Hoping for a little help w/my newest Rescue.

[birdhouse]

I went looking on Craig's List for a travel cage. I ended up bringing home another critter. It happens.

 

Long story short, for 5-6 yrs she was a breeder. A vague paper trail says she started in a kennel in MO. When it broke up, they sold her off to a breeder in MA. That breeder might have gotten a last litter off her, then sold her to some unsuspecting people as a pet.

 

She didn't successfully transition into the real world. So those people apparently sold quite the bill of goods about the perfect Pap to the people I got her from. A week later her most recent owners realized they'd been had, but the other people weren't about to take her back.

 

Couple of months later, she & her kennel cage were back on CL. My search for a cage returned the listing for a person who had experience w/abused dogs & well, here we are.

 

So meet "Chloe" (at least for the moment anyway); a 7-8 yo Papillon w/a bad hair cut. 9-1/2 lbs of pure sweetness & terrified of the world.

 

 

Of course I want to share all this cuteness w/everyone But I also thought I'd see what experiences members might have w/Papillons. Especially Paps & fids. Chloe met the "Pterodactyls" & fled. Ok, so Kura crashing loudly to the floor of her cage didn't help. Kura got over it. But so far, Chloe has not voluntarily gone near that part of the house again.

 

Also, this morning, I woke up w/her wrapped around my face, shaking so badly I was afraid she'd break something (besides my heart). Apparently, thunder storms are another thing on the list. Now we're trying to watch a football game & let's just say, Chloe's not having the best day.

 

So suggestions for any dogs w/thunder & football issues welcome too. Thanks!

Edited September 22, 2013 by birdhouse

[Wingy]

I have heard great things about the Thunder Shirt. http://www.thundershirt.com/

 

I to was the caretaker of a dog that was at one time a breeder in a puppy mill. They come with so many issues but want to be loved so badly. I hope you have taken her to the vet and explained her background. Puppy mill breeders are typically given little care and substandard food. They often have problems with their ears, skin, infections from having to many puppies, bad teeth and joint problems. Because she was probably housed outside and yelled at she may always be frightened. If she isn't urinating where she lays you are doing pretty good.

[KimKim]

She is so cute! Good luck with her rehabilitation.

[judygram]

Congrats on your new addition, you have a big heart Val so thanks for giving Chloe a new fresh start, poor dear may not ever get over being used as a breeder but with the help of those who have gone thru similar situations I am sure she will overcome most of her problems and I know you have the patience it takes. She is a cute little dog and its a shame they are treated this way just for the purpose of having puppies to sell, shameful and its why I never bought one from such places. I have no experience with what you are dealing with but do know there are several members who are skilled at it so hopefully they will give you some good advice.

[birdhouse]

Dogs have always been the easiest rehab for me. I also got way more history about this one than usual which is nice. So far we've faced at least one pretty major issue every day & made excellent progress w/most of them.

 

House breaking was on the list. We'll see, but I think that's mostly fear based w/her. Not a single accident so far. Way longer than her previous record. I'm encouraged & Chloe's empowered every time we come back in & she gets her carrots. lol SO great to have healthy bribery that she is just crazy for!!

 

The vet gave her a mostly clean bill of health. We are going to watch her teeth since she has already had dental work done.

 

I'll see what I can find out when I have time. I don't know that she was a puppy mill dog, though. Even if many don't do things "my" way, all breeders aren't necessarily horrible human beings.

 

There's also paperwork about her doing therapy work w/the second breeder. That's something for happy, healthy, semi-bomb proof dogs. It may be why they thought this dog would succeed. To be fair, she may have if they'd made sure to put her into the right environment.

 

Given what I've seen & the amount of progress we've made in such a short period of time, my gut instinct is that she had a decent start. My guess is that her first private home messed her up badly. Her second home tried, but wasn't able to handle her issues. Rescue just isn't for everyone, as a lot of us know.

Edited September 23, 2013 by birdhouse

[Timbersmom]

No dog rehab experience so no help here! Good luck and God bless you for giving Chloe a new start

[Brat Birds]

She is adorable. Good luck with the rehab.

[Lupine]

All my dogs simce I was little have been rescues, some being extremely traumatized. One was a puppy mill momma. Like birds, each will respond differently.

 

A friend of mine adopted a Pap mix a few years ago. Cool dog. They're extremely intelligent. My advice would be to be patient, set up an open crate in a quiet corner for her to chill, and incorporate as much fun training as possible into her routine. Things like click-treat for commands she already knows, to give her confidence and reinforce the bond. Smart dogs love to seek approval, and by establishing your reward and command style with "softball" stuff,, it will ease her transition and anxiety.

