system, it sapped all his spirit to run through the fields and chase the butterflies of life, but for all the "I don't wants" we hear about dogs, you'd have thought this little pumpkin would have already found his furever home, huh? Who's not interested in a dog that will curl up underneath your computer desk and sleep quietly when you're working?

Poor Scooby...

On Saturday, we attempted to foster Scooby with another one of the TLC dogs that was being adopted... True to his nature and form, he did not much more but hide in the bushes in the person's backyard the first night... The first two days I had him as my foster, I didn't see him at all except as he passed by towards going potty outside... By day two I started to get a bit concerned and knowing that he had to be hungry, took a plate of food to him... So I was not surprised he didn't transition over to a change immediately...

Sunday, I went and picked him up and he was SO glad to see me (but then again, I've been his foster since we bailed him out of the shelter too!)... He immediately went around to all of his favorite spots, tail wagging, kisses to his particular buds, headed off to the kibble container and then curled into his favorite sleeping spot like he hadn't slept for DAYS!



Scooby is going to need a VERY special furever home... One that understands the extreme trauma these dogs go through as they journey through the shelter systems (and in Scooby's case, he's had to do it numerous times)... And someone willing to give him the time and space to come back out of his self-imposed prison on his own terms and time frame...

Although Scooby is probably not a puppy mill dog, many of his behaviors are quite common with the puppy mill survivors... For those that actively rescue the puppy mill dogs, the first thing they tell new volunteers is to throw out all the stereotypes of Lassie and other dogs you've interacted with...

Under-socialized --- then born, raised, bred and dying in cages they can barely stand up in, these puppy mill survivors find the outside world frightening and foreign to them...

The general public believe they are doing great things by 'freeing' these dogs, but in fact, confined areas are all these dogs know... Pushing them into huge open spaces and expecting them to act like Lassie under a wide variety of situations just push these dogs further inside themselves...

It is no different for them than it is for us humans - what we don't know, we fear first... But humans can think on a higher plateau than a dog can, so there is one part of us that says if we can overcome our fears, we might eventually one day be free... Puppy mill dogs don't think to this extent... The most they know is that they're scared out of their mind because they've been taken out of the familiar and comforting way of life they've always known...

And when I say I don't think Scooby is a puppy mill survivor, I'm saying this based upon a lot of observation and experience... Puppy mill survivors don't normally wag their tail at you as they listen to you sweet-talking to them... They won't even attempt to reach out at all... Most will avoid eye contact with you whenever possible... It's like the 'lights are on, but no one is home' kind of thing... "If I can't feel, I can't hurt and they can't get to me inside here" kind of mindset thinking...

Scooby's not in that frame of mind... True, the world is a scary place to him... Lots of people cause him to freeze in his 'statue' mode... Adoptions is a scary thing for him to participate in each week... I put the hammock in the Xpen for him and know he'll do his best to not be noticed by all the people that will mill around, staring down at him... And probably pray that someone doesn't want to pick him up... He now knows it will be over soon, another ride in a kennel and then he's home free for another week...

The person that eventually falls in love with Scooby will know that it is going to take a lot of time for Scooby to immediately come when called... They'll have to be content with calling his name and getting that soulful look and tail wag, for that is all that Scooby can render (at least at this time)...

Now that Scooby's been with me for some time, I see him running around outside and queuing up for meal times with the others... I've even seen him sleeping with a bud in a doggie bed... And he follows us to the bedroom each night, content to sleep in a doogie bed on the floor in a corner... This is a LOT of progress for Scooby... He's probably never going to be one of those dogs you see in commercials, running through a meadow chasing after butterflies... Freedom to Scooby is not being shoved into a small confined space, but a space he himself can relax in and sleep without fears... Sometimes that's not such a bad thing, ya know?

Scooby's probably a bonefide canine agoraphobic... Probably had little control over his situation or circumstances in his life... Human contact hurt and there were no means of escape... When I initially fostered him, he shook when I called his name - now I get tail wags... It's not the mountains that you climb in life but the deep valleys you survive, ya know?... And that's how it is for Scooby... He survives the best way he knows how and one day, he'll attempt to climb a hill, but never a mountain - the shelter system and humans created the fears that are his companions... sigh...

Scooby has started to play now, little by little...

