1 week of Beckett

So here we are one week to the day that Beckett arrived home. In some ways he has advanced beyond where we had expected him to be, while in other ways he has just begun down the long road of removing the deeply embedded experiences of his past.

Today a friend brought back Beckett's jacket. We had to have special opening placed on the back of the jacket so we could clip into the harness. LOL that harness is NOT coming off until we know we can get it back on. I'd say two weeks based on how well he has done in just the one week.

You will note in the video that Beckett does want to go out but his fear of us, keeps him from fully offering up his acceptance. Once he's clipped in, we have a different doggie.

If I had to tally it up, there have been many more gains than setbacks this week. Yes, he still barks at me if I run up the stairway and appear too quickly, he won't allow us to just pet him at any time, it's more a negotiation of ground rules each time, and he still has accidents if we don't time his 'movements'. On the up side, he sleeps where he pleases and it pleases him to sleep in the living room near us, he actually enjoys being outside and seems to be okay with his new jacket to cover where his fur has been cut back to the skin because of the dematting and most of all, he follows us around the house as much as he tries to escape from being in our paths. Damn good for one week! We think so and the letters of support from other WIN families makes us even more firm in our belief that he's going to be a great dog.

As I look over at Darrin snoozing on the sofa and Beckett in a deep sleep on the floor beside him I wonder how long before Beckett will be nestled up there next to Darrin at these times. I may be doing the writing, but it definetly is a family approach to how Beckett gets attention. Darrin and I worried before even hearing about Beckett because we both have different needs from a family dog. I have always enjoyed the training aspects of the dog while Darrin has nurtured the emotional growth of the dogs. With this little guy, it's definetly the nurturing side that is necessary for a spell. I don't doubt that Beckett will be a crackerjack at tricks and be wonderful at leash training... but all in due time. Until we start that, I'll take my cues from Darrin because he has a much better sense of how the dog is feeling. I do too but I think they are very in tune with each other. As you can see in the photo, Darrin hold Beckett with a lot of care. In this case Beckett wasn't really keen on being hugged but Darrin held him until he started to relax and his tense muscles eased.

On Tuesday Beckett goes for his first visit with his new vet. This is his pre-operation visit to be neutered. We thought they would keep him over night but apparently with males it is a one day thing. My Rottie was kept for 3 days because she had complications and they had to have a second surgeon join in. With a world class vet college just up the street, we have resources many other communities just don't get.

Grooming 101 on Rescue Dogs...

STORM DAY..

Okay, let's get this straight. The number one rule is to NOT leave things down for the dog, who has the interest of a puppy but the ability to reach much higher zones. Point of fact, I did leave his new grooming brush on a tray up on the end table. The brush is NO longer in this realm. I think he mailed it off to some 3rd world dog in need. He loved to steal it and chew on the handle.. I thought it was cute. Yeah, right!!

Today was storming and I think Beckett was much more open to the idea of sticking close to me rather than being swept away in the wind and snow. The good thing is, this boy is now going down all steps and out the front door, albeit with a great sense of nervousness, but he is doing it.

The most important steps taken may not be the most obvious when working with Beckett in my opinion. This is a dog who is very afraid. He's afraid of noise, he's afraid of his surroundings, he's afraid of us, he is afraid of being alone... he is just ... afraid.
Here is a picture that just made me well up when I spotted Beckett taking another step to being less afraid. Notice that he is coming over to Darrin who is just reading his magazine, he is stepping out but not quite offering to 'snuggle' for the gentle hand to scratch his neck. This started yesterday morning and then today it has increased in his reaching out to us.

This was also his day of getting some grooming for the first time. At first I had to corner him on the sofa and stay lower than him. I even got the no-more-tangles for dogs. The pet shop loved me... NOT. I showed up as they were shutting the gate to go home because of the storm. I begged them to let me buy a new brush for Beckett. We ended up chatting for about 15 minutes on the Paws R Us "kennel" and Beckett's travels to our home. It cost me 35 for the brush and the liquid but it was great later on.

I've started brushing Beckett and removing the clumps of matted fur near his back end that obviously was not possible before. He stands still for a spell before moving on. I'll have him cleaned up within a week but then I hope his new fur grows back well... and soon.