 

Congratulations!!!

[birdhouse]

Even given her issues, her healthy dog traits manage to shine thru. I think I'd have to say stunningly cute being the most obvious! If all goes well, I suspect we might just have a bit of a princess on our hands. When given the option between her kennel & finding herself a safe place, she set herself up on the bed upstairs. The first few days I'd find her curled up, "hiding" there. But more often now she's sprawled out, napping comfortably.

 

That's just fine. It's not like she takes up much room! lol It's quiet & out of the way. The only bad part is the sky light, now that I know she's afraid of storms. Guess we'll have to play that one by ear.

 

She seems very smart. But it's hard to tell what she's learned vs learning so far. I'm looking forward to her being emotionally stable enough to experiment w/more "formal" fun training. But right now she just gets worried too quickly.

 

I always start w/pretty much constant opportunistic "fun training" anyway. There's some random sit, stay, come. But basically we make a big deal about any "accomplishment" we can make up. Very encouraging how much confidence she's gaining & how well she's recovering from many traumatic situations now.

 

It's to a point where I'm getting a little clearer understanding about some of the real roots of her problems. Like thunder storms. Aside from running to me instead of away, everything pretty much reverted to day one until Sunday's storm cleared.

 

Then there's also a real problem w/teenage boys. :mad: I'm guessing one at least was a major source of abuse & possibly what really messed her up. Fortunately, there aren't many in her normal orbit now. The ones who are are waiting (relatively) patiently to do their bit to win Chloe over.

 

Sooner or later she's going to realize that she's totally surrounded by animal lovers now. After that, it's just a matter of time.

[Lupine]

Oh yeah. Another thumbs up for the Thundershirt. I have not needed one, but I know three dog owners who swear by them. It gives the sense of being snug in a safe den.

[Wingy]

You will never get her past her fear of storms. It is good and bad that she is coming to you for comfort, good that she feels safe with you but bad if she cannot self comfort at all. Hopefully in time you will find her a woobie that offers her some security. You can try wearing an old t-shirt to bed for several days and use that as a woobie in her crate when you aren't home. Something with your scent might be enough for her.

[birdhouse]

Chloe's last home said she rarely chose to be in her cage. She hid under the furniture all the time instead. So under the circumstances, 10 days into her 3rd home this year, I'm pretty happy she woke me. Self soothing is a few steps down the road yet.

 

The bed has my scent & she's already picked it as her spot. I think for now, since she never pee'd anywhere during that first episode, my next step when it's cool enough is to make a game out of burrowing under the covers. Actually encourage her to tuck herself in to hide there.

 

Old school. But it's worked well for me in the past. When she eventually improves enough, she'll be weaned off the habit. If not for whatever reason, she's only cat size. I could live w/it if I had too. Just so long as it works.

 

And we'd been working w/an old bathrobe that's gotten something less than a luke warm reception so far. But I hope it will eventually become her comforter because it should be big enough for her whole 9-1/2 lbs to really nest in. I'll also experiment w/a more solid plastic crate to see if that does more for her. But it's entirely her choice.

 

This morning, was cool & the sun is shining. I was again awakened by Chloe. But this time it was a tail wagging & kisses attack. I fended her off as best I could & she went to lie on my feet w/a heart felt sigh of contentment. After the alarm actually went off, it started again. Once I could get my butt out of bed & took her out she bounced all the way down the street. What a difference from even this time last week.

 

There was only one problem that I could see. The happier she gets, the cuter she gets. If I'm not careful, I'm going to end up being her dog to call.

[katana600]

Welcome to Chloe! I think she is just precious. I don't know anything about her breed or the issues she is facing but I know you have the patience and the caring attitude to get her through anything. I may have an extra thundershirt around here, I will look in my cupboard of animal stuff. It has about eight shelves of parrot toys and accessories, and one little corner for the dogs. We got it for our mini dachshund when he was barking at every little thing. It wasn't a lot of help in that instance, maturity and some training helped him though. I have to say I am a fan of the rescue remedy drops. It was a consistent schedule of giving them to Miss Gilbert every day that marked a change in our relationship. As for the storm issues, Miss G came in with those too. At first I left the light on and slept on the sofa where she could see me and gradually over time, she has gotten calm through the storms. I do leave a light on for her when it is storming now. That helps cut back on the bright flashes of lightning. I was wondering for Chloe if you could get a recording of a thunderstorm and once you have gotten her acclimated to her new home, play it on a very low setting often until it is background noise, then gradually turn it up and maybe that would help sort of immunize her to it. We had a dog once that was terribly fearful of storms and the vet told us we were reacting and reinforcing it when we cuddled her and soothed her when a storm came. It is a tough call, some dogs just are not going to "get over it". With time though, Chloe will settle down and know she hit the jackpots finding you for her mama.