Little by little, Scooby is starting to come out of his shell... Adoptions are still tough for him, but here around the house, he now sleeps in the bedroom with us in a doggie bed on the floor, eats with everyone else and has started playing with some of the other dogs...



His favorite to play with is Princess (the smallest one), so I guess you have to crawl before you can walk! I snapped these photos today of Scooby and Princess playing on a big, plush velour blanket I threw on the floor for them...




And then tired, he curled up in the Chi penthouse and went to sleep!

Scooby-do!

I have a lot of problems with my back and can't sleep for any long period of time or it will lock up on me... Accordingly, I usually get into bed around 10PM, asleep by 11PM, but I'm up most days around 2-3AM... The first few mornings here, Scooby-do would stay in the family room, tucked away in a corner out of sight in a doggie bed...

But the last few mornings?... Scooby-do hears me stirring, opening up the doggie door, grabbing my Starbucks and he waits patiently aside of my computer desk, tail wagging and in anticipation for a doggie bed to appear on the floor not far from my desk! Once I put one down, he crawls into on the spot, circles around for a few times and then sleeps in from 3 to 6AM or so...

Yesterday he went to adoptions for the first time and initially he was very nervous and detached... I looked over at him and several times I thought to myself that I could almost hear him saying, "Oh bother... yet again... sigh..."... I had put a doggie hammock into the Xpen where he was and he tolerated people picking him up, petting him, putting him back in the Xpen, etc. I am SURE this was all very confusing to him...

Scooby-do and the latest foster (Kelly) have snarfed off at each other several times... It is natural... He was at the bottom of the pack's list, then in comes a foster who wants to move up, he's not going to allow that, etc... Everyone has to find their own place in the pack, and my job is not to allow aggression while the shuffling around occurs...

Last night when I did the "Let's go take a nap" (my command for I'm going to bed, come if you're coming), Scooby followed me down the hallway and I could tell he wanted to go where all the other little dogs were going, but he just wasn't ready to go there... Yet... He will one day, and I don't expect it to be that far away either... But he stood midway in the hallway, wagging his tail and looking, trying to decide if he wanted to pass through that doggie gate or not... In the end, I made the decision for him and said goodnight, whereas he turned around and went back up the hallway and into the family room where my husband had continued to watch TV...

This is a lot of progress for an emotionally detached little guy... I am VERY proud of Scooby-do already and watching him realize his potential is very self-rewarding to me... No dog should be that detached or fearful that they shut down emotionally...

Scooby-do has already started gaining weight for me and his coat is very beautiful... While he's afraid to step out and eat with everyone else, he now knows when I'm at the kitchen sink, it is usually meal time and willing stands (if at the outside of the pack) until it arrives... So it won't be long until he fleshes out well and is no longer so underweight!

I'm a quiet boy...

Scooby spent his first day feeling pretty yuck after being neutered... But on the second day at night, my husband was able to coax him into his lap and cuddle for about 90 minutes or so... My husband kept remarking how thin the dog was and I guess it takes these kinds of reality checks to appreciate when dogs are healthy and at their proper weight, ya know?

I haven't quite figured out Scooby's back story yet... Could he have been the runt of the litter and dominated by the others? Could he have not been socialized properly as a pup? Could he have undergone some traumas in his past? Dunno, but only time, patience and understanding will give out clues as to why he is so shy...

He's friendly - it isn't that fearful shy/scared nor that fear/flight thing... Maybe Scooby's biggest challenge will be to learn it is OK to trust... That the normal behavior is to consistently interact and socialize with us humans...

This morning in the middle of the night at 3AM (my normal awake time), I could tell he was hungry so I coaxed him out of the doggie bed and once he realized I had food, he willingly came and gobbled it down...

Every dog you pull out of shelter is a crap shoot... You have little history or information to go on... You don't know why they were turned in or dumped at a shelter, even if the owner gave some info at the counter for most will not be 100% truthful and upfront... They don't realize little information or inaccurate information lessens the chances of the dog being adopted... There is a home for EVERY dog if you just have enough time to find the right person for them...

Shyness is as debilitating in dogs as it is in humans, but it's not a death sentence by any means... It certainly isn't a reason to be put down or dumped in a shelter (or returned as Scooby was)... Some people thrive in 'shy' and see it as a challenge... Others understand it and can relate, then have the compassion and patience to help a dog like Scooby overcome it...

It just takes time...