There is one aspect of Beckett's walk that hadn't occurred to me until Darrin brought it up. While having him out on his lead, Beckett is always cowering when you try to reach down and comfort him along the way. Darrin has the need to explain that the cowering is the result of his past and not because we beat him. I didn't even think to feel that way, but it is a reality. I look at him as progressing along at a fantastic pace from where he was only a few days ago and Darrin has recognized that others may be looking at him as 'damaged' goods. Something to be aware of I guess when working through the reconditioning

Tuesday and Wednesday

He looks innocent... but he's still got spark under that hair.

On Tuesday I stayed home for the day. It was a good bonding time and it allowed me to watch Beckett as he reacted to different things. For one thing his issue with the stairs and hallway meant he had to be 'caught', which always required a bit of patience and a lot of timing to actually get to him, and then carried down the stairs. After we 'caught' him he would go into a freeze mode and high panic response.

After that we would carry him down to the second floor landing, attach his extension lead, put on our outside gear and then carry him down to the street level. It was stressful for him and extremely awkward for us.

Once outside Beckett became another dog. He obviously hadn't had a chance to run on a long lead and play in snow before. It is something he has taken to quite readily. It starts with setting him down and him bolting away out into the street like he was escaping. I always make sure there are no vehicles before setting him down. He stops about 10 feet away, looks at me and then when I start walking he walks along with me but angles in so he narrows the gap. By the time we get to the empty lot two doors down he is about 3 feet away.

I go to the center ish of the lot and let him roam. He has his "pee" spot and if necessary, his "drop" zone. LOL Then, because of his acceptance of the extension lead, we run the streets...literally. We come out of the empty lot, aim for up the street and run full out until we reach the end of the block. He absolutely loves it! He keeps pace along side at about 5 feet until we reach the corner. Then it's a walk down to the next corner and we round the block for home.

When we get to the front door, we have the issue again of going into a door with no exit obvious. At this point I reel him in and carry him just inside the lower door, set him down and unclip him. I try to pet him before he launches himself up the stairs to the first landing where he waits for me before advancing up the second flight. He's a funny dog.

Last night I tried a new approach. Since he goes into stress freeze when he's picked up, I tried hooking on to him after carrying him down to the landing. To my surprise, the little guy came down the second set of stairs just behind me and waited to have the front door open. He still bolted out the door but he still went down stairs. Then this morning, I pushed it a bit more. I clipped on to him up here in the apartment. It took a little work but he started down the stairs, waited two steps from the landing as I geared up, then he came the rest of the way down with me. As I wrote to Garin, WOW..BIG ADVANCEMENT.

Now, there is one downfall to Beckett making himself comfortable. He has started to revert to his puppy actions. Normally I'd correct the unacceptable actions but since it is his first move to being a free spirit, I'll give him a bit of time to express his curiosity. When I came home this morning from work to walk him, he managed to get my book on reading the body language of horses and chew the cover off and had started in on the corner of the hard cover itself.

Arriving Home, Day 1 and Day 2

On the road to meet Gavin with our new boy meant a lot of White Knuckle driving since we had to drive through a storm on Friday night from PEI to Fredericton NB. We really should have pulled over in Moncton for the night.... really! LOL

We landed in F'ton at 7pm on Friday evening and got up at 5:30 on Sat morning to head out. The roads on the Canadian side were pure ice. We must have not picked up sand here yet in Canada. The US roads were much better and quite frankly a much more scenic drive on their highways.

We did land and Garin was there with Beckett. The boy was beyond nervous and wasn't the happy-go-lucky dog we had hoped would come out to greet us. It was obvious that this guy did not have a good experience with humans and we obviously were not going to be the immediate turning point for his change of mind!

In fact, he was so upset that he had a very large liquid accident all over Garin's back seat of her truck before jumping into the front seat and making it clear that he'd rather I not sit next to him.

I used Garin's insider information to eventually get a hold on his leash... he didn't like her apparently because the "miller" was a female... so I had her go to the opposite window and make herself 'visible'. Yes, I admit it, I used her! LOL

Once we got Beckett outside he was anything but warm and fuzzy. I think it was more growly and evasive. Yeah, that's more the degree of love we got over what we soooo wished we'd find. It didn't stop us though. Not that the thought of saying, "oh, I think I'll wait for the next one" didn't pass through our minds! It did but we took the leap of faith that this was meant to be.

The warm greetings from Beckett aside, we thanked Garin and her friend for being so great as to meet us part way and we got on the road right away.

All the way back we had a boy in the back seat who would have bolted at a moment's notice if he had the chance in spite of the baby talk from both Darrin and myself. He was unmoved and impressed with our limited baby talk vocabulary by the way. He kept growling when we even looked at him.

