Making friends with a stray dog - New House PICS page 61!

[Buffyblue]

Buffyblue, I had my two Aussies and my neighbor's Pomeranian on the couch with me watching the race, and the Pom started barking when I started shouting!


LOL! My girls didn't bark but they stood right up on the bed and stared at me, tilting their heads from side to side in unison. I had to laugh. Goofballs that they are! It was a Kodak moment for sure. :lol:

[Indy]

Woo Hoo!!!!
That's so exciting!

[lcw579]

What a great day! I am so happy for you and Angel! :D:D

[MunchkinsMom]

She did it again! I just went out to remove fly masks, and a few smaller bits of chicken in a baggie, I called her, she came running and not only wagging her tail, but wiggling her behind! And she took all 5 pieces from my hand, for which I praised her to high heavens! Then I took off the horse's fly masks, gave them each a cookie, and brought her a Beggin Strip, and without hesitation she took it from me.

I'm taking this as a major milestone.

Next step - touching! I wonder how long until she will let me pet her.

[CharingHounds]

Go Rachel Alexandra AND Angel!
Such good news. You're doing so well trying to figure out what works with her and trying to gain her trust. I check in all the time and I am so happy to read your update!:D

[Larksmom]

she was waiting for a special day! How much better can this get! So happy for you!
Great day all around!

[onetrickpony]

WOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

OMG, I am so invested in this thread! I check it once, sometimes twice a day for updates. This latest one actually has me crying! (Yes, I'm a sap.)

Congrats, MM, on crossing this HUGE threshhold with Angel. Your patience and perseverence are to be admired. I look forward to reading about your continuing adventures together. Thank you for keeping us in the loop! :yes:

[Eireamon]

First reply post from me but I have been watching this story and like others this is the first place on COTH I go to check for any updates.

Go Angel.

[jetsmom]

YAAAYYYY!!!!! I TOLD you chicken was the trick!!!!!!!!:D

That is SO exciting! Aren't you just bouncing off the walls? Don't push trying to pet her, but if you warm up the chicken a little and rub it on your fingers, let her take it and leave your hand there for her to lick your fingers. After doing that a few times, when she is licking your fingers, touch her muzzle with one. Also start moving the hand with the chicken closer to you as she gets more comfortable.

[Debbie]

Woohoo M-Mom!! What a huge breathrough. Can't wait to see more pictures and hear about the first petting -- it's just around the corner now. Maybe she'll hold out 'til the Belmont.:winkgrin::winkgrin:

[MHM]

YAY!!!!!!!

[MunchkinsMom]

YAAAYYYY!!!!! I TOLD you chicken was the trick!!!!!!!!:D

That is SO exciting! Aren't you just bouncing off the walls? Don't push trying to pet her, but if you warm up the chicken a little and rub it on your fingers, let her take it and leave your hand there for her to lick your fingers. After doing that a few times, when she is licking your fingers, touch her muzzle with one. Also start moving the hand with the chicken closer to you as she gets more comfortable.

Yes, you did, but she seems to like homemade chicken better than KFC!

I wonder if that did the trick tonight also, that I had used my fingers to tear apart the chicken, so perhaps my hand smelled more like the chicken.

At any rate, thanks so much for the tips for "next steps".

Yes, I am still just sitting her smiling thinking about it. And actually, Angel seemed to be happy about it too! She just seems to be more relaxed now.

[MHM]

I'm so happy- for both of you! :sadsmile:

[Chief2]

Congratulations! The one day, the ONE day I take off from the board, and she comes through! Well, now you are off to the next set of steps. I too would like to see a photo when the camera and the dog are both in sync. Congrats! :)

[CB/TB]

That was THE post we've all been waiting for!!! No other way to go but forward. Will she take food if you hold your hand flat, like feeding carrots?? That way she'd have to probably touch more of your skin. Now, or soon, might be time to sit on a low stool or milk crate at her level and offer the food. Great news and keep up the good work and the posts!

[ptownevt]

I check this thread a couple of times every day almost holding my breath for the next breakthrough. Congratulations on this latest, huge step! Angel is such a lucky dog.
Pam

[shea'smom]

It was a "Girls Rule" kinda day! Go Angel! She might not be as famous as RA, but we love her more!

[Dune]

That's so cool! :cool:

[3horsemom]

this is what happens when i don't check the angel thread for a day!!! maybe i should stay away for a week and when i come back angel will be on your sofa. this is such great news mm. i am so happy for you both.
of course this thread should never go away. angel is a much loved dog.

[MunchkinsMom]

Dang, I had a blonde/senior moment today and forgot to grab the camera.

This morning, she came running to me, and ate all the chicken from my hand with hardly any hesitation, and then started to follow me into the barn, but stopped at the aisleway for whatever reason. I put some dog food in the bowl, fed and turned out the horses, and brought Angel a Beggin Strip, which she very politely took from my hand.

On an even more positive note, when I went at lunchtime, I didn't have any treats, but she still came running to me, and sniffed my fingers, then went back under the trailer to get in the shade. After the horses were fed, I brought her a Pup-peroni treat, and she came out from under the trailer when I called her and took that too. Then, the best part. . . I was cleaing stalls and halfway through, I looked up and Angel was sleeping in the aisle of the barn (it is cooler in there with a nice breeze that blows through).

Hopefully it won't be long until I can touch her, now that she has broken past that last trust barrier. I will continue to to my best not to do anything to frighten her in the process.

[jetsmom]

Ahhh...such good, heartwarming news.

[MunchkinsMom]

Hoo-ray! :D:D I knew she couldn't hold out forever.

Wanna bet it was while she was watching you and your neighbor hugging on the new puppy that did it? An "Ah ha!" moment for your girl.

Can't wait for the day you start complaining about always having to step over her sleeping form stretched out in the middle of the barn aisle. :lol:

Maybe that did it, whatever it was, I am thankful.

Oh, I will never complain about that with her, with 4 house dogs that are constantly underfoot, I am used to it. Heck, I had them cowering at my feet all evening, because we have been having some good t-storms today and tonight.

We had hamburgers for dinner, so I took some of that and more of the chicked down with me for Angel's dinner, and she ate all of it from my hands, bit by bit until it was gone. (The horses were a bit annoyed that their dinner was delayed while I fed the dog). Then when it was gone, I went back into the tack room to start feeding the horses, and Angel followed me in, and grabbed a bite of dog food from her bowl, and went back outside. That is the first time that she has come into the tack room while I am there.

I did notice that she is still a bit jumpy about any sudden movement on my part, as I was hand feeding her, I swatted a bug off my leg (love bug season is starting), and she jumped back and stared at me. So, I took another piece of chicken out, and she came back to me to eat it. Also, I dropped one piece, so I bent down to pick it up, and she jumped back away from me then also. So, I still think we have a way to go yet.

But I am still pleased as punch that she has made this big step in the right direction.

[jetsmom]

If you go back and read your first few posts you will be amazed at the progress you've made. It won't be long now til you are patting her.:)

[Reds-n-Greys]

OMG!!!!! This is wonderful!!! I'm so proud of Angel ~ and you MM!!!

(This book is going to be a best seller!!)

[MunchkinsMom]

Thanks everyone, for the encouragement, support, and reminders of how far we have come with Angel.

This morning she was waiting for me, and once again came running up for breakfast, I hand fed some of it, and one piece she took and then walked away to eat it. So I took the rest back to the barn with me, and she did eventually come up to the barn looking for it, at that time I hand fed her a few more pieces right in the entrance to the barn (more progress), and she did come in to grab a bit from the bowl while I was in the tack room.

I feel a bit bad for her today, it is raining (yeah, we still need more rain), and she is out there playing by herself in the rain, while the horses are sulking in the barn (they have free access to the barn all day, so this is their choice, not mine). Hopefully dogs don't get rain-rot.

For some reason she dug a rather deep narrow hole in the pasture last night, I had to fill that in this morning. Maybe she was looking for moles or something, not sure. I know my house dogs dig up the front yard looking for moles (that they occasionally get lucky and catch and kill). Oh well, it gives me an extra dose of exercise every morning, picking up all her toys (so the horses won't trip over them and hurt themselves, filling in holes, etc.

Guess I better get started on that book :D. Maybe that was her reason for coming to me, to give me a subject to write about and help me fulfull another dream of mine.

[MHM]

Are you a fan of the musical Wicked, by any chance?

I was listening to the soundtrack last night, and your situation with Angel reminds me of the big song about the two characters who meet and change each other... for good. :)

[MunchkinsMom]

Are you a fan of the musical Wicked, by any chance?

I was listening to the soundtrack last night, and your situation with Angel reminds me of the big song about the two characters who meet and change each other... for good. :)

That is not one I am familiar with, now I will have to go check it out.

She is just out there, laying in the rain, she could come into the barn to get dry, but for whatever reason (maybe because the horses are loose in there) she doesn't. She could also go under the trailer, or over to the empty farm next door (which is where she used to go). I wish she would come in out of the rain. But, she did come run up to me when I brought her another Beggin Strip during lunch.

[Jaegermonster]

This is making me cry.
You know, from what you describe I would bet $$ she has been lured in with a treat and then smacked or who knows what.
But you have made monumental strides with her, and still are.
there is a special place for you one day MM.
bless you for taking the time to help this dog.

[MHM]

That is not one I am familiar with, now I will have to go check it out.

.

It's called For Good- track 18 on the soundtrack. I'll see if I can find the lyrics when I get home tonight. The musical is based on a novel about a different take on the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch in the land of the Wizard of Oz, before Dorothy arrived there.

It's an amazing show. It's still playing to a full house on Broadway after 5-6 years. I saw it early on, and loved it. I don't know if the song lyrics will hit you as hard without seeing everything that leads up to it in the show, but it's a song that can apply to anyone who's had an impact on your life.

Like Angel. :)

[MunchkinsMom]

I hope you are not crying because Angel is out in the rain, she doesn't seem to mind it, and there are places she could go to get out of it if she chooses to. Heck, my horses gave up the ghost, and are now out grazing in the rain too.

But if you are crying because it is so sad that something horrible happened to what is a sweet dog, that ruined her trust in humans, then I will share my tissue box with you. It breaks my heart to think of any living being having to deal with an abusive situation.

But hold out hope that there will be a happy ending to this, at least if I have anything to do with it, it will.

MHM - I did look up the lyrics online, and you are right, that song would fit this situation, thanks! And now I have another show to go see, if it ever makes it to my neck of the woods. Sounds like a good one.

Off to go heat up some leftovers for Angel and feed the soaking wet horses. I'm trying not to complain, it has rained here all day long (which is rare in Florida unless we have a hurricane), but we needed it so badly, that I am counting my wet blessings today. It filled an entire 5 gallon water bucket to the top since it started raining yesterday, and according to the pool (that I use as a rain gauge of sorts) that we have gotten about 3-4 inches, which is a good thing.

[Jaegermonster]

I hope you are not crying because Angel is out in the rain, she doesn't seem to mind it, and there are places she could go to get out of it if she chooses to. Heck, my horses gave up the ghost, and are now out grazing in the rain too.

But if you are crying because it is so sad that something horrible happened to what is a sweet dog, that ruined her trust in humans, then I will share my tissue box with you. It breaks my heart to think of any living being having to deal with an abusive situation.

But hold out hope that there will be a happy ending to this, at least if I have anything to do with it, it will.

MHM - I did look up the lyrics online, and you are right, that song would fit this situation, thanks! And now I have another show to go see, if it ever makes it to my neck of the woods. Sounds like a good one.

Off to go heat up some leftovers for Angel and feed the soaking wet horses. I'm trying not to complain, it has rained here all day long (which is rare in Florida unless we have a hurricane), but we needed it so badly, that I am counting my wet blessings today. It filled an entire 5 gallon water bucket to the top since it started raining yesterday, and according to the pool (that I use as a rain gauge of sorts) that we have gotten about 3-4 inches, which is a good thing.


LOL No my dogs are out in the rain here too and could care less about it. :)
No I'm crying because I reread the thread and it's an amazing story, and because of what you said, -to put it simply- people suck. No dog should ever ever be in the shape that Angel was in when she came to you, afraid of everything and everyone. Would that she could talk to us.

I hope that very soon you will post that she is curled up on the rug at your feet, and we can tell you to hug her for us and she will let you.

[MunchkinsMom]

LOL No my dogs are out in the rain here too and could care less about it. :)
No I'm crying because I reread the thread and it's an amazing story, and because of what you said, -to put it simply- people suck. No dog should ever ever be in the shape that Angel was in when she came to you, afraid of everything and everyone. Would that she could talk to us.

I hope that very soon you will post that she is curled up on the rug at your feet, and we can tell you to hug her for us and she will let you.

Now, that made me tear up - thanks! I feel it might be quite some time until we get to that point, since I think her trust of people is going to happen one person at a time, so it might be another year until she trusts the people in my family. I hope not that long. I hope that once she realizes that not all people are bad that she can overcome her fears.

She was so funny tonight, despite the rain, I saw her out tossing the Jolly Ball around (I guess I should get her a new one soon), and after dinner she tried to get my youngest horse to play, he did do a little buck in her direction, but he didn't get into the game.

At dinner, I brought down the warmed up leftovers, and when I went out to bring her one piece, she did the funniest little dance, sort of leaping about as if she wanted to play with the food - or maybe she was just happy. Then I brought the rest of the food into the tack room, and she did come in and eat while I was dishing out the horse feed. That was another baby step for her today.

I wish the weather had been nicer, I would have played with her after dinner, but between the rain, and getting soaked helping one of my neighbors round up two of her horses that got loose on her lawn. . . (never a dull moment around here) I had to come in to dry out and warm up.

[MHM]

Just wondering- when she takes the food from your hand, does she lick your hand? If not, can you put anything on your hand to encourage that? Maybe that would help her get comfortable with the idea of contact.

