Summer

Written on April 23rd 2008.....

Once upon a time....
a puppy was born... in due course this puppy was old enough to go to a new home. This should have been the start of a long and loving life as a loved member of a family.... but for one small black and cream girl this was sadly not the case.

For whatever "reason" a family to love was not in the cards for this little girl.  Instead she was dumped on the side of the road. Scared and confused and just a baby. Luck was truly against her, for she was not dumped where she would have a chance with someone new.. no, she was shot at with a BB gun and chased away. For months this went on. She hung around there in spite of this treatment because she knew nothing else. Eventually someone decided to call Animal Control. AC of course could not get near her, so they decided to use a dart gun. Shot with a tranquilzer dart, she got the dart out and got away...twice.

Starving, and desperate for food she got caught in a cat trap, which was no way big enough for her. But she was finally caught and taken to the animal shelter.

Normally this would not be an improvement for a terrified and nearly feral dog.... but for once her luck changed... for this shelter had one volunteer that is an angel here on earth.  That angel called me. She didn't know that anything could be done at this late stage for this little girl, but she thought that after all she had been through she deserved a chance.  I did too. 

Dubbed "Whisper" by the shelter volunteer, she was absolutely terrifed. Would not move from the corner of the run, hiding behind the bed provided by the shelter. She would not eat, and noone ever saw her even drink. She had to be doing so, but apparently only after everyone left.

                          Summer at the shelter....

I went to the shelter on April 1st to evaluate her. It certainly seemed hopeless... she was not overtly aggressive, but if you got within a foot of her she would snap. She would have nothing to do with the hamburger I offered her, growling and showing her teeth.  I told the volunteer I didn't think there was much hope, but I would make some calls/emails to a couple of sanctuaries I knew.  I did not at the time have a place for such a dog.

I sent emails to Best Friends, and a couple of other places... with no luck whatsoever. Noone to take her. For two weeks I sent out pleas for help, as did the shelter volunteer. Finally a place was found that would take her that had experience with this type of fearful dog... Nancy Campbell of Missouri German Shepherd Rescue stepped up to say she would take Whisper... renamed Summer.  Hooray!

The shelter volunteer called me on April 14th with the great news... BUT Summer had to be out of there THAT DAY, as the shelter was overflowing and they would be euthanizing the next day... Summer was on the top of the list to be put down.  Of course I said bring her to me.. I can find a place for her until transport can be arranged to Nancy in KC.... that was 9 days ago.

Moving her from the shelter to my place was traumatic to say the least. Had to use a catch pole to transfer her to the crate in my van. In doing so I discovered the dog was a rack of bones, and LOADED with ticks. When I got her home I let her settle in the crate in the van while I let my own dogs out for a bit.  Then I hauled the crate with her in it to the dog pen and let her come out on her own.  She ran right out of the crate to the very back of the dog house in the pen and wouldn't come out.

For the first three or four days, the minute I would open the door of the house she would bolt for the dog house. Then a day came where she would watch me come out of the house, and only head for the dog house if I came towards the pen.  Meanwhile, I still can't get anywhere near her to put tick drops on her. So I am just feeding her canned food mixed with kibble. She is eating good, so that is a help. It will build her strength back up and I can wait to get the meds on her.

All I have done to this point is just feed/water her, clean her pen and talk to her every day.  Every day when I would pull in the drive way coming home from work she would make a beeline for the dog house.

Two days ago when I went to feed her she actually wagged her tail and did a little play bow when I approached the kennel! Then ran into her dog house, LOL... but she was not plastered to the back of the dog house as usual. This time she laid there with her head out of the house, wagging her tail. I was sooo excited! It was a real sign of hope.

Yesterday was even better! She was bouncing and barking at me, and wagging her tail when I brought her her food.  Still ran in the dog house when I went in the pen.

Today a MAJOR breakthrough!!  She actually ran to the gate of the pen when I pulled in the drive way, wagging her tail!!! I was thrilled!  After letting my dogs out (which I have to do in shifts, LOL) I was outside putting one of the dogs in the other pen and she was standing at the gate wagging her tail :-D... I walked up to her pen and she trotted towards her dog house, but when I talked to her she actually came up and liked my fingers!! 

There is HOPE for this sweet, terrified little girl.  She so desperately WANTS to be friendly, but is also so very terrified.  But every day is better.

Meanwhile, the transport was supposed to happen this Saturday, but doesn't look like it will.  I told Nancy that it was no problem. She will stay with me until a transport can be arranged.  I will NOT transport her unless it will be a straight through, with NO stop over.

In the meantime she hopefully will continue to improve. For a dog that seemed so hopeless three short weeks ago, there is now hope. Saturday is my first day off since she arrived. I will spend that day trying to get close enough to put either tick drops, or the tick collar on her... she needs to get those ticks off of her.

Sorry this is so long... but I felt Summer needed her story told...  Btw... this girl is still very young... probably no more than a year old at the most. The picture above was taken at the shelter... this was her this morning

Written on 4/27/2008

WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even more progress!!!!    I actually had my hands all over her today!!  I was in the run putting out straw since it is raining lots here today. YUK, LOL... anyway, she was bouncing all around me and barking LOL... she crawled up to me and let me pet her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I WAS SO HAPPY!!!!!!! 

Written 5/11/2008

Today's Summer update!  It is 1:30 am here in Rome, GA... we are having REALLY loud thunderstorms..no rain yet, but it will soon.  I have discovered that Summer does NOT like thunderstorms.  She was barking her head off out in her pen.  Even with a dog house (under the covered part of the run) to go in she would not go in.... soooo  I figured tonight was the night....

Due to her recent past she has not been thrilled with a crate (cage in her mind)... but tonight she was HAPPY to come in the house... I snapped this of her IN her crate IN the house!!

Okay, so some are thinking she doesn't really look HAPPY... but trust me this is a MAJOR step.  Prior to this when she was in the crate she would be curled in a ball and plastered against the back of the crate.! 

Sometimes bad weather can be a blessing!

Written 6/5/2008...

Well... some of you have already heard the news... but to update the rest of you.

I have decided that Summer will be staying with me

I just could not bear to part with her... so yep, I have failed Fostering 101,

She is making such progress. She will even lie on the couch next to me with her head in my lap.

Next on the agenda will be to get her to accept a leash, get her rabies vaccination, and get her spayed.

But, she is here for life!

NOW - Feb 2009.

Summer has made remarkable progress, though I still have not been able to get her to accept a leash and collar. But we are working on it.  She does not deal well with the other German Shepherds here, all of whom are way bigger than her.  She gets along great with Charlie however. Since she is probably only an inch taller than Charlie... she is a very tiny German Shepherd, LOL.

Summer has also learned to play! Here she is going after the frisbee...