Lila Update

Well, it's been awhile but we are steadily making progress. Lila loves getting cuddles now and taps me on the arm when she wants some attention (I have to work on stopping that but it's a welcomed change!).

She loves to play and wrestle with the other girls and has fallen into the routine very well. She knows that she has to go in her crate when I leave for work and runs right in. She also knows that dinner is served in a crate and goes right in at dinnertime.

She has now found her voice and loves to howl when she wants to play with the other dogs (and for a 13 lb. dog, she is VERY loud.

Things are going well and my new challenge is getting her comfortable outside of the house!

A Mixed Review

Well, the good news is that Lila Belle (new nickname!) loves to roll on my bed and show me her belly. She has also started playing and wrestling her foster sisters. Wow - what a change! She even paws me when she wants cuddles.

Of course all of that is at home. Today, we went to an adoption event and little Lila Belle shook the entire time. She was thrilled to get back in the car and go home. Once we arrived home she immediately went to bed. Stressful day.

In case you were wondering, that's where we are :-)

Like a Thief in the Night

I now know where my shoes have been running to. I finally spotted the culprit - a little tail wagging beagle who seemed awfully proud of herself. Also saw some stuffed animals running down the hall with a prancing Lila and a gleeful wagging tail behind it.

Those Summer Storms...

Those summer storms can be very scary. Lila has been jumping on my bed by my feet and shaking like a leaf. The good news is that I never thought she'd view me as a source of comfort!

Lila's Weekend Adventure

Lila and Prancer went to grandma's house for a few days. There's something about a smaller space and one long hallway that got the girls running and playing. It was fun to watch! And a few days of "family time" seemed to be good for our girl - she allowed us to pet her and she would sit on the bed and the couch with us.

And there's improvement in other areas too - Lila is getting more used to a leash - she used to be like a flea on a leash - jumping, hopping, pulling, and jerking - but little by little the leash she is connected to isn't so scary. (I'm still not trusting her without a martingale though!)

Here's a picture of Lila as we returned home - she's pooped!

Lila Says "Goodbye" to a Friend

Lila's friend and foster sister Annabel's big day came today - she was adopted! Lila came along for the ride (and a bit more socialization!). Here are the BFFs for one last time. Farewell to the romps around the house and the mutual grooming and cuddles. Lila will miss her friend but her chance will come one day too.


In the meantime we have a secret adventure that begins tomorrow. We'll tell you more about that later!

BREAKTHROUGH!!

Please excuse my excitement but I have waited 5 months for this day to come! Lila has been jumping on my bed and sleeping by my feet the past few nights - she only sneaks up after I've fallen asleep and jumps off if she has been spotted. This evening I was watching TV and she jumped up next to Prancer and let me pet her and even initiated contact with me - she sniffed my face and kept coming in a bit closer. I was able to pet her - under the chin, on her head, down her back - she was such a brave girl!!! And to top it all off, she lifted her leg slightly so I could pet her belly. Oh my! I am a lucky and proud foster mom tonight. This was a great day :-)

Where in the Word is Lila?

Lila and her foster sister Prancer went to grandma's house today. Gaby the cat was not in a great mood and swatted Lila in the face a number of times (for no reason!). Lila just looked puzzled.

We stayed for a few hours - just long enough to wear the poor girl out! Here's a pic of Lila (and Prancer behind her) on the drive home. Pooped!

Look Who Crept Up this Morning

An Adoption Event?

Today we went to an adoption event. Lila spent some of the time in my mother's arms and the rest of the time safely in a crate so she could observe the activities.

We shared french fries on the drive home. Somehow, treats make her so much more sociable :-)

Last Night's Big Step

Last night someone crept up on my bed and curled up by my feet. I reached out to pet her but she scurried off!

Ending the Day on a Tired Note

After our vet visit, we went to PetMAC to buy a new step-in harness (the last one was chewed by a tiny beagle girl who shall remain nameless). Then, we stopped by day care where Lila had a few hours of play time. This time, she didn't crate herself the entire time - she actually came out of the crate and walked around with the other dogs.

When it was time to go, she came out into the lobby and hid under a chair shaking. That's okay though - the day was filled with lots of bravery!

Vet Visit - Video

So the rule is...no eye contact! If you look at the human straight in the eye bad things could happen! Like treats and dinner and cuddles :-)

Lila's Visit to the Vet

Um...I think she's stressed, don't you?

Treat, treat!

Guess who finally took a treat from me?? Hint: Name starts with an "L" and ends in an "a". Very cute!

Lila's Big Adventure

Lila had a big day out yesterday! It probably stressed her out a bit but these new adventures make her braver by the minute. First we went to our friend Lori's house to meet her foster kitties and then we went to Foster Grandma's house. Lila just loves it at Grandma's house. She will actually sit on her lap and even sit next to her. She goes nose to nose with Tristan the Wheaten terrier, Isabel the beagle, and Gaby the polydactyl kitty. I think Gaby is her best friend but Lila's too polite to confirm or deny! After Grandma's we went to doggie day care for a meet and greet with potential adopters for another dog. While I met with the adopters, Lila went to play with the other doggies - well, really, she went into a crate and hid a bit but one day, I know she will play! Our evening ended after a quick visit to our friend Daphne's house where Lila met other HT adoptees - Gidget, Kelly, and Sally.