[CB/TB]

Just a thought.( I'm full of thoughts!). Rather than risk a set back by trying to catch her now that she's making leaps and bounds progress, is there any chance you could get oral vaccines?? Is there such a thing? It seems as though she's been through some heat cycles if she isn't spayed with no resulting pups, so maybe she has been . If you ever get near her on her back and can see through teh hair, you might see a tiny spay scar on her belly. That would solve a BIG problem right there. Really happy things are progressing. She must be, too, to finally have a home.

[jetsmom]

Just a thought.( I'm full of thoughts!). Rather than risk a set back by trying to catch her now that she's making leaps and bounds progress, is there any chance you could get oral vaccines?? Is there such a thing? It seems as though she's been through some heat cycles if she isn't spayed with no resulting pups, so maybe she has been . If you ever get near her on her back and can see through teh hair, you might see a tiny spay scar on her belly. That would solve a BIG problem right there. Really happy things are progressing. She must be, too, to finally have a home.

Spayed dogs don't go into heat. (Unless you are meaning that time has passed when she should have had a heat cylcle, and hasn't).

[CB/TB]

Yup, that's what I meant. If she had been roaming around during these last few months there would have been a good chance of her being bred or at least having every dog within sniffing distance hanging around if she wasn't spayed, I'd think. And she'd probably be looking for it. So, maybe she is already . Now that she gets close enough, maybe MM can check her out out for signs of discharge. Somewhere in this thread, Ithink, there's an age estimate. I;'m thinking it was 12-18 months???? If so, and she came from a home there's a chance she was altered at some point/ maybe. hOPEFULLY.

[MunchkinsMom]

I'm pretty positive that she is not neutered, since her escapade with Spanky (the JRT that risked electric shock to come out and play with her). She only went to visit him (aka, looking for a boyfriend) that one week that she was in heat, at least that is my assumption.

As to making contact, she is now okay with her teeth actually touching my fingers, but no licking yet, and trust me, my hands get pretty messy dealing with breaking up the scraps for her. Just a matter of time.

This morning she was funny, she more wanted to play with the food - she would grab it, and toss it, then go get it and eat it. So I went out with a few Pup-eroni treats and tossed them for her to fetch, and she liked that game. I did that after she ate from my hand, and after she came in to eat from the bowl.

Also, when I filled in her hole yesterday, I put a big limestone rock in the hole to help fill it, and last night she dug it up and took the rock out! So I put in two rocks, and some manure from the stalls and covered it up again. She stared re-digging it as I was cleaning stalls, I told her "no digging" and she stopped - or maybe she stopped when she hit the manure, not sure what the real motivation was.

I feel bad for her today, it is still raining (we have had 7 inches so far, with another 6 predicted for today and tomorrow), she is very wet, and I'm sure she will be cold soon. I keep telling her to come in out of the rain, which of course means nothing to her yet. I think she was under the trailer for a while, but she came out when I was in the barn to see if I had any treats for her, and since she came to the tack room door looking, I did give her a beggin strip, but made her take it from me, I didn't toss this one.

I have also been putting all her toys in the tack room, hoping it will make her want to come in with the toys and get dry. She would be safe from the horses in there, and there are several hours between my trips to the barn where she could be undisturbed.

I have also been keeping the bowl with dry food full, in case she gets hungry from trying to keep warn.

[Jaegermonster]

DO you have some hay, straw or maybe some bedding you could put under the trailer for her to curl up in?

[PicturePerfectPonies]

DO you have some hay, straw or maybe some bedding you could put under the trailer for her to curl up in?

Or maybe a cheap blanket or dog bed. Then you could eventually move that into your tack room, and hopefully someday your bedroom floor. But it would smell like her and be a safe thing for her.

[MunchkinsMom]

Well, I can't use straw or hay anywhere that my youngest gelding might get ahold of it and eat it, he had colic surgery in October, end result is no hay on his diet ever again or risk another impaction.

I do have that bath rug that she loves in the tack room, but she seems to think that it is more of a toy.

I would do a dog bed, but I picture her dragging that out to the field, gutting it, and me picking up stuffing for the next year! Even my house dogs are notorious for shredding dog beds! I have yet to find one that they cannot chew through, so I gave up years ago. I suppose I could try nailing the bed to the wooden pallets in the tack room so she at least could not drag it off somewhere.

It is nice soft sand under the trailer, unfortunately it might be a bit damp under there right now.

There are some loose shavings on the floor in the empty stall that has some equipment stored in it, there is room for her to go in if she chooses, I think she just doesn't choose to spend much time in the barn yet.

I do appreciate the suggestions and support.

And it is still raining.

[SevenDogs]

She has shelter. If she chooses not to use it, that's her choice.

I am the biggest softie about protecting my animals and my horses have in and outs. You know what? One of them stands out in the rain regularly. She makes her choice and I figure she is smart enough to know what she wants.

Look at it this way -- maybe the rain is washing off the manure that she so enjoys rolling in! :)

[MunchkinsMom]

She has shelter. If she chooses not to use it, that's her choice.

I am the biggest softie about protecting my animals and my horses have in and outs. You know what? One of them stands out in the rain regularly. She makes her choice and I figure she is smart enough to know what she wants.

Look at it this way -- maybe the rain is washing off the manure that she so enjoys rolling in! :)

Good points, and the manure remark made me laugh.

After dinner I did see her out in the pouring rain in the pasture, running across the field, then she grabbed the remains of the Jolly Ball, and gleefully bolted across my field, under two fences, and took it to my neighbors covered arena to play. So you are right, she knows where to go to get out of the rain.

Another full day of rain today, and another full day tomorrow. We went from drought and brush fires to flooding in under a week.

At dinner, she was not anywhere in sight, yet she showed up looking for food as I was feeding the horses. I had to leave tonight to go to a school concert, and she was up by the fence close to the house for some reason. There are a few new trees growing there, more like shrubs right now, so perhaps she has made a nest in there.

[SevenDogs]

I had to leave tonight to go to a school concert, and she was up by the fence close to the house for some reason. There are a few new trees growing there, more like shrubs right now, so perhaps she has made a nest in there.

... and maybe she was feeling more comfortable up by the house and looking for you! :)

[CB/TB]

How about one of those raised beds? It's like a hammock, on metal legs. She couldn't drag that around!

[Jaegermonster]

She has shelter. If she chooses not to use it, that's her choice.

I am the biggest softie about protecting my animals and my horses have in and outs. You know what? One of them stands out in the rain regularly. She makes her choice and I figure she is smart enough to know what she wants.

Look at it this way -- maybe the rain is washing off the manure that she so enjoys rolling in! :)

I was just thinking if she was cold and wet a little straw or something under the horse trailer might give her a place to dry off and get warmer. My trailer isn't out where the horses are so no one could get the straw or anything. But it's ok, maybe she has a place where she goes.

[VWBug]

YAHOO - a few COTH-less days and I come back to this. What an incredible breakthrough - congratulations! Right now I'm doing the butt-wiggle happy dance that Angel does when she sees you. :)

[MunchkinsMom]

YAHOO - a few COTH-less days and I come back to this. What an incredible breakthrough - congratulations! Right now I'm doing the butt-wiggle happy dance that Angel does when she sees you. :)

Thanks, that gave me a good laugh! She also does this funny thing with her front paws when she gets close to me, she sort of swats at me with them as she is bouncing around.

Despite the rain, she came for breakfast, which was rushed today, I had a parent/teacher/student conference to attend this morning (all good, just the annual review required by the program at school). So all she got was canned food, dry food and some Pup-peroni, which she did take from me. But now she does something funny, she comes around behind me. Yesterday she did follow me partway to the barn, but not into the barn. Still working on that.

At lunchtime she was laying out in the field with the horses as they grazed, but she didn't follow them into the barn. But she did come in while I was cleaning the stalls, and she was whining in the tack room. Maybe she was complaining because there was only dog food to eat :D. Guess I better take the time to find some good human leftovers for her to eat.

I think she was trying to dig a den of sorts next to the barn last night, she did dig away some of the banked up dirt right outside the barn on the tack room side. and not one of her deep hole digging, it was more spread out. So maybe soon she will start to come sleep in the barn itself.

[Kigercat]

Been following this thread since I found it and am really pulling for that final breakthrough.

You comments on a couple of the last posts raised a flag for me. That whole nesting and digging a den out might be a sign of impending pups coming.

When we raised Labs there was a lot of digging and rooting around in the whelping boxes getting things just so prior to actual birth.

Hopefully not, but as you think she may have had a recent heat cycle...it could be a possibility to be prepared for.
That she's nesting close to the barn and house shows she's at least comfortable there, so if she is preggers she may choose to have her puppies close by as opposed to hiding away somewhere and only darting in for food.

[VWBug]

Actually I was thinking along the same lines as Kiger...

<<She also does this funny thing with her front paws when she gets close to me, she sort of swats at me with them as she is bouncing around

I'm sorry but this means video footage is now required - too cute.

[Jaegermonster]

I thought the same thing too. If she is, she is, it sure isn't for lack of MM trying to prevent it. But it is very positive if she is that she is denning at the barn where MM can get at the puppies.


I have a dog too that does the paw bouncing roo roo thing. She does it when she is extremely happy. It's adorable.

[MunchkinsMom]

Well, I thought of that possibility also, but I am leaning towards no pups yet, since she is as thin as ever (meaning she has not put on any weight at all), and no other signs. From my "diary notes" she had her "date" with Spanky on Feb 11th, but since I know virtually nothing about pregnant dogs (like how long between heat cycles, how long the gestation period is, other signs of pregnancy. . .guess I need to do some research), I can't say for sure. I might need to think about how I can entice her to make her "den" in the barn, just in case she is.

She was dry this morning, rolling around playing with some of her toys that she took from the tack room (I moved them all inside), and did her little wiggle-butt paw dance when I went out with a Beggin Strip. And she did come in to eat, but whined a bit, again, maybe because all there was was canned dog food and cheese for breakfast today - hahaha.

Last night half of my dead 50 foot pine tree broke off. I do have guardian angels, none of it fell on the fence (whew!). Angel was out rooting around in the fallen pieces this morning, probably eating bugs or lord knows what.

Another reason for the digging might be mice. I did have mice in my barn, and I might still have them although I have not really seen any lately, but that does not mean that I don't have them.

She has figure out that she can get out of the rain by playing in my neighbors covered arena, which is nice and dry.

And of course it is still raining today. I'm trying not to complain because we really did need the rain here.

Whew - I think we are clear on the puppy issue, I just checked this gestation period calculator online:

http://www.askabreeder.com/Dog+Gestation+Calculator

And according to that she would have had the pups between 4/11 and 4/15.

[ptownevt]

Thank goodness for shorter men. :D

[MunchkinsMom]

Thank goodness for shorter men. :D

Oh thanks for a good laugh, good thing I wasn't eating lunch at the time or my monitor might be wearing it.

I just came in from feeding lunch to the horses, and as I approached the barn, Angel came out from under the trailer, as if to say "Hi Mom, any treats?" I said, "Hi Angel, give me a minute" and she went back under the trailer. Once I had the horses situated in front of their full feeders, I went out with a Beggin Strip, she came out, gave me a little happy whine, and took it. Then she went back under the trailer for some much needed rest.

We have a little bit less rain today (more breaks in the action), so hopefully she might stay dry today, or at least drier than the past 3 days.

[danceronice]

Well, bear in mind, that's the male you KNOW about.

On the up side--the only way we ever got hold of one barn cat was when she had kittens--we used them to do stuff like get her in the carrier to get her to the vet. Pups could be a help in a way.

Sounds like she is ALMOST there with you. I keep hoping for the Big Update when you can handle her....

[CB/TB]

If she takes something out of the flat of your hand could you kind of tickle her Gently under the chin with one finger. Just a slight movement and you are touching her. See how she reacts and just ignore her or just keep speaking to her as you normally do. You are SO close!

[MunchkinsMom]

If she takes something out of the flat of your hand could you kind of tickle her Gently under the chin with one finger. Just a slight movement and you are touching her. See how she reacts and just ignore her or just keep speaking to her as you normally do. You are SO close!

Thanks, that is what I am working on, she still won't take anything from my flat hand, but she is taking small pieces from my fingers, tonight it was liverwurst. She was funny tonight, she would come to me, take the piece, back up and eat it, then sit and look at me. I would take a another piece out, call her, and she would sit there. So I would take one step towards her, call her, and then she would come. Repeat 5 or 6 times until we were a good 40 feet away from the barn! When I got tired of that new game, I took the rest of the food into the barn, and she came and ate it, and this time there was no whining, so maybe I was right that she only whines if there is only dog food to eat.

After dinner I had to go out to the "back 40" to move the remains of the termite condo (top of the dead pine tree) that had fallen last night. The horses were grazing, Angel was watching. When I was done with that chore I headed back to the barn, and Angel got up and ran to me - and I didn't even have any food. So, I thought perhaps she wanted to play, so I picked up the remains of the Jolly Ball and tossed it, but instead of chasing it, she started to slink away. So I said "okay, no playing" and took the ball back to the barn. I grabbed a pigs ear treat (not something I bought, it was from the neighbor's stash, they are rather nasty) and brought it out to her. She did take it from my hand, and then trotted off to chew it.

Two hours later I went out to remove fly masks, and she again came to me, so I went back in the barn and got a Beggin Strip - now this is the funny part. I offered it to her, and she started barking, and if I got closer, she would back up and bark more. So I went into play-mode, and that made her excited, so I tossed it as far as I could toss it, and she gleefully ran after it, then ate it. I think that was her way of telling me that she wanted to play with it instead of just taking it from me.

I can't wait until she comes to me just to be petted and scratched! I think we are getting there. Considering that it has not even been a full week since she first ate from my hand, I still have to be happy with the baby steps that she is making.

[starrysky]

Just wanted to speak up and let MM know that I am loving this thread. Your progress with Angel is amazing, and you should be so proud!

I will be one of those in line to buy the book when you write it.

[MunchkinsMom]

Thanks!

Not too much to report today. I left the horses out last night so they can graze on the lovely green grass, since they holed up in the barn during the last 5 days of rain, I thought they would appreciate a night out. So, when I went to the barn this morning, they were all grazing near the barn, and Angel was laying next to my mare while she grazed, it was so cute!

