From Foster Care to Forever Homes - Old Friends Meet Again

The last time Shiloh saw his foster sister was over a year ago.  He was just turning two years old and in foster care with a two month old pittie-puppy named Goose (both came from the Seattle Animal Shelter before being placed in foster care).  Although Shiloh had already been in foster care for about four months, Goose found her forever home right away, and on March 11, 2011 was adopted!  It would be four more months before Shiloh would finally find his new home, but who would have thought that these two foster-siblings would see each other again?

Goose and Shiloh, February 2011

Several of us wondered how these two would react to one another once we realized that they would soon be gathering in the same place at the same time.  Would they even remember each other?  No one really knew how tight their bond was being that they were together for what seemed like a short period of time.  I am told that Shiloh really helped to raise Goose and got her through some very critical periods, but what does that mean long term?  None of us were completely sure.  

Although Goose was small, she made the perfect big-spoon

During Shiloh and Goose's one month together, they developed a 'fast and hard' play style.  Given their size differences, one may worry that this rough-housing may be a bit much for a puppy Goose's age.  As it turned out, Goose was very much able to hold her own.  

A little freestyle wresting between friends

In fact, perhaps it was Shiloh, the full-grown, adult dog that we should have been worried about here.  

Shiloh seems to be pinned down... again

...and again

Not only did they play together and sleep cuddled up on a regular basis,  but they also spent time having meaningful conversation with one another.

Shiloh: "Hey Goose, do I have any food stuck in my teeth?"  Goose: "Ewww, gross!  Ha!  Just kidding, you're good!"

It was during the WalkABulls hike this last Saturday, March 24, 2012, that these two saw each other again for the first time since Goose was adopted last year. Due to our no-contact and spacing guidelines in the beginning of each walk, Shiloh and Goose did not have a chance to get a good look, or sniff, at one another... at least not yet.  

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Saturday, 3/24/12 -  Carkeek Park

The walk started off with Shiloh in the lead, and Goose towards the back with several dogs and humans in front of her.  About 15 minutes into our walk, we were notified by one of our roving dog-less walkers that Goose may do better closer to the front of the pack.  The group as a whole then moved over, just enough to give Goose the appropriate room to maneuver her way forward.  We always want to set our dogs (and their people) up for success!

Shiloh is in the lead, while Goose is way in the back

Goose makes her way to the lead

Goose is right behind Shiloh but they have not yet recognized each other

All was quiet and calm until Shiloh and Goose had the opportunity for a very short and quick glimpse into each others eyes.  They were about eight feet apart but obviously close enough to recognize that an old friend was nearby - the connection had been made.

Both Shiloh and Goose have the potential to be dog-reactive, but in a very friendly way.  They have the ability to make a lot of noise when they want to befriend another dog, but... no one could have prepared for the large demonstration put forth by these two dogs on this day, especially from Shiloh!  It was made quite clear that they both wanted very badly to catch up on lost time.  

Goose did great and kept moving forward, increasing her distance from Shiloh, which enabled her to regain her focus.  Shiloh had gotten pretty worked up over Goose and he took more time and attention to find his focus.  Everyone in the group did a fantastic job throughout this situation by remaining calm, staying focused on their dog, and keeping their dog focused on them. 

Our walk ended successfully, despite the challenges early on - but I think we are all learning that this group is about overcoming our various challenges.  Thank you to everyone who was able to attend this walk and be a part of the Shiloh-Goose reunion!

Klaus

Bailey

Sirius Black

Sam

Louie

Goose

A very special thank you to Mace Burke for joining us on this walk as our dog-less leader, as well as for taking all the great photos on this day!  Also thank you to Goose's forever mom, as well as Goose's and Shiloh's foster mom, for sharing photos of these two in foster care together. 

Mace and Shiloh lead the group

My Reactive Dogs

I have heard many say that the reason that they do not take their dog for a walk is because their dog is badly behaved while on leash.  Q: What is the best way to help a dog with bad leash manners?  A: To walk them on leash, of course!

Shiloh's profile picture, courtesy of Seattle Animal Shelter

Meet Shiloh, a three year old Pit Bull Terrier [type] dog.  He was adopted from foster care through the Seattle Animal Shelter last July.  I first saw Shiloh's profile on Petfinder.com and was immediately drawn in by this picture which really captured his soulful and kind eyes.  After filling out the adoption application, speaking with shelter staff, and meeting Shiloh's foster mom, my family was finally able to meet him in person, including my eight year old mixed breed dog GG.  It was love at first sight for me, and as I am learning, I always fall for the dogs with "issues".

I absolutely LOVE dogs who are shy, fearful, anxious, leash reactive, dog reactive, people reactive, biters, chewers and destroyers.  Shiloh's "issue" is leash reactivity and I love him for it!  I realized a long time ago, shortly after rescuing my first dog Nalla, that a dog's issues are just a reflection of our own; and by OUR own I mean those issues that belong to human beings in general.  When we work through our dog's issues, we learn more about ourselves and are able to better help, understand, and relate to dogs and people alike. 

Nalla in 1998

My girl Nalla was reactive to everything (dogs, cats, people), and unlike Shiloh who just wants so badly to befriend everything and everyone, Nalla's reactivity was on the fearful side.  She was a biter and was also aggressively afraid of children.  As you can imagine, I had to be so careful with her... she was obviously a HUGE responsibility!  When it came to kids, she wanted nothing to do with them and actively tried to stay away from them.  In addition to working with Nalla on her issues, I spent a lot of time trying to teach kids and their parents to ask before trying to pet a dog, and to not run up to a dog that they do not know. As a person owned by reactive dogs, this has probably been the biggest challenge for me!

Nalla in 2010

With time and a lot of work, Nalla trusted me fully and depended on me and my voice to get her through various life situations.  We eventually were able to go to off leash parks regularly, but every single time I had to calmly and confidently talk her through every situation.  Like many fearful dogs (and humans), she was a bully and would pick on the other fearful dogs and ignore those who were confident.  When her body posturing would suggest she was about to pick on another dog, I would use my voice to let her know that everything was okay.  She had learned to trust me to be her "leader", and therefore never ventured beyond my sight or voice range.

We had to work almost daily to maintain this point of progression.  More often than not, a dog's issues will never completely go away but it is more than possible to bring them to a point where they are able to be an active part of the social world.  This may never mean doggy play dates, or wrestling around with kids (or for other dogs, it may never mean dog parks), but that is okay!  It does take love, trust, time, and some determination but it is absolutely worth it!  I will always know Nalla to be one of the most magnificent creatures to ever walk this Earth and am so proud that we walked together.

Remember: "Life is a journey, not a destination." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson (Transcendentalist)

...and so began my love for dogs with issues.  What I have learned from them, and continue to learn from them, is invaluable.

With that said, I want to let everyone who made it to our walk this morning know how much I truly appreciate your understanding and 'roll with the punches' attitude on what was a really challenging walk for our dogs... especially for my friendly-reactive dog Shiloh!

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~Lake Washington (south-end trail)~

It always takes a few minutes at the beginning of each walk for Shiloh to learn to be calm when standing near each of our other WalkABulls members.  Some dogs he warms up to very quickly, others take longer.  Once we get going on each walk, Shiloh hardly notices the other dogs in our group but still he chooses to react to those dogs who are not a part of the group, especially the poodles, so it seems.  How do we deal with this?  Keep practicing!  More walking! 

Pack order of the day: Shiloh, GG, Moo Cow, 5ive, Lilac and Blaze

Adopt Lilac!

Hey Blaze!  Thanks to you and your humans for having our backs!