[birdhouse]

We had a dog once that was terribly fearful of storms and the vet told us we were reacting and reinforcing it when we cuddled her and soothed her when a storm came. It is a tough call ...

 

She really is so-o tiny & breakable! Killer on the heart strings when she starts to shake. It is very tough & a good thing she isn't my first rescue. I'm constantly censoring my urges to swoop her up to protect her from all the things she's afraid of right now. I'm also getting flack about not picking her up when others think she needs it. Well meant, but not helping.

 

I had no say the other morning, though. I wouldn't have done anything differently if I had. But she was pretty much inconsolable at that point. Heartbreaking to think she has been going thru that alone because no one was aware she had the problem (I asked specifically!) & there was no one she thought she could trust enough to run to.

 

Hopefully, as she grows in trust, comfort & confidence in herself & her new life, there will be at least a little lateral improvement w/this, too. The good news, at least, is that we rarely have thunderstorms during the winter. So that will give me a chance to really get to know her & hopefully figure out the way best to deal w/this.

[danmcq]

Your doing a good job in comforting Chloe and making her feel safe and at home with a "Good Pack" that she can run to and be consoled and protected by.

 

We've been rescuing Dobermans for about 20 years. One of the last ones we had was interestingly named Chloe as well and she came in from a puppy mill raid. God knows how many puppies she provided to these deplorable breeders, but she no doubt was a perfect mother. She did not know anything really. Her best friend and safe place was her large crate. I suppose she felt safe and secure in a caged environment since that was what she was used to. We kept the crate in our bedroom for at least a year. She would always nap in it, run back to it when given a "Milk Bone" to consume it away from our other doberman. She would relax in it most the day as well. Oh, and I bought little stuffed furry toys for her all the time. her crate was full of them. She would take them outside on a rotation one at a time and lay them in the sun for getting some rays and their daily vitamin D. One by one she would go to the patio door and turn to stare at us to let her out. She would place the next baby and bring the other back in and return it to her crate.Leash training was a first challenge that took a long time. She was terrified of any loud noises like a hammer strike, fire cracker and yes thunder storms. She would go instantly to her crate and stay there and chill in her "Safe House". She did over time start preferring to relax sleeping with her head on my lap in the evenings when we watched tv etc. and love head scratches and petting. Leash training took forever and she was never really a great leash dog. But, bless her heart, she did as good as she could.

 

Anyway, long story short is god knows what a rescue has really been through. So getting inside their head and truly understanding their fears and what works in comforting them takes a while. It sounds to me like your doing a great job of that and your Chloe is responding to it in a positive way. Bless you for taking in a rescue!

[katana600]

Val, one thing I know about you is that you will go to the end of the earth to find ways to relate to the companions in your life. I could not take the vet's advice no matter how hard I tried. Our little dog Pep was also a rescue as well as my first dog. We worked and worked with her and most of her fears subsided but never the fear of thunder. She was a border collie, spaniel mix. The prevailing thought from the SPCA and vet was that she was supposed to be a hunting dog and a familiar tactic in our neck of the woods at the time was to "break" a gun shy dog by setting off firecrackers until they quit reacting. It just sickens me to know what people will do to control animals. I don't want to think about it much. Chloe is safe now. She is going to be a wonderful friend to you. How could you ever resist that little face?

[birdhouse]

And she wasn't even trying in that pic, Dee! She was just listening to something. There's been more than a little discussion about learning to resist her beggin face. If I don't start walking around w/a pocketful of carrots so that people can "give her something" she's going get to weigh too much to lift real soon. Literally, too cute for her own good.

 

 

Aww! Even from that quick bit it sounds like you fell as hard for your Chloe as I'm falling for mine, Dan. So sweet! Very glad she finally found her way home to you.

 

 

I don't know that my girl will be a Chloe much longer, though. We're auditioning new names. I'm kind of liking Sprite or maybe Sookie (Sukei) at the moment. But I'm still open to suggestions...???

 

 

[katana600]

I vote for Vixen for her bushy little tail. She does look like a bright eyed bushy tailed little fox. She is just precious in her photo sessions, I can only begin to imagine how she is on your lap. She could motivate me to get right out to the kitchen and bake her some cookies if she gave me the beggin' face.