Angel is becoming fussy about what she will take from me. This mornings offering was cheese, liverwurst and hot dogs, she only wanted the liverwurst from my hand. I gave her a few bites, them back to the barn with the rest, and she did come in to eat as soon as I was in a stall and not in the tack room. So, little by little she makes progress in the trust department.

At lunch she was laying flat out in the field sunbathing, and went under the trailer while the horses ate lunch. Once again I brought her a beggin strip, which she whined a bit, and then took from me. I have noticed that she does not do as much "snatch and run" as she used to do, she seems to be more comfortable eating in my presence.

From my online research, I figure I have until August to try to catch her before her next heat cycle.

[MunchkinsMom]

Angel seems to have a new game - she likes to play fetch with the food from time to time, depending on what I have in my hand. Last night I went down with the bag of leftovers, and she would eat some of it from my hand, and came in to eat the rest. I went out with a beggin strip after she ate, and instead of taking it from me, she began to bark and dance around, and was so happy when I tossed it for her to fetch.

Today, it became more apparent I went out with the beggin strip, and she did the bark/dance routine again, I tossed it, she missed seeing where I tossed it, so I ran to get it, and she ran with me, then I tossed it again, and she went to get it. I really think she was enjoying playing!

[Zu Zu]

This a wonderful thread !! Sounds like a Walt Disney movie - you'll be RICH!!!!! and have a GREAT dog!!!

[jetsmom]

How cute! She must be feeling more comfortable with you in order to play with you. Will she play with a tennis ball?

If you get a chance to get a stuffed squeaky toy (maybe a couple of them, since she'll probably take one and shred it.), you might try to get her to play fetch. Then squeak it and hold onto it and move it around on the ground to see if she'll come up and try to catch it. It will get her closer to you. Then you can move it behind you, and hopefully, she'll run around you brushing against you to get it. Just a thought.

[MunchkinsMom]

How cute! She must be feeling more comfortable with you in order to play with you. Will she play with a tennis ball?

If you get a chance to get a stuffed squeaky toy (maybe a couple of them, since she'll probably take one and shred it.), you might try to get her to play fetch. Then squeak it and hold onto it and move it around on the ground to see if she'll come up and try to catch it. It will get her closer to you. Then you can move it behind you, and hopefully, she'll run around you brushing against you to get it. Just a thought.

It's a good thought, which is why I do try to play with her when she is in the mood. Sometimes she will play with toys to play her verion of "fetch", and you are right, any soft squeeky toys get gutted overnight, and I get to pick up after her. She is funny though, if she is not in the mood to play, she just slinks away if I start to toss toys around. I wonder if she would like one of those rope type tug toys? I'll have to try it.

She is really funny to watch when she is in play mode, she hops straight up into the air, sort of like bouncing. Then she bows down with her tail wagging, and swats at me with her paws.

[3horsemom]

hi mm,
have you seen the jolly balls with the ropes threaded thru them? perhaps something like that would be a nice segue from fetching to playing tug of war.
glad angel dodged getting preggers and hoping that she is a house dog before august.

[MunchkinsMom]

hi mm,
have you seen the jolly balls with the ropes threaded thru them? perhaps something like that would be a nice segue from fetching to playing tug of war.
glad angel dodged getting preggers and hoping that she is a house dog before august.

I'll have to look for them at the store tomorrow.

I forgot to mention that this morning, after she ate breakfast and played fetch with a beggin strip, I noticed my neighbor going out for her morning ride, so I went to the fence to chat and tell her the good news about the hand-feeding. While we were chatting, Angel went into the barn and just layed in the aisle waiting for me to come back. She seems to like to keep an eye on me while I visit with the neighbors.

[SevenDogs]

While we were chatting, Angel went into the barn and just layed in the aisle waiting for me to come back. She seems to like to keep an eye on me while I visit with the neighbors.

....Because you are hers! :yes: :) :yes:

[MunchkinsMom]

Well, "my" dog did something she has not done in a while, snagged my neighbors Sunday paper and shredded it in my pasture! This time there was nothing even salvagable, so it all went in the trash.

She is about the same today, still taking tidbits from my hand. This morning, when she came in to eat, the trash bag fell over in the tack room, and not only did she not freak out and run out of the room, but after she ate she went further in the room to investigate the bag. So I walked over to the door, and she spotted me, but didn't stay in there, she slunk past me to get back outside. I'm going to count that as our progress for today.

My day was shot, I had just loaded the truck with trash to go to the dump, and the battery died on my truck, so I had to call AAA, get it jump started, then waste 2 hours getting a new battery at Pep Boys (only place open on Sunday). And of course as soon as I got home, it started to rain again. I'm hoping this round of storms passes over quickly and doesn't hang around for 5 hours like the one yesterday, I have too much to do - sorry, had to vent!

[MunchkinsMom]

In honor of the holiday, I left the horses out overnight, and slept in. When I went down to the barn, I discovered that Angel had gutted another toy, and was sleeping under the trailer. I fed the horses, picked up the guts from the toy, and went out with the food for Angel. She ate one bit from my hand, and would not come for any more, so back into the barn it went. She did come eat it as soon as I stepped out of the tack room.

Tonight, before the storms blew in, I went down to feed the horses, and brought down some leftover chinese food for Angel (sesame chicken and boneless spare ribs). She liked the spare ribs, ate those from my hand, but once she started the backing away from me, back into the barn went the food. This time she actually came into the tack room while I was dishing out the horse feed!

Then she went to play in the "sprinkler" (running hose to cool off the water), and then laid down outside the barn in the shade, waiting for me to finish chores and give her a beggin strip.

Oh, she also barked at one of my neighbors that was driving by in her golf cart.

[Jaegermonster]

Hell, I''ll come sleep under your trailer if you'll feed me prime rib, Sesame chicken and boneless spare ribs. damn.


Seriously, this is all wonderful news. I think you will be petting her before you know it happened.

[SevenDogs]

Hell, I''ll come sleep under your trailer if you'll feed me prime rib, Sesame chicken and boneless spare ribs. damn.



:lol: :lol: :lol:

[MunchkinsMom]

Hell, I''ll come sleep under your trailer if you'll feed me prime rib, Sesame chicken and boneless spare ribs. damn.


Now that is funny! Will you whine and do a doggy-butt dance too? That might get my neighbors talking! Bad enough I am out there jumping around like a lunatic with her.

It's funny, my house dogs never get table scraps, yet here I am dishing out leftovers to the stray. Eventually when she is domesticated, there will be no more of that going on.

[Jaegermonster]

SHow me the groceries girlfriend and I can SHAKE that moneymaker.


oh yeah old Iron Fist MM. "There will be no more of that going on". Uh huh. Sure LOL

[EponaRoan]

What would she did if you sprayed her with the hose? My male GSD LOVES being sprayed (in the face even) with the hose & will bite and leap at it. My female is convinced that if water from the hose comes into contact with her that she will melt & she goes as far away from it as she can possibly get. :lol: I'm thinking since Angel plays in sprinklers, she might be more like my boy.

[MunchkinsMom]

What would she did if you sprayed her with the hose? My male GSD LOVES being sprayed (in the face even) with the hose & will bite and leap at it. My female is convinced that if water from the hose comes into contact with her that she will melt & she goes as far away from it as she can possibly get. :lol: I'm thinking since Angel plays in sprinklers, she might be more like my boy.

I'll have to give that a try this afternoon and see. I know she will play in it on her own, and she also plays in the sprinklers at the front gate to our subdivision when they come on in the afternoon.

She shredded my neighbors paper again today - I guess the paper delivery person has not been putting it in the paper box, if they leave it on the ground, it is fair game.

This morning she did come running to me, and she "talks" as she is coming, sort of a cross between a whine and a growling noise, sounds like dog singing. She ate some of the food from my hand, then came to the tack room door and started whining, I said "come on in and eat", turned my back to her, and she did come in and eat. So, that is progress. Little by little she is becoming less skittish.

I gave her a big Milk Bone after that, and she started running around the field trying to find a place to bury it!

Last night at midnight, she was out there barking up a storm. I had read a post on a local BB that a black bear has been spotted in our little town, so I went out with the flashlight, but could not see anything, and the horses were not agitated. One other dog was barking in the neighborhood also, so maybe they were having a conversation?

[MunchkinsMom]

Tonight Angel was just too cute. She spotted me heading to the gate, perked right up, and when I came into the field, she came running to me, singing away. She loves sesame chicken! So I fed her one piece from my hand, and started heading into the barn, saying "come, come Angel", and she started to follow me, with her tail wagging! But she didn't come into the barn because the horses were also heading for the barn at the same time. I give her bonus points for being smart enough to stay out from under their feet!

Once the horses were in their stalls, she came right to the tack room door, whined (almost as if she was saying "may I come in?"), so I said "come, come Angel, come eat", and she came right in and ate. She did scoot out when I had to get past her with the horse feed, but then came right back in to eat. And then, when she was done, she came into the aisle and was sniffing the horse feed buckets on the floor while I was feeding horse number 3. So, bit by bit, she is working on her bravery.

She won't take the beggin strips or pup-eroni's from my hand anymore, those she want me to toss so she can chase them.

[Jaegermonster]

OMG that's wonderful news! It won't be long now before she lets you touch her, I bet.


tried to send you a pm but it's disabled. Was the local bb you referred to flahorse.com?
I'm on that one too. what's your user name

[MunchkinsMom]

OMG that's wonderful news! It won't be long now before she lets you touch her, I bet.


tried to send you a pm but it's disabled. Was the local bb you referred to flahorse.com?
I'm on that one too. what's your user name

Sorry, I have found that the PM function does funky things to my PC, and since this is the work PC, I don't want to risk killing it.

On FlaHorse, I am AfterD01, just thought I would use a different screen name here just for a change of pace.

[Jaegermonster]

ah ok
I was lazy, mine's Jaeger

[MunchkinsMom]

I figured that might be you on FlaHorse! Funny how many of us post on more than one BB. But this is the only one that has the Angel Saga!

[Jaegermonster]

Yup it's me!
I like this board better, has a tad higher level of horsemanship most of the time (ahem)
but flahorse is good to keep up on local things

[3Dogs]

I love this thread.

[Jaegermonster]

Isn't it great? At some point we need to check and see if it's the longest running thread. I remember awhile ago there was one that went for almost a year and people got all excited. This one might have more posts though.

[MunchkinsMom]

I think the stick horse art thread is the longest. I was showing that one to my 14 year old daughter the other day, she said there are some really talented and funny folks on this BB.

I agree that this BB is the best for good advice, support, and friendship.

[3horsemom]

angel is not to far away from getting a good ear rub! i will probably cry when you finally get to pet her!

[VWBug]

It's so gratifying to read about all the baby steps that Angel is taking, and kudos to you for recognizing them. As the owner of a special needs dog myself I can get pretty excited over something as seemingly insignificant as my dog lying down in the presence of a stranger, or not bolting when something drops to the floor and makes a loud noise.

Completely mundance occurrences to someone else, I treasure those moments! I've had two years of babysteps with my special guy and I still look forward to them. It's one of the reasons I love this thread because I get to hear about someone else's babysteps, and think about my own journey with my little friend. Go Angel!

[MunchkinsMom]

It's so gratifying to read about all the baby steps that Angel is taking, and kudos to you for recognizing them. As the owner of a special needs dog myself I can get pretty excited over something as seemingly insignificant as my dog lying down in the presence of a stranger, or not bolting when something drops to the floor and makes a loud noise.

Completely mundance occurrences to someone else, I treasure those moments! I've had two years of babysteps with my special guy and I still look forward to them. It's one of the reasons I love this thread because I get to hear about someone else's babysteps, and think about my own journey with my little friend. Go Angel!

Aww, thanks, that gives me more encouragement that I am doing the right things to make her comfortable. Especially when you folks tell me how long it has taken to make friends with the dogs, and to get them socialized. Sure does make you wonder what could have happened to make them so frightened. I do not see any scars or anything on Angel that would indicate any lasting injuries from physical abuse, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.

And I will cry the day I can pet her, hope I don't scare her when I do.

I might have to place another order for sesame chicken just for her when I go grocery shopping tonight! She seems to love it. I dipped all the hot dog bits in the sauce this morning, and she came running right to me for them, and then again, followed me to the barn entrance - she still will not follow me all the way in, and as soon as I go into the tack room, she comes around the other side. She did come in to eat while I was scooping feed, but scooted out when I had to get past her to feed the horses, but then she came right back in, so that is progress.

I got a big thumbs up from my neighbor this morning, he did get to see me hand feeding her.

She is still very funny, how she watches my every move as if to figure out what I am doing, and what impact it might have on her life.

Oh, I think I discovered the source of the digging, I did see a rather rotund mouse scurry into one of the empty stalls (where I park the tractor), so I think she is trying to get to the mice from outside the barn.

[MunchkinsMom]

Tonight I took some advice from this thread, and left some of the sauce from the sesame chicken on my fingers while I was hand feeding Angel, and she did actually lick my finger! I think it scared her a bit, she was a bit hesitant to take the next bit from my hand, but I persisted and she did eat it.

Off to the store for more goodies!

[jetsmom]

Oh yay!!!! More baby steps!!!


PS- Rusty got his first bath yesterday. I had to wait, because his fur was sooo matted, that I wanted to get all of the matts out before washing him. I put his leash on and led him into the shower. He did pretty good. His fur has fluffed up so much he looks like he's gained 10 lbs!

He's also figured out that car rides are fun rather than scary. My house is on the market so I take the 3 dogs out for a car ride when it is going to be shown. We go through drive thrus (where they get a cheeseburger or philly steak meat), or go out to the barn where I walk them (on leashes...as I don't trust them around horses). He hops right into the car now and tries to ride shotgun.

[MunchkinsMom]

jetsmom - that really made me chuckle, love the mental image of 3 dogs milling around trying to claim the front seat. I'm so glad that Rusty has made the transition from stray to house dog so well.

