While it is the weekend, we still wanted Patty to have some practice in the crate. We went out for a short errand to assess how she would do with a pad in the crate to give her some comfort. We are happy to report that she didn't destroy this and it actually cut the time it took her to relax in half. She was actually relaxed enough to lay down and gnaw on a hard bone.
Patty is a nervous pup, but we see that she wants human connection. We've been taking things at her pace and letting her come to us on her terms. Tonight she felt comfortable enough to crawl up on the recliner with my husband for her first snuggles. We can already see how much love Patty has to give.
Patty needs to take her anxiety meds daily, but she is a smart pup. We hide her pills in a wet clump of food, but sometimes she eats the food and somehow avoids the pill. Some meals it may take a few attempts, but she always takes them.
My husband and I both work daily, so Patty has to be crated when we are gone. We don't know yet if she is destructive with bedding or blankets, so although it may not be as comfortable for her, we didn't put any bedding in the crate.
We did leave some hard bones covered in peanut butter for her and we play classical music to drown out any neighborhood noise throughout the day. She seemed pretty agitated at first. She stood staring, did some pacing, and a little pawing at the door. Luckily, within the hour, she did eventually settle down and sleep the remainder of the day. When I came home from work, there was no mess in her crate. Welcome Miss Pattycake!
We asked DDR to give us a pup who was struggling at the shelter and they suggested Patty. She is cute little pit mix, about 1.5 years old, and she suffers from quite a bit of anxiety. To help support her, vets prescribed some medicine, but the stress of the shelter was still too much for her. She was shutting down and some days they were having trouble getting her to eat much. For these first few days we are just going to let Patty get settled in, give her space, and allow her time to decompress from her time at the shelter. We can already see there is a lot of sweetness in this lady and we are excited to get to know her and help her on her journey to her forever home. |
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