Here are pics of Lila with Grandma who says we can come by some time and hang out. I think Lila would like that!

Counter surfing and a churning brain

Lila is a pretty agile little girl. She likes to jump onto a crate I have in my kitchen and use it to jump onto the kitchen counter. Then this skilled little devil likes to open the cabinets and empty them. She is a generous friend though - she likes to share with others!

So on Sunday night she dumped all of the joint supplements for dogs I had in the cabinet on the floor. The other girls thought it was a free for all. They totally over-did it and spent the rest of the night vomiting, drinking water, and peeing. You can imagine what kind of night I had :-)

Note to self: tether 100% of the time and remember to close BOTH doors of the crate at night so she won't sneak out.

And just when I start to think bad thoughts about her, I realize that she is getting better. I was sitting on the couch watching TV last night with the girls and she walked within a foot of me and debated joining us. She circled around the couch over and over again - I could hear her tiny wheels turning. In the end, she decided not to join us but the fact that she even thought about it makes me think that we're making progress!

The Tale of the Tail

Well, it's been about a month and I do believe I finally saw a tail up and a slight wag. Now we're getting somewhere!

Lila's Rough Weekend

While you may think that a dog's life is easy, you really don't know Lila! On Saturday, I took her to my favorite doggie day care to get her spay sutures out, get her micro-chipped, and test her out in the playroom with other dogs to see how she'd do.

She was a great sport with the micro-chip and with the suture removal. Day care for an hour really stressed her out. She interacted with a few small dogs for just a couple of minutes and then crated herself. It was clear that we'd have to try this again another day. By the time she came out of day care, she was so exhausted that she allowed me to hold her and she almost closed her eyes.

Poor little thing... one day she'll realize just how much fun day care can be!

A New Day, A New Approach!

I've decided to change my whole approach with Lila. Now, when I am home, I tether her to me and make her come with me all over the house. When we pass by a crate she tries to go in and hide but she forgets that we are connected by a leash! The more I thought about it, the more I realized that by allowing her to avoid me, she was also avoiding learning that interactions with humans are good and right now it may feel stressful to her but in the long run, she will probably progress faster. After all, as a great family dog, it is her job to hang out with her people! So she follows me with quite a bit of resistance and at night, goes in a crate next to my bed. Again, forced to be with people so she can learn that it's not so bad!

Oh, and I'll be taking her with me wherever I can. She has to work out her fear issues. She'll just be in a harness, a no-slip collar and will have two leashes!

Two and a half week report

I would love to take more pictures of this adorable girl but she takes one look at me and scurries off. I can't tell you how many times I have tried to catch her before I leave for work so that I can put her in her crate. She runs behind things so I can't catch her :-) And then I'm late!

On the positive side, she interacts somewhat with my other dogs. My girls are big cuddlers and while she doesn't cuddle with them, she will romp for a few minutes. Although if she notices me watching her, she scurries off! At night, she sleeps downstairs in the living room on my couch. I use the term "sleep" loosely because around 3:00 - 4:00 am she will howl for no reason. I have also heard her "redecorating" in my kitchen and once caught her sitting in the kitchen sink after having knocked the few bowls that were in the sink out onto the floor. To be honest, she had help from the coonhound who wouldn't miss a crumb to save her life!

Another bit of progress is on the crate-training front. She goes into her crate for dinner and she will go in when she sees the other girls go into their crates when it's time for me to go to work. It has taken time but I am no longer chasing her around the house trying to catch her.

Other than at meal time and in the morning when she goes into her crate, I ignore her completely. I have noticed that she will come upstairs to see what we are doing and she watches me with my other dogs but I don't pet her and I don't try to call her over to me. Ignoring her has helped - she now stays a bit longer when she does her "check-ins" and she is coming closer to me - she's still a few feet away but it still counts :-)

A Few Notes from Foster Mom

Well... Let me start by saying that I have fostered over 20 dogs of varying degrees of shyness. Lila will clearly be a project - I foresee more gray hairs in my future!!

Lila is extremely shy. She scurries about trying to avoid me :-) I've been ignoring her and not touching her. It's now been almost 3 weeks of ignoring her and I still can't touch her!

So I will be posting her accomplishments here as they occur. Some will be small but any progress is good...

Lila's Story - From the Shelter

This sweet little Beagle girl is Lila and she really needs someone who is going to show her that not everyone in this world is out to hurt her. She was obviously abused by her owner, she is very shy and timid. She wouldn't hurt a fly but is scared all the same, so for now, slow movements are best for her. She was brought in to the shelter because she was a stray, no one seemed to want our sweet beagle girl. No one came in to claim her either, we did try to find her owner but no one came forward. She was evaluated for the adoption program and passed! She is around 3 years old and she currently weighs just 11 pounds! She is a tiny girl but could use a bit more groceries. She met some of our other dogs that are up for adoption, she did great! So great that we put her in with another dog! She also met the resident cats and was fine with them. If you are looking for a darling little Beagle girl for your life please stop in the shelter today!

Meet Lila!