Tonight when I got back from the store, I went down to take of fly masks, and Angel was barking up a storm, but I could not see what she was barking at. Both geldings were also staring off into the distance across the street, so something interesting must have been going on. Then Angel ran to the corner of the property, under the fence, and layed on the outside, just intently watching my neighbor's farm. I did notice that her Springer spaniel was out in the yard, so maybe she was barking at him.

Then she came back, and I brought out a soft chewy treat, and she whined and backed away, and I said "no, I am not tossing this one, you have to come get it", and then she came and took it from my hand.

[Reds-n-Greys]

Finger licking GOOD!!!!! YEAH!!!

[lcw579]

MM, all these baby steps are about to turn into that giant step of petting her soon - I can feel it! Keep up the good work.

BTW, if I lived in FL I'd want to come to your house for dinner, your meals sound much better than what I make. :lol:

[MunchkinsMom]

BTW, if I lived in FL I'd want to come to your house for dinner, your meals sound much better than what I make. :lol:

That's only because I am not the cook! :lol: I'm really good at ordering take-out, and luckily for me my mother in law (who lives with us) and my husband are both pretty handy in the kitchen. If left on my own, I eat whatever is in the freezer in a box with microwave instructions, or heat up leftovers.

This morning Angel came running for breakfast, but she is funny, she is wagging away for the first two bits, then she sort of remembers that she is supposed to be afraid of me, so I have to entice her to take bit #3. Then I bring the rest to the barn for her to eat from the bowl.

Once she had eaten the first course, I would put a different treat into the bowl as I go in and out of the tack room, and she would keep coming back in to eat them. What I am trying to do is get her more comfortable with coming in and out of the tack room while I am in the barn.

We did play a game of fetch with some beggin strips again this morning.

Oh, and once again she got my neighbors paper - I think he came over the fence to get whatever he could salvage, but I did have to pick up bits of plastic wrap and paper from the pasture this morning.

Right now I am trapped in my 10x12 office with the 4 house dogs. Our cleaning crew is here, and usually we put the dogs outside while they are here, but today it is raining, so the dogs are stuck in here with me. I wish someone could take a picture, my entire office floor is covered in dogs!

[SevenDogs]

This morning Angel came running for breakfast, but she is funny, she is wagging away for the first two bits, then she sort of remembers that she is supposed to be afraid of me

This is a really important step that shows she is really making progress! It is so great that her first instinct is now that you are something to associate with love (and good eats!) and not fear! :yes:

She may have a bit of an internal battle of the instincts for awhile, but good is winning!

[MunchkinsMom]

Tonight she was waiting for me for dinner, and came running to me, ate two bits of meatballs, then stretched and laid down practically at my feet. But when I crouched down to offer her a third bite, she got up and backed away a few feet, but I was able to talk her into taking the third piece from my hand.

So, I think that laying down at my feed is a good sign?

She is rapidly becoming more comfortable about coming in to eat while I am in the barn, but she watches me, and will only come in if I look busy. Otherwise she just lays outside the barn with her head on her paws and watches.

[Jaegermonster]

The lying down is a wonderful sign that she is trusting you more.
I bet it won't be long til she shows you her belly.

[SevenDogs]

Tonight she was waiting for me for dinner, and came running to me, ate two bits of meatballs, then stretched and laid down practically at my feet. But when I crouched down to offer her a third bite, she got up and backed away a few feet, but I was able to talk her into taking the third piece from my hand.

So, I think that laying down at my feed is a good sign?

HUGE!!! :yes: :) :yes:

[3horsemom]

wow! that is a great sign. poor angel...so conflicted.

[MunchkinsMom]

I know, I can sense her internal conflict daily, but every little sign that she is overcoming her fears is so encouraging. I just keep reminding myself that this will take how ever long it takes.

[Jaegermonster]

I know that i for one really think we need some new pictures.

[harveyhorses]

So, I think that laying down at my feed is a good sign?


That is great! She has come so far, you have been so good with her. This is like our own special story. At least that is how I feel. Thank you for being such a good poster. Inquiring minds want to know:yes:

[lovemyoldguy]

MM, I just want to tell you how much I enjoy your posts! I don't know how you have time for it, what with a job, horses, family, etc.; but I get excited every time you post an update...I'm always waiting to hear what Angel has done now! Thank you for spending so much time and effort earning restoring Angel's faith in humans, and thank you for taking us along on the ride with you.

(Also, I want to come down for dinner some time...sesame chicken! Steak! That dog eats better than I do. :lol:)

You rock, MM! :yes:

[MunchkinsMom]

Aww, shucks, thanks! It really does not add extra work to my day, I am blessed that I work from home as a full time telecommuter, and my job is as a systems analyst on the computer all the time. So, I get to run down to the barn on lunch breaks all the time, and it only takes a few extra minutes to pay some attention to Angel while I am down there anyway. And since I am on the computer all day, I take a few breaks and post the updates.

And I really appreciate having all of you to share this experience with, my family does show some interest in my progress, but not as much as the good folks on COTH!

[MHM]

And I really appreciate having all of you to share this experience with, my family does show some interest in my progress, but not as much as the good folks on COTH!

Well, you're not taking the food out of OUR mouths to feed the best bits to Angel! :lol:

[MunchkinsMom]

Every day now, it seems that Angel shows another sign of progess.

This morning, I went down with the food, she ran to me, ate three bites from my hand, and I headed to the barn with the rest. I was in a rush, since I overslept and had an early morning meeting to attend. I put the food in the dish, and went out to gather up the newspapers (not one today, but two - not sure where she is finding the papers) and the plastic bottle that she brought home. Well, instead of heading into the barn for the food, she actually followed me around the field while I was picking up after her. When I say follow, she was close enough to be touched, and I did reach down with my hand as I was walking, to see if she would rub against it like my house dogs do, but she didn't. I was so touched by that, because in my mind that means she is picking my companionship over food. I was also torn, because I wanted to scold her for bringing home the papers and the trash, but I'm sure in her mind that she is bringing me gifts - or at least bringing home toys, and I didn't want her to think I was scolding her for following me, so all I did was tell her what a good dog she is. I do need to have a chat with her about the newspapers. Of course it would be helpful if the paper delivery folks would stop leaving the papers where she can get them.

After that I had to go round up the horses who had spent the evening outside, so they could have breakfast and get their fly masks on. Usually they are hanging out at the barn for breakfast, but if I am late, they give up and go graze. Angel did not follow me, but she didn't go in and eat while I was gone either. As I was bringing in the last horse (no idea why he was not in a rush for breakfast), she got up and followed him to the barn. And she ate while they ate.

[MunchkinsMom]

Well, you're not taking the food out of OUR mouths to feed the best bits to Angel! :lol:

LOL - valid point, but then again, I only take the leftovers if they have not been eaten in a day or two. . . well, the sesame chicken is another story, and someone in the house ate the rest of it for lunch yesterday.

[lcw579]

I wanted to scold her for bringing home the papers and the trash, but I'm sure in her mind that she is bringing me gifts - or at least bringing home toys, and I didn't want her to think I was scolding her for following me, so all I did was tell her what a good dog she is.


It could be worse, one of our dogs used to bring us dead groundhogs! Wouldn't take them off for burial until we had acknowledged the gift with a proper "thank you" either!

Angel seems to be making quicker progress - won't be long now till she's getting belly rubs!

[Jaegermonster]

It won't be long now for sure

[equusvilla]

MM - I know time is a premium for you but, have you ever tried to just go outside and lay down on the ground when she is out there. Ignore her. If you do this for several minutes (at least 10) at a time for several times, you will notice that she will get closer and closer to you.

This is what I had to do - per my vets advice - to earn the trust of an abused dog we adopted. He would lay by me - a little closer every time until one day I looked over at him and said his name and he came over and put his head on my arm. Our whole relationship changed after that. He was the best family dog and so devoted to our safety.

Edited to say that I was just reading the beginning pages of your post and I realized that I already responded with the same answer...however - I believe that it may work better now that she is not as scared of you as she was 5 months ago!

[Jaegermonster]

MM is in central FL, and right now you can hardly see dry ground down here much less try to lie down on it. LOL
and even if you could you wouldn't last long before the various creepy crawlies made off with you

[MunchkinsMom]

MM is in central FL, and right now you can hardly see dry ground down here much less try to lie down on it. LOL
and even if you could you wouldn't last long before the various creepy crawlies made off with you

Ain't that the truth! Well, we are dry here (nice and high on a hill with sandy soil and a limestone base), but you don't even dare stand in one spot too long, especially if you didn't check for ant hill first. Luckily for whatever reason, the love-bugs have not been bad yet. We have had 12 inches of rain in the past two weeks alone!

What I want to do is get out the foot stool and start to just sit in the barn aisle while she comes in to eat, and keep a few treats at my feet, and see if she will come to me to get them.

I do think the laying on the ground might work, but not willing to risk my life to find out. Meaning being eaten alive by the creepy crawlie things.

[equusvilla]

Ain't that the truth! Well, we are dry here (nice and high on a hill with sandy soil and a limestone base), but you don't even dare stand in one spot too long, especially if you didn't check for ant hill first. Luckily for whatever reason, the love-bugs have not been bad yet. We have had 12 inches of rain in the past two weeks alone!

What I want to do is get out the foot stool and start to just sit in the barn aisle while she comes in to eat, and keep a few treats at my feet, and see if she will come to me to get them.

I do think the laying on the ground might work, but not willing to risk my life to find out. Meaning being eaten alive by the creepy crawlie things.


Ha ha - I agree...disregard my last post!

[3horsemom]

i know all about fire ants having grown up on the gulf coast but what if you laid in a chaise lounge? of course i cannot imagine that you have 10 spare minutes but perhaps you could take some paper work outside and just sit and work near angel for a bit. you would still be low to the ground but not ant bait.
angel is so close to getting a belly/ear rub. the suspense is killing me.

[xsalute]

I just love hearing about you and Angel. You're such a good storyteller, I can't wait to hear what is new in your journey.

[MunchkinsMom]

Egads, my mother in law cooked the meatballs that I just bought for Angel for our human dinner! That's what I get for not burying them deep in the freezer. At least we had some left over, and I didn't have to heat them up. I'll be running to the grocery store again tomorrow.

Before I went to feed the barn beasties, I was on the porch with my mother in law, and we spotted Angel in the field. My mother in law told me how she stood and watched Angel and my youngest horse playing tag in the field this morning before she went to work.

As I was heading to the barn, Angel ran under the fence and was laying right outside the fence line watching the neighbors property again. There were some carpenters working there, building a gazebo in her yard. I called Angel, and for the first time she actually came back under the fence into the pasture, and ran to me. She ate at least 6 bites of food from my hand tonight, came into the tack room while I was dishing out horse feed, and then laid quietly right outside the barn while I did a few chores. Then I saw her out under the trees, it looked like she was hunting squirrels, so I got a pig's ear, called her, she came running, then barked at me while doing the happy-dog-dance. So I threw the pigs ear as far as I could, she ran after it, snatched it up, and raced across the field, with her tail high in the air, happy as a clam! It was just too cute.

When she finished that treat, she came back to watch me do more chores, but she was higher on the hill so she could have a better view of the whole neighborhood.

Now, this was the really cute part. One of my chores tonight was to dig up prickly pear cactus (an ongoing battle, but I am winning). My pastures are in a "U" shape, with the house in the middle, and the barn on one side. I was on the other side of the "U" with the wheelbarrow and shovel, and the horses were grazing on that side also. Next thing I know, I look up, and Angel was with us on that side of the pasture. I called her, she looked at me, wagged her tail, then went under the fence to the vacant farm next door (which used to be her old hangout). I think she wanted to check on me, and then go hunting for a while.

[MunchkinsMom]

i know all about fire ants having grown up on the gulf coast but what if you laid in a chaise lounge? of course i cannot imagine that you have 10 spare minutes but perhaps you could take some paper work outside and just sit and work near angel for a bit. you would still be low to the ground but not ant bait.
angel is so close to getting a belly/ear rub. the suspense is killing me.

I'll try to remember to find a lounge chair at my next trip to Wal-Mart, all we have for portable chairs are the camp style chairs that I take to shows. It might be a good idea.

She is still a bit nervous if her teeth or lips touch my fingers while she is eating from my hand. And to think I was worried that she might accidentally bite me.

[MHM]

Egads, my mother in law cooked the meatballs that I just bought for Angel for our human dinner!

D'oh! That's just wrong! Bad mother in law! :lol:

[mlranchtx]

What about laying on a blanket? Or the barn aisle, is it dirt? Maybe the barn aisle is a little safer than the pasture... Just a thought. I live in TX and I know all about fire ants :mad:

I too check this thread often and think it's great!

[Crooked Horse]

This thread makes me happy.

:)

[danceronice]

i know all about fire ants having grown up on the gulf coast but what if you laid in a chaise lounge? of course i cannot imagine that you have 10 spare minutes but perhaps you could take some paper work outside and just sit and work near angel for a bit. you would still be low to the ground but not ant bait.
angel is so close to getting a belly/ear rub. the suspense is killing me.

After being chomped by fire ants on a visit to FL a while back, I was going to say--you couldn't pay me to lie on ground that wasn't a beach!

Sounds like she's getting so close....*crosses fingers*

[EponaRoan]

Egads, my mother in law cooked the meatballs that I just bought for Angel for our human dinner!I've had friends think the dog leftovers in the fridge were for human consumption. :lol::lol::lol: Then again, I just made 'dog stew' in the crockpot using marked down meat, a bag of frozen veggies and a tiny bit of water. Makes a big yummy slush since my boy is not enjoying the heat this year and his appetite has been off. But not off enough to resist dog stew, so maybe he's playing me to get the a/c turned down and special goodies! :yes:

[MunchkinsMom]

My fault for not putting a big note on the bag saying "DOG FOOD"! Oh well, good excuse to go back to the grocery store.

No newspapers in the field today, either the weekend delivery person is smarter, or my neighbors called to complain.

Angel was a little less skittish about my fingers touching her lips today at breakfast time. She got a little jumpy when one of my neighbors stopped while driving by to chat, but she did go in and eat while I was on the fenceline, then she went back to nap under the trailer.

