I have finally found you! I have waited so long to be part of your family. However I will need your help during these first weeks, as I will no doubt be feeling sad and frightened. I have been at the shelter for so many months! I have just lost my home again. At the Sava's Safe Haven shelter I had got used to the smells, sounds, and the other dogs some of whom became my friends. I will also miss my care giver & the volunteers who spent time with me. I will now be in a new world and have different routines to learn. Some of my friends have never had a home. But, I can do this. This is my job for the first few weeks I am with you. Please help me: Give me at least two weeks for us to get to know each other and for me to feel like I am truly at home. Please do not venture out with me on busy streets and areas with lots of dogs and people my first week. It might overwhelm me and I will get scared.
Picture me as an empty bucket. I am a bucket that holds stress. I added to the bucket with each of the changes I mentioned. It takes weeks for some of the stress hormones to leave my body. Add to all that stress, the fact that I was not socialized well as a puppy which means I may not have learned the necessary skills to adjust to new things. My bucket is already nearly full! If it overflows I might overreact to events and growl, snap, or bite. Please do not worry if I do not sleep in the new bed you gave me right away or want to go for walks. I have not had a bed and the new sounds might frighten me. And please do not yell at me or punish me in a negative way, as I might become more fearful. And if I chew on something I am not supposed to it is because I do not understand so give me something else to focus on and chew that is acceptable. Please help me progress but do not rush me or push me into doing things.
Read more on
Comments