When adopting a dog from an animal shelter or rescue, there is always the possibility that the dog will have a fear or two that they have to overcome. Rigby came to me with a few such fears. Loud noises (food processor, blender, lawn mowers, etc.), riding in the car, and being covered with anything (a blanket as an example) frightened her. All of those fears always made me feel so sad for her. What had happened to her in those short few months of her life before I got her made her react that way. She's mostly overcome them since, and she's pretty brave nowadays.
The fear of being covered with anything has probably diminished due to the morning routine. Rigby forgets how to mind when I make the bed. When I call her off of it, she crawls across it, makes herself longer and bigger, and somehow covers more and more of the bed with each, "Get down!". When this habit started, I would barely touch her with a sheet or pillow, and she'd spring off the bed with such a start. Now? Well, I can pile all the bedding on top of her, and she falls asleep! I think she's over that fear.
Now that is just too cute!!!
ReplyDeleteAs you know, all nine of our current pack are rescues. While a few of them were older (as in 6 months or more), the majority were just puppies when they showed up/were dumped off. Almost all of them have "issues" and a couple are downright neurotic!
Yep... I'd say Rigby's over her fear of getting covered up. 100%! Sweet girlie. :)
Weird, just like people! :) It says a lot about abandonment, doesn't it. Breaks my heart for them.
DeleteThat is such a sweet picture!
ReplyDeleteThanks, she's so goofy!
DeleteI love your description of Rigby making herself bigger crawling across the bed. I can picture my dog doing the same thing. One of the things Ted (my yellow lab/golden retriever mix) used to do was lay in front of the doorways so you had to step over him to leave. In the winter, you had to physically push him out of the way with the door. It was his way of setting an alarm. And much like humans, trying to move an uncooperative dog is much harder than one wanting to cooperate!
ReplyDeleteLike Kelly, all of our dogs were dumped strays, probably because of the neurotic tendencies. Ted was afraid of loud noises and covering his head and never barked for many years after he first came to us. I still cherish the day he first stuck his head under my arm and the day he first barked in excitement!
They're so funny when they do that with their bodies, like a sack of potatoes! Most of the times she just looks medium-sized, but when she does that kind of thing she's a floppy beast and no matter what I do she just gets bigger! :)
DeleteI have a friend whose dog never learned to bark either. Who knew it wasn't just instinctual.
It makes me sad to hear the rescue stories - how fearful they are. If my dog was not a cattle dog (known for liking to be the only dog), I'd be a crazy dog lady and adopt them all. So it's a good thing.
I hadn't realised Rigby was a rescue, but there you go.
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling that those rescue places put so many animals through the doors that they can't really cuddle them, which is what I think they need.
My way of getting Jess off my bed is to say to her 'get off, I have to shake it out'. And off she pop's. Then I shake the duvet and back up she goes again.
In a way though making them feel safe is the core of our job, I feel.
She is adorable. People who mistreat animals are the worst kind of people.
ReplyDeleteWe have been "dogless" for going on 4 years now, but your story reminds me of the time we got a new sofa. My wife declared that Ralph, our 19-lb terrier mix rescue, was absolutely not permitted on said sofa. He complied. After a few months my wife went out of town for a few days. After his never having even attempted to test the rule, I came in one day while my wife was gone and Ralph was sprawled on the sofa much like the photo of Rigby here (without the pillows). I never told on him.
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