I'll be back later, de-cobwebbing the barn is on my to-do list today - and that is NOT my idea of a good time.

[MunchkinsMom]

UGH! Even with a duster on a 7 foot pole, I still managed to get one spider land on me! I'm sure I don't need to describe the dance and the um..."colorful language" that I was using during that scene :eek:. And now I have bug guts on my shirt. But first I wanted to log on and give you all an update, before I go jump into the shower.

First, I brought in the horses for dinner, put Angel's food in the bowl, went out with a few treats in hand for her, she ate two, and then came in to eat while I was dishing out feed. Angel finished eating and layed down outside in the sand. I left the horses in, and drove the truck down to the barn to unload the grain. Angel did not even get up as I was backing in. I opened the truck door, looked at her laying 4 feet from the truck and said "do you want to go for a ride?" She got up and moved away. So I said "I guess the answer is no". I unloaded the grain, moved the truck back up to the house, and went back to the barn. I got a beggin strip, and brought it out to Angel, trying to see if she would take it from me. She started talking to me in a lower voice (picture Bill Cosby doing Fat Albert's voice). So, I started talking back to her in the same voice. She stopped, and was cocking her head from side to side, so I had to laugh. But she still would not take it from me, so I tossed it and went back into the barn to let the horses out and start the nasty business of de-cobwebbing (I'm shuddering as I think of it).

Angel thought this was highly amusing, she stood right in the entrance to the barn watching me, cocking her head to the side, as if she was trying to figure out what I was up to today. I'm sure the "ugh-spider-dance" was the funniest to her, but I was too busy to notice what her reaction was to that!

When that chore was done, I grabbed the fire ant bait and headed out to treat a few new mounds. Next thing I know, Angel is practically next to me watching. So I said hello, and went about my business. Now, at the same time, my husband was working in the driveway on his latest project, and whistleing as he worked. Angel actually walked up to the fence and was watching him also. So I pointed this out to my husband, and he stopped and talked to her from where he was in the driveway.

Angel was panting a bit (it is rather warm out), so I said to her "Do you want to play in the sprinkler? Come on." And she followed me to where I set up the hose for her. At first the spray was too hard, and it made her cough as she was trying to bite the water, so I bumped it down to a lower spray setting, and she had a blast for 10 minutes playing in the water, biting at it and laying in it as it rained down on her! I was really laughing and wishing I had the camera with me, I will have to try it again with the camera in tow.

Once she was good and wet and had stopped playing, I shut off the hose, tossed her another pigs ear, and she is now happily laying in the field chewing on it.

So, I think all in all, today was a pretty good day!

[shea'smom]

That is one lucky dog :)

[jetsmom]

She sounds so happy!!!! She must think she hit the jackpot...food, playing, sprinklers!

[MunchkinsMom]

I'm thinking of getting her some sort of long tug type toy, and see if she will "attack" it if I drag it around. Maybe one of those long unstuffed soft toys they sell at TSC, since I have to go there tomorrow anyway. I think the cobweb duster was amusing to her, even when it was laying in the aisle (while I covered the water buckets) she kept staring at it with a bemused expression on her face.

[Jaegermonster]

This is amazing. It won't be long before you are able to touch her.
What if you just sit one day with a book or something and see what she does.
And I still think we need some more pictures.

[3Dogs]

please publish this. Please. And when I am reincarnated, I want to come back to YOUR farm as a stray :D

[3horsemom]

And I still think we need some more pictures.

and video!!

poor mm. like you do not do enough to keep us entertained already!

[Jaegermonster]

yes well you know a picture is worth a thousand words

:) :) :) :) LOL

[MunchkinsMom]

Okay, I can take a hint, I will do my best to bring the camera to the barn tomorrow. I just checked, the batter was low again, so I will let it recharge overnight.

And I am saving a copy of all my posts, so that I have something to go by when I do write this story.

[Jaegermonster]

I went back and looked at the other pictures of her from awhile ago. It will be interesting to see if she looks more comfortable and confident in the new pics.

[MunchkinsMom]

I went back and looked at the other pictures of her from awhile ago. It will be interesting to see if she looks more comfortable and confident in the new pics.

I hope it does come through in the pictures, because she does seem to be more confident every day. She is still jumpy if you make any sudden unexpected moves, but she doesn't run very far. It is a lot like desensitizing a spooky horse. And I am now at the point where I don't act any differently around her, I figure if she is going to live here, she does need to become accustomed to what I do all day every day.

[Jaegermonster]

You're on the right track.
I have a dog here that was seized in a cruelty investigation I did. For the first year she was here, if I had a coke or anything in my hands (I swing my arms when I walk around the farm, sort of part of my fitness program, if you will) and she came running up, she would duck and yelp and freak out and run off. After about a year she finally figured out that no one was going to hit her here, and come up and stay near me.
She also was extremely food aggressive, so much so she had to be separated from the other dogs to eat, or she would guard her food then attack them for theirs. That took about 6 months to get her over, now she's fine, she eats with everyone else. It's amazing the change when they know there will be more food, and there is enough for everyone.
She's been here now about 3 years, and she is still funny about sudden movements or around people she doesnt know. But the poor dog went through hell so I can't say that I blame her.
If they could only talk.

I can't wait to see the new pics.

[Buffyblue]

Can't wait to see the new pictures! You will need them later for your book, you know, so might as well get as many as you can!

[MunchkinsMom]

First, let me apologize for not getting pictures this weekend. I won't go into details, but as usual, nothing went according to plan at my farm.

So, Sunday, I scared the poor little dog. She came out from under the trailer in the morning to greet me, and had some cobwebs on her face. So as she took the bit of meatball from me, I instinctively reached down to try to wipe off the cobweb, and perhaps she thought I was trying to hit her, and it scared her, and set her back a few steps. I felt horrible about it.

Same thing at dinner, she would only take one bit from my hand, and was whining and not happy about things. She did come into the tack room while I was there, but I could tell that she was still on edge about it.

As a peace offering, I tried seeing if she wanted to play in the hose, but that didn't seem to interest her either, and even when I tossed some treats for her to fetch, her heart was not in it. I mean, she went to get them, but not with her usually enthusiasm.

So, I went to TSC for supplies, and got a tug rope toy for her, about 2 feet long with knots in it, and some McD's chicken nuggets. When I got home, I was carrying the nuggets and the TSC shopping bag with me, and she did come over to greet me. So I dropped the bag, and approached her with the nuggets. She ate one from my hand, but then kept eyeballing the shopping bag. I went back to the bag, took the tags off the toy, and said "Look what I have for Angel", and she got happily excited. So I gave it a good toss, and she ran after it, and was sooo happy! I saw her out there tossing it around, rolling on her back with it, just having fun.

That made me feel a bit better. I had to mow the fencelines (association rules, no grass higher than the bottom board on the fences for 18 inches on either side). When I came back, the toy was in the field, but no Angel. So I looked around and there she was in the drainage swale leaping around trying to catch bugs. I called to her, and went to get the toy, and she came back into the field. We played her version of fetch for a bit, and at one point, she had the toy, and I approached her and said "Can I play too?", and she crouched down until I was very close, and then snatched it up, and ran away - as if to play a game of keep away.

The peace offering must have worked, because she was better this morning. And after the horses were fed, and I picked up the newspaper from the field, we played a bit more with the new toy until I had to go to work.

It's funny, she is not wild about McD's chicken nuggets. And part of why I didn't get pictures was I was so worried that I had caused a major setback in our progress that I totally forgot about it.

But, I will try to get some tonight.

[MHM]

Aww. If you held one end of the rope toy, would she play tug of war with you?

[MunchkinsMom]

Aww. If you held one end of the rope toy, would she play tug of war with you?

Not yet. I did try dragging it around behind me to see if she would grab it, maybe if I put a piece of baling twine on it so that it is further away from me, I will have to try that today.

[lovemyoldguy]

And after the horses were fed, and I picked up the newspaper from the field, we played a bit more with the new toy until I had to go to work.


I love this - it's just part of your daily routine now. :lol: "Feed horses...fill trough....pick up newspaper Angel has strewn all over the field.....apologize to neighbor....log onto conference call...."

[Indy]

I love this - it's just part of your daily routine now. :lol: "Feed horses...fill trough....pick up newspaper Angel has strewn all over the field.....apologize to neighbor....log onto conference call...."

"...log onto COTH and update people about Angel's antics..."

[harveyhorses]

She has come so far, I don't think you set her back that much, if she forgives you for Mc-D chicken nuggets!!
I would have held out for Wendy's at least:winkgrin:
She sounds so much happier than she was when you first told us about her! I love the image I have of her playing catch with herself.

[MunchkinsMom]

. . . and laugh at my COTH friends' replies! Thanks!

I forgot to mention that yesterday was Sunday, so there was a large quantity of paper to pick up. The neighbor came over the fence to help, and I did apologize, and she said "hey, not your fault, we call the paper every day to complain that they don't put it in the box, and they still don't do it". I should have told her that they should deduct the cost of the paper from their payment in the future, but that probably won't work either.

I did ask the neighbor if she wanted to try to salvage any of the remains of the newspaper, she just laughed and said no.

[SevenDogs]

Angel wandered into the right neighborhood!

[Jaegermonster]

I don't think you hurt things too much. If anything, she has learned now that you aren't going to hit her, which is good. And she seems to have recovered.
To add on the baling twine pull toy thing, what if you made it really long (The baling twine, Imean) and gradually pulled it closer to you over a period of time. She may not even notice that she is getting closer to you.

[MHM]

Angel wandered into the right neighborhood!

Understatement!!

I too would advise the neighbor to not pay for papers that aren't delivered per instructions. Sometimes money talks.

On the other hand, as long as Angel's having fun shredding them.... :lol:

[EponaRoan]

I don't think you set her back - as a matter of fact, long term it might even be a step forward - a little push if you will! Most f the rehomed dogs I get are sort of funny about having their eyes wiped/faces messed with until they figure out that I won't hurt them and that it feels good/better. :yes:

[MunchkinsMom]

The long awaited photo updates are done. I created an entire album on Picture Trail for your viewing pleasure:

http://www.PictureTrail.com/gid22112544&pathID=2101919 (http://www.picturetrail.com/gid22112544&pathID=2101919)

At dinner I went out with camera and chicken nuggets in hand. Angel was out playing in the sprinkler by the gates. I was hoping to be able to get a picture of her playing in the sprinkler, but as soon as she spotted me, she came running. I took a few photos, and then she ate one bit of chicken from my hand, and then started whining. So I said "Fine, come with me to the barn" and she started to follow me. Unfortunately, so did the horses, so she stopped at her usual waiting spot while I got them situated.

She would not come in to eat, but I did get some pictures of her peeking into the barn.

Then we went out to play, and she was too funny, she fetched it once, then I went to her to get the toy, saying "can I play too?", and then I picked up the toy, and pretended to "play" with it like a dog, and you should have seen her looking at me then. I tried dragging it about, but that did not entice her to chase it (and I forgot the baling twine). So I tossed it for her, she grabbed it, and ran like a thief under the fence with it, almost as if she were saying "HA HA, I outsmarted you, now you can't get it". I tried to get a picture of her running with the toy, but all I got was her tail!

[3horsemom]

great photos! thank you for doing this. i am sure that i am not the only one who has so much emotion invested in this dog. i want her to know kindness and love so badly. i love her look so i will be the first to say that if (and i hope and pray this does not happen) angels comes up preggers, i hope you will consider sending one my way.
angel looks so shepherdy to me. if someone mistreated her she is too smart to be mistreated again. once she commits to you mm, angel will be your best dog ever!

[MunchkinsMom]

Something tells me that if she were to end up with a litter of puppies, I would have a line of people waiting in my driveway :D. My neighbor and I did comment on how cute the pups would be if she were to breed with one of the male shepards in the neighborhood. Not that we want that, heaven knows we don't need to add to the overpopulation of dogs.

[Reds-n-Greys]

New Angel photos!!! YEAH!!!!

[Jaegermonster]

Yay! New Angel photos! Butt shaking happy dance! RooROO!

[MHM]

Great pictures- thanks for posting them!

I love her look with the new rope toy:

It's MY toy! Mine, mine, mine, all mine! :lol:

[SevenDogs]

What a sweet, sweet face! Thank you for the pictures MM!! :)

[Buffyblue]

Aw, those are great! She's a cutie!

[lcw579]

Thanks for the pix! She has such a sweet face. You can add me to the line of cars that would be in the driveway to pick up a pup. :lol:

[Indy]

Love the new pictures! She's adorable.

[VWBug]

She seems to have lost that haunted, hunted look from her earlier photos! Yippee! And isn't she beautiful?

[Chief2]

Nice photos, MM. She is a very pretty girl!

[MunchkinsMom]

Thanks everyone, I like looking at her pictures too!

No newspapers in the field this morning, which means one of three things a) my neighbor cancelled his paper delivery b) my neighbor got to the paper before Angel did or c) the paper delivery person finally got it into the box. Good thing, because I had a very early morning meeting today, so morning chores were a bit rushed or postponed for lunch break.

I went down with meatballs in hand, and Angel was very intent on something at the side of the barn. She did come to greet me, and ate two bits of meatball, and I did manage to every so briefly touch the edge of her chin with my finger. Then she went back to the side of the barn, where I noticed she has been busy digging - I'm sure she is trying to get the mice, that actually have nests inside the walls. She did not come in to eat breakfast, because she was too busy on a "mice hunt".

She did take her rope toy somewhere overnight, it was not in the field at breakfast, but at lunchtime, it reappeared. She was napping under the trailer, so I didn't wake her since I don't usually feed her at lunchtime, and if she comes out, then she gets a treat, otherwise I let her rest.

[Go Fish]

Waaa...that photo of her waiting at the entrance to the barn just breaks my heart. Damn, Angel! Give it up! You'll have the best gig in the world, you little stinker!

[SevenDogs]

Thanks everyone, I like looking at her pictures too!


