Sally, Sally, Sally

Well, I've had Sally almost a week now. I picked her up last Tuesday from the vet.

I believe we have made progress. When I first got her she was classic feral dog. All she wanted to do is hide. She was petrified of life. Her eyes were dead and all she did was radiate fear. It was very sad.

I felt good about one thing...ME!

I knew she would get the care she needed. I live in a very quiet home off the street with a good size back yard. If this dog can be rehabilitated, this is the place. I am also out of work right now so I have the time to spend with her. Ideal really.

Since arriving, Sally will go outside for a walk. She takes at least 20 mins to acclimate herself to the outside. ANY noise causes her to jump, even if I sniffle. After 20 mins, she will follow me walking on her leash. I walk very slowly and let her roam. Eventually she starts to act like a healthy dog and sniff around. Her tail is always between her legs. I've only seen it relax once and then it was straight down.

She has gotten loose from her leash three times. The first was early on and she bolted. I have a body harness leash but she can back up and pull her front legs out. Collar leashes don't hold her and I refuse to use a chock leash. They seem so harsh.

The first time she dug into a corner of ivy in my backyard. It was just getting dark outside. Luckily my neighbor was out and she helped me grab her.

The second time was scary. I had her on the leash outside for a minute while I went inside. She pulled backwards, off came the leash. I ran like a rocket outside my front door to catch her as she ran down the ally. No Sally. I knew she had to still be in the backyard...but where?

I scoured the backyard for 30 mins and was feeling very nervous. It was an empty feeling. This happened when I lost my hamster last year. I prayed for her actually and was giving up hope until I saw her out of the blue. I felt like it was a little miracle. I was hoping for one with Sally.

I asked my neighbor once more to help me look. We went through all the common hideouts she would seek. I tried to think like a scared dog. Where would I run to? I was stumped.

I went inside to call the helper from the dog rescue center and when I walked inside, there was Sally, crunched up to the side of my bed. When I was running outside to my front door, she ran inside behind me. Crazy!

The last time she got away was actually progress. She once again backed up and instead of bolting she ran to the screen door. Because it was closed she scoured to the side under a storage table. I let her go for a few minutes then gently walked up to her. She allowed me to come nearby. I picked her up and brought her inside.

Tonight I did some research on feral dogs. Not a lot of positive info. The rule of thumb is if they had no human contact after six months, they will most likely never be comfortable with humans. I sense this with Sally. No matter how much I pet her, she still acts like we first met. Her flinching has gone however and she seems to relax in my presence.

I Googled for dog training forums and found a few. I registered and made a thread in each. Hopefully I will get good advice.

Well...more to come. As soon as I get a camera I willtake some pics.