I went down with meatballs in hand, and Angel was very intent on something at the side of the barn. She did come to greet me, and ate two bits of meatball, and I did manage to every so briefly touch the edge of her chin with my finger. Then she went back to the side of the barn, where I noticed she has been busy digging - I'm sure she is trying to get the mice, that actually have nests inside the walls. She did not come in to eat breakfast, because she was too busy on a "mice hunt".



Two Big steps forward -- you touched her and she didn't freak out (no matter how brief the touch was) AND she is comfortable enough knowing that there will always be food that she didn't stop her mice hunt for breakfast (which is also a good sign that she won't be food aggressive around your other dogs when she makes it into the house soon). Two BIGGIES in one day!! :yes: :) :yes:

[MunchkinsMom]

I think my next goal will be to see if and when I can get her to take food from my hand in the barn aisle. Tonight I went down to feed, didn't see her in any of her usually spots, put the two horses that were already in the barn in their correct stalls, and called horse number 3 to come in. As soon as I did that, I spotted Angel in the drainage swale, her head popped up, and she came running as soon as I said "Come, come, Angel". So I grabbed the baggie of food, and she did her little song and dance routine at one bit from my hand, and would not take any more than that. And of course she then layed in the sand outside the barn waiting for me to finish, so I got one soft treat and put it just inside the barn so that she had to at least take one step in to get it, which she did without any problem.

I think she wanted to play after dinner, but a big t-storm is rumbling in, so I told her I would be back to play later (when I take the fly masks off in another 2 hours).

[starrysky]

Yay for Angel photos! She is ADORABLE. Reminds me of my doggie who passed last May. I love this thread!

[MunchkinsMom]

This morning, Angel was very, very dirty, she must have had some party out there, or maybe just from running in the wet grass and then the sand. No newspapers again this morning! She didn't run to greet me because she was flat out asleep in the shade near the barn when I went down to feed and turnout.

I need to go get more food for her (plenty of dog food and dog treats, we need more leftovers). This morning it was turkey sandwich meat and cheese! That she would take from me, the begging strips I still have to toss for her to fetch, I guess in her mind, because I did it once, that is the routine now.

I had a brainstorm last night, based on some past suggestions from you good people here on COTH. I will take my most trustworthy dog (the brittany) to the gate with me this afternoon, and let Angel watch me feed her and interact with her, then see what Angel does. I am betting she will not come over until Murphy is back in the house. I want to use Murphy because she is the only one that does not bark at Angel from the front yard.

[Foxhound]

One of the cats at my trainer's barn came as a semi-feral. He disappeared for a while right after he was released, then showed up again a year later, like nothing had happened. He hung out with the other cats, but we could barely look at him without him running off. The barn cats at the farm get lots of attention, and after a while, he seemed to be watching them get petted and treats. Eventually, he was brave enough to come up and get treats with the rest, but didn't want to get too close to people. It took a while, but finally we were able to pet him while he was eating his treats, and he realized that getting his butt scratched felt really good!
He's still a little shy, and doesn't care for being picked up, but now he's happy to approach people in order to get petted and brushed, as long as his brother barn cats are there. He will probably always be leery of strangers, and disappears into the hay loft during the schooling shows that my trainer hosts.
I think that seeing the other cats enjoy treats and attention won him over. I hope seeing your dog get petted helps Angel the same way.

[MunchkinsMom]

Well, unfortunately both the weather and work did not allow me to try my experiment tonight, t-storms rolling over, and a late running meeting (til 6:30 PM). But, we did have steak for dinner, so I had a baggie full of steak to bring with me.

Angel came running as soon as she saw me, met me practically at the gate, doing her song and dance routine, ate two pieces of steak from my hand, would not lick my fingers, and then started to back away, so the steak went with me to the barn. She did come in and eat while I was feeding, but not while I was in the tack room. It was funny, when she ran to me, she came very close (within arms length) and looked like she was smiling like my house dogs do.

Then she did something that really surprised me. I was heading back to the house, and she followed me to the gate! I stopped, with the gate open and said "do you want to come?" She just stood there. So I said "do you want to play?" and she started jumping around and barking! So I said "Let's go find your toy" and she started to closely follow me to where her toy was (and it took me a minute or two to spot it). She was so happy. We played a short game of fetch/keep away, and when she acted like she didn't want to play anymore I said "one more treat" and came back out with a Beggin Strip, which I tossed for her and she ran gleefully to get it.

This time she didn't follow me to the gate. When I got back to the house, I watched her go into the barn, grab one of the Beggin Strips that I had left in the bowl, and run out with her tail wagging with the treat.

Maybe I am learning to read her as well as she is trying to learn to read me. I know that before she got braver she would spend a lot of time watching me interact with the horses, including hand feeding treats to them. I do think that she did process that in some fashion, since she does act as if my horses are her "pack". I would like to think that in her own doggie mind that she figured out that I am really a good person, and that over time bit by bit she will overcome her fears.

I'm sure I am learning some lessons from this also, to be as patient as possible, and that some things just take whatever time they take to happen.

[jetsmom]

Aww..these stories make me smile.

[SevenDogs]

I would like to think that in her own doggie mind that she figured out that I am really a good person, and that over time bit by bit she will overcome her fears.




Already happening from where I sit! :yes:

I like the idea of letting her see you interract with one of your dogs too!

[MunchkinsMom]

Oh, I felt so bad for Angel this morning, she is being tormented by flies! Which, by the way, she is good at catching. I wish I could pet her and catch her and spray her with fly spray! Poor little girl. If she would hang out in the tack room or the stalls, she could get a dusting of fly spray from the automatic dispensers. I don't think I am at a point where I could just spray her while she was loose and I would worry about getting it into her eyes or nose.

This morning she came running, and sat at my feet, and ate ALL the steak in the bag from my hands (about 10 pieces) but would not lick my fingers. I would feed her a few bits, then walk away saying "come, come Angel" and she would follow me, I would say "good girl" and give her two more bites until it was gone. Then she came to the tack room to see if there was more, so I put some dog treats on top of the dry dog food in her bowl, and she made a game of that, she would come in, grab a treat, and with her tail wagging, run out to the grass to eat it.

[VWBug]

I think it would now take a stick of dynamite to get Angel to leave your place. :) Heck I'm thinking of moving in - great food, toys, games, newspapers to read...etc.

[MunchkinsMom]

I think it would now take a stick of dynamite to get Angel to leave your place. :) Heck I'm thinking of moving in - great food, toys, games, newspapers to read...etc.

Well, for the first time in a long time she was not anywhere to be found at dinner time. I even ran the mower (to spread the manure), walked the field picking up her toys and calling her, nothing :no:. I even went out by the abandoned (for sale) farm next door and called her, still nothing. We did have some pretty severe thunderstorms roll through this afternoon, so I just hope she was hunkered down somewhere to stay out of the storms and turns up in a few hours. I suppose a bad storm is natures equivalent of a stick of dynamite. I'll keep you all posted.

Off to jingle for Angel that she is ok.

[harveyhorses]

She is a smart girl, she will come back when the coast is clear.
Doesn't she know we worry?!
Jingles.
One of my cats pulled that last night, she got to spend the night in the neighbors garage. He said he opened the door and all he saw was an orange and white streak. I think she went in to escape one of our storms. Their yard has better hunting.

[MunchkinsMom]

WHEW! She's Back! I went out to do some swimming pool cleanup (damned storms) and there she was laying like the Queen of Sheba next to the barn. So I dropped what I was doing, and went out to the barn. When I got into the field, she ran up to me, and sniffed. I said "It's in the barn, come". She followed right at my heels until I hit the barn aisle, then she layed down and waited. She ate all the steak from my hand, and didn't even flinch if she made contact with my fingers with her teeth. When the steak was gone, I went back into the barn to put more dry food and treats into her bowl, and there she was waiting for me next to the tack room. So I put a biscuit on the floor, she picked it up and trotted out to the grass to eat it.

I feel so much better now.

[3Dogs]

wonderful pictures - thank you so much as I delight in keeping up with "Adventures with Angel"

[Blacklabs]

Add me to the Angel fan club, just love following your stories and was worried this evening when no Angel.

She's adorable and your doing a great job. Thanks for sharing her with us.

[Gunnar]

WHEW! She's Back! I went out to do some swimming pool cleanup (damned storms) and there she was laying like the Queen of Sheba next to the barn. So I dropped what I was doing, and went out to the barn. When I got into the field, she ran up to me, and sniffed. I said "It's in the barn, come". She followed right at my heels until I hit the barn aisle, then she layed down and waited. She ate all the steak from my hand, and didn't even flinch if she made contact with my fingers with her teeth. When the steak was gone, I went back into the barn to put more dry food and treats into her bowl, and there she was waiting for me next to the tack room. So I put a biscuit on the floor, she picked it up and trotted out to the grass to eat it.

I feel so much better now. Thank god! We were worried! :yes:

[sandy&boris]

reading these posts. Wonderful story! Thank-you for making a stray dog trust and feel love again! Did I miss pictures somewhere?

[sandy&boris]

reading these posts. Wonderful story! Thank-you for making a stray dog trust and feel love again! Did I miss pictures somewhere?

found the pictures, they are wonderful! She is such a cute dog!

[Reds-n-Greys]

Every day a little step. :yes: She's trying so hard and you're amazing MM. How does Angel react to the rest of the family?

[SevenDogs]

Phew! Even though I knew she would be back, I found myself holding my breath as I logged on to this thread!

[MunchkinsMom]

Every day a little step. :yes: She's trying so hard and you're amazing MM. How does Angel react to the rest of the family?

She does not interact with anyone else in my family yet. She does watch the kids when they play in the pool or on the trampoline, one day about two months ago she was barking at them. She watches from a safe distance when I bring people to the barn, but if they try to approach her she slinks away still. Now that my daughter is home for the summer with school out, I will have her come to the barn and start to toss treats out to Angel so that perhaps she can associate my daughter with good things also. About a month ago I had to go away for the weekend, and my mother in law was doing feeding chores, and Angel would hide from her also, but she would come in and eat after she had left the barn (I had my MIL put her food in the bowl and make sure she had fresh water every day). And there was that funny thing last weekend when she was watching my husband work, where she actually came up to the fence to check it out. She might find him interesting because several times a day he will take the house dogs (well the 3 that are obedient anyway) for a walk around the outside of the house and I know she has watched them do that quite a bit. She does not try to interact with the house dogs at all. Even if they go to the fence line (there is no-climb so they can't get out and Angel can't get in at that section) she does not approach them at all.

I was on my way to bed, but had to log in and tell you this positive thing. I just put the horses in for the night, gave them their midnight meal (yes, all my animals are treated like royalty here) and was headed back to the house when I spotted Angel in the field, this time in the part where it is lit by the barn light. So I went back into the field, called her, and she came running to me, I said "come Angel, lets get a treat", and she followed at my heels right up to the barn again, but not inside. I got a Beggin Strip, and brought it out to her, but I had to toss it for her, I guess that is the new thing, that Beggin Strips are for playing fetch! This is the first time that she has come to me in the dark.

[MunchkinsMom]

I was just sitting her doing a mental inventory on how far Angel has come, and how her progess appears to be increasing. I do hope that means that she will be domesticated soon. I mean from running away from any contact to now coming when she is called, following at my heels, and eating from my hand - I guess that is good progress.

This morning she came running when I called her, did her song and dance, and then nicely sat in front of me as I hand fed her the baggie of steak bits. She then followed me to the barn, then ran around to the tack room side, and did come in to get food from the bowl. I am now also able to walk past her and she doesn't run away - there is still a bit of a startle response on her side, but I find if I ignore it, she does her best to overcome it.

ARG - the weather here is horrible, I'm watching another torrential downpour and lightning from my office window. I hope these blow through soon. And I hope Angel found someplace to get out of the weather.

[vineyridge]

At this point, it seems to me that you are just dragging this out unnecessarily. She likes you. She's touched you. She seems to trust you fairly well.

If you really wanted to get this over, you'd take the time and sit down on the ground with a book, some treats, and wait for her to come to you. We all know that works with feral dogs if enough time is taken, and she is now far from feral.

[lovemyoldguy]

As has been noted already, sitting on the ground is not an option for MM - fire ants and other nasty things abound in her neck of the woods. I actually think that she's doing a fabulous job with Angel, and moving at the right pace. Clearly what she's doing is working - look how far Angel has come. Why push things and set progress back? I don't think there's anything to 'get over' -- this is a long process with no finite destination. Angel is clearly building up her nerve to trust MM more and more...she'll dictate when she's ready for that next step.

[SevenDogs]

MM: You are making incredible progress. Please don't be swayed by people who think they know more than you and/or try to rush you. This is YOUR dog and your instincts have been right on the money. You know what is best.

:yes: :yes: :yes:

[MunchkinsMom]

I agree, the lesson I am learning here is that it takes as long as it takes. In the past when we tried to rush Angel, it did set her back. For example several months ago my neighbor persisted in following Angel around, and Angel would not even come to her farm after that incident, if my neighbor was out and about.

Dogs do not appear to be like horses, with the concept in horses that you make them move until they want to come to you. The one similar training concept that I have learned is that when introducing something scarey to both dogs and horses is the timing of knowing when to back off with the scarey thing. In Angels case in particular I have found that as soon as she backs away, instead of following her, it is better if I just quit, and let her approach instead.

I just love how she follows me now, and I feel that soon she will follow me into the barn, it will just take some time.

Last night when she ran to me, I offered the back of my hand for her to sniff, but she only sniffed from a distance, she didn't attempt to touch it. But this morning, just the fact that she sat quietly while accepting the treats was a big step for her.

I'm also trying to find time in my busy schedule to take some vacation days from work, and spend the whole day at the barn and interacting with her as much as possible, but right now my work load does not have any room for vacations, too many overdue tasks that need to be done to keep my project on schedule. At least I have fewer after work activities for my daughter now that school is out.

[3horsemom]

do you think that angel goes in your barn during inclimate weather? would there be room to put a dog bed in the tack room? just thinking about someway to give angel a "spot" to go to whenever she needed.

[MunchkinsMom]

do you think that angel goes in your barn during inclimate weather? would there be room to put a dog bed in the tack room? just thinking about someway to give angel a "spot" to go to whenever she needed.

No, she does not go into my barn during the rain, and I do have that old bath rug and a bunch of her old toys in the tack room, so she could go curl up if she chose to, but it appears that she hides out at the empty farm next door - which is where she was "living" before she started hanging out here.

I need to figure out a way to secure a dog bed in the tack room, or she would drag it out into the field and gut it!

[MunchkinsMom]

This afternoon I took advantage of an opportunity, I was on the back porch with my dog Murphy, and Angel was in the field fairly close to the fence. So I brought Murphy out with me to the fence. She barked a bit at Angel, but it was her friendly bark, and Angel did wag and whine and approach the fence, but did not come close enough to touch noses. So I patted Murphy all over in front of Angel, saying what a good dog she was, then called her to come back to the house. Halfway back to the house Angel approached the fence, so I brought Murphy back out. Angel backed away a short distance, but didn't appear to be afraid.

Then a few hours later, I went out with steak in hand, and didn't see Angel in the field, not under the trailer, so I was scanning around looking for her, and I happened to spot her in the yard, sleeping under my husbands Jeep! I called her, and she looked at me, but didn't get up, so I brought the steak back up to the house. She came out and ate maybe 5 pieces while in the back yard. When she started to back away I said "ok, let's go to the barn" and went back out to the barn. She did not follow closely, but she did make it past my pack of barking house dogs who were in the front yard barking at her, and under the section of pasture fence along the drivewhere that does not have any no-climb. That meant she had to go within 15 feet of the barking dogs to get into the pasture.

So, I called her, she came running, ate a bit more steak, and then I brought the rest into the barn. She spent the rest of the time coming in and out to eat, at one point she was in the tack room, and I walked right past her to put the feed buckets back in the tack room, and she didn't even flinch.

I still feel bad for her, she has more flies on her than the horses do, I need to figure out a way to spray her or something soon.

So, I think that she put two and two together when she saw me with Murphy, and that Murphy followed me back to the house, and figured maybe she would try coming closer to the house.

[CB/TB]

Don't know if it would work, but , if you could find a garlic supplement for dogs it might be worth a try . It does seem to repel flies from some horses. Kind of late in the season, but give it a month or so and maybe Angel won't be so tasty to the nasty things. Unless you could find a tablet or a way to mix a powdered garlic onto her food there might be some way she 'd eat it, but maybe you could just lightly dampen the dry so a powder would stick. Or, maybe mixing ot in a cheap BBQ sauce might entice her, or human gravy flavors?.

[MunchkinsMom]

Don't know if it would work, but , if you could find a garlic supplement for dogs it might be worth a try . It does seem to repel flies from some horses. Kind of late in the season, but give it a month or so and maybe Angel won't be so tasty to the nasty things. Unless you could find a tablet or a way to mix a powdered garlic onto her food there might be some way she 'd eat it, but maybe you could just lightly dampen the dry so a powder would stick. Or, maybe mixing ot in a cheap BBQ sauce might entice her, or human gravy flavors?.

Thanks, I think I will have to give it a try.

She broke my heart tonight. After my last post, my brother in law (he and his family are visiting for the weekend) and I were out in the yard, and Angel was in the pasture, but right next to the fence. So he asked me her story, and as I was telling it, she didnt' run away. He tried crouching down and talking sweetly to her throught the fence, but she would not come closer, but did not run away either.

And then about 30 minutes later, the whole gang of us were getting into our cars to go to dinner, and she came into the driveway, watching everyone. My father in law (who does not have a clue as to dog behavior and spoils the house dogs rotten by no discipline) thought he could just walk up to her, and of course as soon as he started shuffling over, she went back under the fence.

When we came home from dinner, I went down to take the fly masks off the horses and give them some dinner (they get to stay out all night tonight so I can sleep in a bit). Yet another storm is rolling in. Angel was out in the field, I brought her a beggin strip, then she followed me back to the barn. I had put more treats into her bowl, I told her what a good girl she is and that I would see her in the morning. I shut off the barn lights, headed to the gate, and heard the pitter patter of her feet in the damp grass. I opened the gate and asked her if she wanted to come, and she just looked at me, and she looked so forlorn, it broke my heart. If it were not starting to rain, I would have stayed out there with her (to heck with the house guests).

I just can't wait to be able to pet her and hug her like I do with all my other dogs.

[texang73]

I've been a lurker on this thread, but I just wanted to tell you how wonderful and heart-warming it is... the time and care and consideration you have given (and continue to give) Angel is absolutely amazing, and I applaud you for it. You are making a wonderful, "for life" friend with this sweet dog. Thank you, and congrats on the progress you have made. :) I look forward to more updates.

[MunchkinsMom]

Don't know if it would work, but , if you could find a garlic supplement for dogs it might be worth a try . It does seem to repel flies from some horses. Kind of late in the season, but give it a month or so and maybe Angel won't be so tasty to the nasty things. Unless you could find a tablet or a way to mix a powdered garlic onto her food there might be some way she 'd eat it, but maybe you could just lightly dampen the dry so a powder would stick. Or, maybe mixing ot in a cheap BBQ sauce might entice her, or human gravy flavors?.

Well, nix on the garlic, I did some internet research and garlic can be toxic to dogs.

Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pet
- Alcoholic beverages
- Avocado
- Chocolate (all forms)
- Coffee (all forms)
- Fatty foods
- Macadamia nuts
- Moldy or spoiled foods
- Onions, onion powder
- Raisins and grapes
- Salt
- Yeast dough
- Garlic
- Products sweetened with xylitol

This list is based on the Animal Poison Controls list of death and illness in pets

http://www.vetinfo.com/dtoxin.html

I'm thinking of rigging up an old towel along the bottom of the tack room door, and put some Ultrasheild on it, and maybe if she rubs against the towel with the bug spray on it, that some will rub off on her? Sort of like those things that they use for cattle, that the cattle rub against as they walk under it, and it puts fly repellent on them at the same time. I just wonder if it would scare her.

[SevenDogs]

I just can't wait to be able to pet her and hug her like I do with all my other dogs.

It's coming..... :yes:

[MunchkinsMom]

I've been a lurker on this thread, but I just wanted to tell you how wonderful and heart-warming it is... the time and care and consideration you have given (and continue to give) Angel is absolutely amazing, and I applaud you for it. You are making a wonderful, "for life" friend with this sweet dog. Thank you, and congrats on the progress you have made. :) I look forward to more updates.

Thanks so much. I know I learned a lot from the folks that posted their experiences, suggestions and encouragement on this thread, and I hope it inspires other people to do the same for any dogs in need that they encounter. Angel is not the first stray dog to appear on my farm in the past 5 years, but she is the first to take this long to help, and she has a special place in my heart. All the others would come right to me, and as hard as it was to do, I did turn them all in to animal control, and it made me feel better that the all did get adopted homes from there. I do hope that they were all good homes, but at least I did what I could at the time.

I believe that for whatever reason, Angel was meant to be here with me. As time unfolds, the reason may become clear to me.

[harveyhorses]

Is brewers yeast safe for dogs? I used to take that (eat that, whatever) when we did a lot of hiking. I am not sure what the difference is in regular yeast, but it seemed to work o.k. for us.
How's the drought?
I'll fess up here and now, I am the worlds worst speller.
I really think you are doing this the right way and letting Angel tell you when she is ready, and boy oh boy is she getting close. I can remember a time not so long ago, if you had visitors, no sign of Angel. :yes:
You rock.

[MunchkinsMom]

Is brewers yeast safe for dogs? I used to take that (eat that, whatever) when we did a lot of hiking. I am not sure what the difference is in regular yeast, but it seemed to work o.k. for us.
How's the drought?
I'll fess up here and now, I am the worlds worst speller.
I really think you are doing this the right way and letting Angel tell you when she is ready, and boy oh boy is she getting close. I can remember a time not so long ago, if you had visitors, no sign of Angel. :yes:
You rock.

I don't know much about brewers yeast, will have to look into it.

I think the drought is officially over at least here. In May we got 12 inches of rain (normal is about 3 inches), and I'm pretty sure we got another 3 inches just yesterday, and more rain today. Some freakish weather going on. Lots of rumbling this morning for breakfast and Angel was not around the barn. I'm sure she will turn up, probably just hiding out next door. She did chew up one of my brand new fly masks last night (and not the cheap ones either), so I will have to stop leaving them on the halter hooks. That is the first time she has done that.

[CB/TB]

I THINK Brewers yeast is OK for dogs. Somewhere in my memory I must have read/heard that it's a good supplement. It might(? anyone) contain thiamine which could be a repellant??? Also, I found, in my springtime catalog( www.springtimeinc.com) a garlic supplement for dogs, Bug Off Garlic Chewables. The dosage goes by size. She looks to be about 40lbs?? She'd get 4/day . It says to allow 2-4 weeks for buildup for results- maybe longer in your area. Might be worth an investigation. I feel bad for the poor girl.

[pony89]

Smart Pak Canine has a liver flavored chewable Brewer's Yeast/Garlic supplement that is supposed to be a natural flea/tick deterrent. I've never used it, just looked it up when I saw your question.

[MunchkinsMom]

Thank you both for the suggestions! I was leafing through the Smartpak Canine catalog yesterday and didn't see anything, so I will check them both out.

Well, here it is, the weekend, when I can spend more time at the barn and interact with her, and she had me worried, she was no where on the property all day long. Granted, it was pretty stormy here all day on and off. In the afternoon, I even walked around the field in the rain, and out near the vacant farm next door (I really wish someone would buy the place and fix it up already - it has been empty for a year now) calling her, and nothing.

At dinner, I went down to feed the horses, and I called them to come in, put them in their stalls, started dishing out the feed, and there she was, peaking in the tack room door! I can't tell you how relieved I was to see her. So, after I fed the horses, I started to hand feed her some steak bits, and she did actually take some from me while I was inside the barn - she was standing right at the edge of the barn aisle.

I got a nice deal at the feed store this morning, he gave me 6 pounds of dog food in sample sizes. She seems to like it. It is Blue Seal brand.

After dinner, again I had to get up to the house to get ready to go out to eat, and she started to follow me again. So I said, "do you want to play" and she barked, so I went to get her toy, we played fetch/keep away until she ran under the fence with it. I told her I would be back later with chicken.

I just got in from bed check, she was not around, but she did eat the little bits of chicken that I had left in her bowl when I came home from dinner.

She must have found someplace dry to hang out all day, because she was not wet.

I really was worried about her. It makes me wonder what people do that just let their dogs roam, I would be a nervous wreck, and it makes me think that I really should do my best to try to make her a "house" dog if I can, just for my own peace of mind. I just can't imagine how long that will take, seeing as it has taken this long to get her to come into the barn with just me in there. Sometimes I think that where ever she came from, that she probably has never even been inside a house.

[Dune]

Well, coming from "Avocado Capital", I have to disagree with your list. If your dog happens to be on the fatty side, or one predisposed to pancreatitis, I guess it's a concern but in my neck of the woods, dogs (and lots of animals) LOVE and thrive off of avocado. I also fed mine grapes before I heard they were toxic. Would love to hear exactly what it is that kills them, because I sure haven't been able to. :lol::winkgrin:

[Chief2]

MM, maybe give a call to the vet on the garlic thing. There could be a fresh versus baked issue, or the amounts they fed the dogs in the studies were sky high. When added to a Brewer's Yeast supplement it might be fine. I don't know about Brewer's Yeast alone for insect repellent properties, but I fed it to a GSD for coat improvement, and got one heck of a bang for my dollar! She went from scrawny and dull to hands down gorgeous. There is an inexpensive chewable tablet supplement, often flavored with beef liver, that you can get for both dogs and cats. The dogs usually love it. The cats...not so much.

[CB/TB]

Dune, and others. Today ( Sun) in the "Parade" supplement to the paperthere was a "keep your pet safe" section that listed "safe" and "unsafe " items , foods, chemicals, etc. It didn't say what is in grapes that is toxic, but my dogs, too have always loved grapes. Grapes, raisins, macadamia nuts and dough are some of the unsafe food items. Cat litter is unsafe , it can form a blockage, but, ( surprise) the little silica packets that come in some items and the "roach motels" won't hurt. MM, check out the Smartpak Canine . It might be a new item. For what it's worth, horse related, I started my horse on Bugg Off in April and it's finally getting warm here and I swear she isn't swatting and swishing as much now that the flies have really started to be active.

[MunchkinsMom]

Thanks everyone, I have to run to "town" today, so perhaps a stop at PetSmart is also in order to see if they have anything, if not, I will order something online. Springtime is having a sale (buy two get two free), so that might be what I go with for now (sales are always a good thing in my book).

I'm beginning to see that Angel is craving more than food, I think she also wants some companionship. This morning I don't know where she was, but she magically appeared as soon as I started dishing out the horse feed - funny how they are all (horses and dog) now "trained" to the sound of the grain bins opening and feed pouring into a plastic bucket.

She liked the hibachi chicken that was leftover from our meal at the Japanese restaurant last night. After she ate all of that from my hand and some dog food from the bowl, she actually came into the barn, and was standing in the aisle watching me clean stalls. It is that, and the fact that she now follows me around outside that makes me think it is more than just food now.

After that was done, we played for a bit, I need to get her a new toy today too. Then I had to come in, so I gave her a pigs ear treat and went back to the house. Last I saw her, she was trotting across the field, heading to the empty farm next door.

[MHM]

I'm so happy to read about Angel's progress! She seems to make headway every day now. :cool:

[MunchkinsMom]

I never made it to PetSmart this afternoon, I will call the vet in the AM and see if she has any advice on the fly thing.

I bought Angel some new toys, one stuffed head like the one she already destroyed, a shorter rope toy, and her new favorite - an unstuffed stuffed animal. It is supposed to be a squirrel, about 2 feet long, with a squeeker in the tail and in the head (she already broke the one in it's head). We played on and off for about an hour tonight with it. She played in the "sprinkler" when she got too hot from chasing the new toy. What is funny is I go to get it, I make it squeek, and she comes running to me, singing all the way (best that I can describe the sound she makes, a cross between a whine, growl, and howl). I tried dragging it around in front of me to see if she would grab it, she sort of tried, and she did actually touch my hand with her nose while we were playing. I just hope she leaves the new toy at home, my neighbor will probably have a heart attack if she sees that out in her field while she is riding tomorrow.

And she loves the leftover chicken.

Big sigh - while I was out shopping, one of my other neighbors called me to see if I was missing a female black lab with a red collar. I said, no, and I don't know of anyone that has a dog matching that description. She asked me for advice, I said best bet is to either keep her at the farm and put an ad in the paper, or put her in the barn and call animal control in the morning. I'm hoping that since the dog is wearing a collar that it just escaped, and then got scared during the t-storms the past few days. Poor thing. My neighbor said it is a very sweet dog, but it was all hot and panting, so she gave her some water. I hope the owners turn up.

[MHM]

Ugh. I hate it when people don't have ID tags on a dog's collar! My dog has three tags on his collar, just in case he loses two of them. Hope the lab's owner finds her anyway.

That's so wonderful that Angel is interacting so much with you! Yay for her- and you. :)

[MunchkinsMom]

Ugh. I hate it when people don't have ID tags on a dog's collar! My dog has three tags on his collar, just in case he loses two of them. Hope the lab's owner finds her anyway.

That's so wonderful that Angel is interacting so much with you! Yay for her- and you. :)

I hate it also, I would be heartsick if my dogs were missing. All of mine have at least two tags, and their names and our phone number embroidered on their collars.

I played a bit more "fetch" with Angel before dark. She managed to chew one of the squeekers out of the new toy already!

[MunchkinsMom]

Just got off the phone with the vet, they don't know of anything that I could feed her to repel flies, so I might just give the springtime stuff a shot, what the heck?

Right now Angel is under my husband's Jeep here in the yard. I spotted her in the yard when my husband went out, (not in the Jeep -he took the car), but I think he startled her. So I quickly got two dog biscuits from the house, she took one from the ground, and then the other from my hand, right here in the back yard. More progress!

This morning, she ate from my hand, ate in the tack room - well, she is like a chipmunk, she runs in, fills her mouth with food, then takes it outside and eats in the grass.

Then while I was cleaining stalls, she layed outside the barn in the shade. Suddenly she started barking in her guard dog voice, so I looked out and there was one of my neighbors in his golf cart. I wonder why she barks at the golf carts?

[lcw579]

So much progress in such a short time! She is so close to letting you give her that big pat we've all been waiting for, I can feel it! :yes::yes:

[MunchkinsMom]

Oh DOH! I forgot to mention the most important part. I did get to tickle her under the chin with two of my fingers for the briefest of moments this morning while I was hand feeding her chicken!

LOL - Maybe we need an information betting pool on the exact date that she actually lets me pet her? (just kidding).

[MHM]

Oh

LOL - Maybe we need an information betting pool on the exact date that she actually lets me pet her? (just kidding).

Maybe a 50/50 pool- winner gets half, the other half goes to Angel's toy fund! :lol:

I'm going to say... June 20th.

[SevenDogs]

Oh DOH! I forgot to mention the most important part. I did get to tickle her under the chin with two of my fingers for the briefest of moments this morning while I was hand feeding her chicken!


Hello! .... HUGE! :yes:

If you ever feel like you aren't making enough progress, think back to how excited you would have been two months ago if she was close enough that you could tickle her chin while feeding her out of your hand!

[Scissors]

The chipmunk comparison was pretty funny :)! You have such a knack for descriptive writing MunchkinsMom (it is going to make a great book).

My guess for the big moment is June 12. But whenever it is, it's going to be beautiful.

[3horsemom]

june 27th. i think the winner should send angel a toy!

perhaps angel has been chased by someone driving a golf cart?

[harveyhorses]

June 19th.
I like the idea of sending her a present.
I am going to want my copy of the book autographed. :lol:

[SevenDogs]

July 12th and I am in for sending a toy, if I win!

[lcw579]

If she is anything like my dogs, June 22nd because I will be on vacation with limited internet and will therefore miss the big announcement! I will also be glad to send a toy if I picked the right date!

[MunchkinsMom]

You guys are making me chuckle with the date bets and the toys. Thanks, it might be interesting to see who is the winner.

So here is my next dilemma. I think I should consider putting up some sort of dog shelter here in the yard for her (as if I can get her to use it), since sleeping under the Jeep is probably not the best idea. And maybe if she has a shelter here in the yard, she might be more inclined to stay in the yard. The dilemma is what sort of "dog house" would be best in Florida, where I am dealing with heat, rain and the occasional heavy t-storms or hurricanes (crossing my fingers that we don't get any this year). All the ones I found online seemed to be so enclosed and confining, and no air flow. If any of you have any ideas, I would love to hear them. Oh, and I need to be able to clean the inside from time to time, to get rid of any insect nests that might be built in there.

I know my father built a nice one for our shepard many years ago, styled after what the Army uses for their guard dogs, it had some nice air flow because the roof didn't attach directly to the sides. But then again, we lived in Albuquerque then, where the weather was not as extreme as it is here. I'll have to do more research I guess. And then see if I can "hire" my husband to build it - oh, I know, I will just start it on my own, he will get disgusted at my inteptitude, and take over the project!

[Go Fish]

Well, put air conditioning in it...:D

[3horsemom]

you do not think angel would curl up in your tack room if you made a nest for her?

[3horsemom]

or....http://www.doghouses.com/dog-houses/wood-dog-houses/barndoghouse2.cfm

[MunchkinsMom]

Well, put air conditioning in it...:D

Good one! Would make my life easier if I can get her to agree to come live in the house with us!

[MunchkinsMom]

you do not think angel would curl up in your tack room if you made a nest for her?

No, this being up in the yard is a new thing, I do think that she now wants to be with me, or as close as she can get within her comfort zone. She never did ever sleep in the barn. Last winter, we had a dumpster parked next to the driveway, and on the really cold nights, she would sleep in the tall grass next to it, using it as a wind break. I could tell because all the grass was flattened down behind the dumpster. Now that the construction is done, the dumpster is gone.

I did just spend a half hour looking at dog houses online, hate to spend all that money and not have her use it. So, I will sleep on that, and see how I feel in the morning.

Or. . . I could go the "redneck" route, and put an old pickup bed cap up on cinderblocks! (for those of you laughing, there are a few of those set up as goat shelters in a few yards up the road). My neighbors would love that :D!

[SevenDogs]

Maybe building a dog house is the answer to getting her to come into your house.

I remember getting my first dog from the humane society when I was five. My dad spent an enormous amount of time building her a painted, fully roofed dog house. She NEVER went in it -- not once! She was willing to jump on top, but not go in. She was a 100% house dog/couch potato her entire 18 year life! :lol:

[MunchkinsMom]

It took me a while to maintain my composure so that I could post this.

Tonight when I went out to feed the horses, I had more chicken in a bag, and Angel was still sleeping under the Jeep. I called her to come out (plus my husband had to take the Jeep in 5 minutes) and she came out, ate a piece of chicken and. . . I petted her! OMG, tears are still in my eyes as I type this. She let me scratch gently under her chin, around her neck, and behind her ears. She stood there very, very still as if she really didn't know what to make of it. As if she was saying in her mind "okay, if this is what makes the human happy, I will submit to it.". I told her how proud I was of her for being so brave.

She didn't let me do it again, but she did sort of follow me to the barn to eat. She had to get past the barking house-beasts to do it. And she did come in to the tack room to eat, and didn't do as much of her chipmunk routine as usual.

I tried running the water for her, but tonight she opted to go play in the gate sprinklers instead. She didn't want to play with any toys though, I think she is mentally processing what happened.

Oh, I pray this is the start of true trust on her part!

[Jaegermonster]

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG happy buttshaking dance roorooorroooooooo OMG OMG OMG
that is amazing news! How exciting!

[harveyhorses]

Wooo Hooo!! That is wonderful!! I know she will want to keep coming back for more. She'll be sitting in your lap soon
YOU DID IT!! MM I am so proud of you!!
Must go wipe eyes now in case a co worker comes along...
yippeee..

[SevenDogs]

WOO HOO!!!

[Buffyblue]

OMG! I'm speechless!!

[pinkdiamondracing]

ROO ROO ROO ROO ROO ROO ROO!!!!!!!!!
Another one here doing the happy butt shaking dance!!!! ROO ROO ROO ROO!!!!

Please give us an address of where to send toys!!! I think we all should send one, since technically, we all lost the bet!!! I for one am happy to contribute to your toy-gut-picking-up-routine!!!LOL

[SevenDogs]

I would love to send a toy!

If you would rather not post your address, we could also make a donation to your local animal shelter in her name!

[MunchkinsMom]

I would love to send a toy!

If you would rather not post your address, we could also make a donation to your local animal shelter in her name!

I would be honored if those of you that want to donate toys, to bring one to your shelter of choice instead. OMG - I'm crying again! I am so touched by all of you that have been rooting for Angel all this time, I can't begin to tell you how much it means to me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!

It's not that I wouldn't appreciate the toys, but I am financial well off enough to afford toys and food for her, and there are so many animals in need around the country - this way, many more animals may have some comfort!

Here is a moment of comic relief, I did go out to pick up her toys today, and that unstuffed animal really does look like road-kill now.

[Rubyfree]

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've been following this thread with borderline obsessive interest; I'm THRILLED for you and Angel! Congrats, congrats and good job! She's going to be sleeping at your feet by the couch before you know it.

[cvl]

YAHOOOOIEEEEE!

I have been quietly following your journey and am so excited for you!!! Congratulations to both you and Angel! This is a major milestone! Your patience is paying off. Hopefully you won't need those plans for a dog shelter afterall. BRAVO:)

[Jaegermonster]

Make sure if you take toys to shelters take plastic ones or ones that can otherwise be easily disinfected. Stuffed toys usually aren't good in a shelter situation.
Most shelters have a "wish list" of stuff they need, so you might want to check first.
Usually old blankets and towels are needed, and baby pools for pregnant bitches to have their puppies in, always need food, bleach things like that.

[MunchkinsMom]

Make sure if you take toys to shelters take plastic ones or ones that can otherwise be easily disinfected. Stuffed toys usually aren't good in a shelter situation.
Most shelters have a "wish list" of stuff they need, so you might want to check first.
Usually old blankets and towels are needed, and baby pools for pregnant bitches to have their puppies in, always need food, bleach things like that.

Excellent point Jaegermonster!

Oh, I am gobbling down dinner so I can go back down to the barn and see if Angel is still around. Something tells me I won't get to pet her again today, but hopefully this is the start of more positive physical contact.

[SevenDogs]

All animal shelter can use a donation of straight money. Consider mine sent in Angel and MM's names because it is a team effort! :yes:

[danceronice]

Holy cow! The update we've all been waiting for! :D You have the patience of a saint and it's finally paid off.

Now do we start a betting pool on when she lets you handle her enough for the vet? It's only a matter of time now.

[CB/TB]

wow! That sent chills up my spine. You now OFFICIALLY own a dog! Give her lots of time to let the pets sink in . A few more days of that and she'll be putty in your hands. Have you checked into the possibility of oral vaccines? I will certainly donate some goodies to my local shelter in honor of Angel and my Lola, the pound hound( or actually , a GSP), or the "toothless wonder" as she is known.. Doing a "happy dance" for you and angel.

[tidy rabbit]

Great news! CONGRATULATIONS

I just know one day you're going to post that picture of you hugging her around the neck and she with that happy dog smile staring at you.

[goponies]

I sooo love this thread! Feel good time! Way to go MM!

[MunchkinsMom]

I must tell you that I need to up my dosage of patience pills now! I can't tell you how badly I want to pet her more - I'm like an addict now. I have to remind myself that she needs to want to be petted as much as I want to pet her.

I just came in from removing fly masks, and she was out playing with two toys, I gave her some chicken, she only wanted two bits, so then I went to get her toy, and she was wagging and barking, so I tossed it, she chased it, then I went to get the other one. She dropped the first toy, came back to me barking and wagging, so I tossed the second toy for her to fetch. We did this 5 or 6 times. I didn't want to overheat her, so I stopped, went to get the fly masks from the horses, and then tossed a Beggin Strip for her. She is funny, she will take people food from my fingers, but not a Beggin Strip, she whines and paces back and forth until I toss it.

I'm so excited, and I am supposed to be working on a flow chart right now, but I can't concentrate on it.

[Go Fish]

I'm going to go have a martini in celebration! Here's to you, Angel! (And, the mom who loves you, too! :D)

[FalseImpression]

Oh wonderful!!! Congratulations to you MM for your patience and dedication and to Angel for her bravery... She must have known there were bets being made!!!

[3Dogs]

long day and then I get to this thread and to page 37 and my spirits SOAR! Roo rooo roooooooooooo is right :yes:

[onthebit]

I've only posted a couple of times on this thread but check it frequently. I actually teared up when I read your update! :sadsmile:

I remember the feeling very well the first time I actually touched Lady and Tramp. As I mentioned in my prior post it took us one year to get to that point. They both ended up being the most affectionate dogs that loved attention. I miss them both dearly but am glad to be reliving the whole experience through you and Angel.

[Scissors]

What an absolutely joyful thing to read! Well done MM and Angel! Contribution will be made to my local animal shelter :)

[Indy]

Oh wow!!! I'm so excited for you and Angel!

I've got to say, reading this totallly made my day. I saw the updated thread title and was so hoping that this was going to be the update. Just wonderful!

[lcw579]

What joyful news to meet my obsessive checking of this thread! :winkgrin: This is one bet that I am happy to lose! Will be making that donation in Angel and MM's honor tomorrow at the local rescue.

[mlranchtx]

I too have been an addicted lurker, checking this thread every SINGLE day but not posting because others seemed to speak my mind.

However, today I must say CONGRATS!!!!

Go Angel!!:D :D :D

[annikak]

Like many, I obsessively check this thread.... I am so excited for you and Angel! Congrats! I can't wait for the Christmas Card with you and Angel to appear on this thread!