Along the way we thought we'd stop to let him out to pee after seeing the flood released in Garin's truck! It was at the first stop that we truly began to let the horror of his past seep into our understanding of his experiences. He obviously didn't know what a lead was except for recently and he certainly hadn't been in a vehicle much since he would jump into the front seat after we opened both back doors. Then through a series of 'sliding' moves he oozed down on to the floor under the stearing wheel, then again tried to ooze out on to the extremely cold ground only to repel back into the car when his paws wouldn't touch before he had to release the security of his back paws. This took about 4 tries and a little tug from me to plop him out onto the ground.
He neither used the stops to relieve himself or eat the whole trip back. This boy was in shock and it wasn't about to end because we had suddenly adopted him. This dog was now for us, we have discovered something that we are to make ourselves part of. Talk about your reality check!

I have let Garin know that I was going to post this for anyone who happens to read it, there are a few administrative things you really must know before crossing the borde with a dog.

For people like us, adoption papers with a list of the vet procedures undergone and the one thing I forgot, the bill of sale or adoption fee receipt. Lucky for me I used PayPal and could reproduce it but double lucky, didn't have too when they saw I was going to get it. Thanks guys.. it was appreciated.

While driving along the only sound other than growling, was the most mornful cry that Beckett released during a dream while in the back seat. Both Darrin and I looked at each other and immediately put ourselves in the hell he must be reliving in his mind. It did bring a tear to my eye to allow that reality to transfer into my world.

We did eventually get home at 3:15 AM on Sunday morning Jan 23, 2011 with Beckett our new boy. He was still upset when we placed him on the floor in the apartment and let us know by barking for a little while. I'm soooo glad I own this building.

Darrin and I were toast by the time we got home that night. Since it was late and there was NO room for time to acquaint him sufficiently with the apartment and because I had no idea of the damage he could inflict upon himself through the night, I slept on the sofa with his lead tied to my arm and his blanket next to the sofa. That lead stayed on him for for a spell since he was going to prove to be a handfull. He doesn't DO stairs. We live on the third floor! Lucky for us he freezes solid when you pick him up. He did snap the first time but it was a growl and his put his mouth over Darrin's wrist but didn't bite down. LOL.. yes, I let Darrin pick him up first.
Through the day on Sunday none of us were the sharpest knives in the drawer as they say, well, Beckett was on top of his game because he had just slept for most of the way back and had a nice night's rest. Darrin and I on the other hand were trying to allow Beckett his "space" while not acting invasive in our movements for the day. There were some turning points when we saw light at the end of the tunnel. Beckett got up on the sofa and allowed Darrin to sit down next to him without running off. This along with the fact that we expect nothing from him except to somehow regain some natural actions that every dog should exibit. I should be careful what we wish for. So far, he's chewed two sets of headsets. LOL He's on the road to recovery.

We went out to a previously booked night with friends and couldn't get out of it. When we returned we had a present "pile" on the floor awaiting us. When we went to clean up Beckett was beside himself when he saw Darrin going with the paper towel. I think there is a history of being hit or seeing dogs near him being hit for making a mess. I don't even want to imagine how bad it had to have been to imprint so deeply that just the sight of a paper towel in someone's hands sends a dog into hiding and growling. He was fine after a spell but we let him have his space and just cleaned up the mess speaking of the night with friends in a nice low tone. Also, no sudden moves are a definite no-no for dogs like him. Space and time seem to be working wonders.

End of day one we discovered that this boy doesn't know the joy of being held lovingly, the comfort of being petted or the kindness of a treat for having done something to please a human.

Day 2 was Work day for both Darrin and myself, there was still the issue of carrying Beckett up and down stairs and he dislikes any situation where he may be cornered but the oddest thing has begun. He loves to go out on his extension lead even at minus 30 degrees (that celcius not farenheight for the US people who may read this :P)

There are a lot of things for this little guy to get used to and he can take his good ole time getting to them. Mind you, I'd be really happy if he did't have a taste for earphones. This could get expensive!

Beckett's name is getting difficult to 'work in' to our vocabulary so I'm using it constantly to remove the name "Breton" which is the name we chose for the SCW puppy on order for next fall. I think we will have to come up with another name. Enough for now. There will be plenty to add as the days role on.

On our way

Let's see if this gives you an idea of how 'weird' we are. We have actually gone through the process of adopting a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier through WIN in the US. The main or first person, Gwen, and I spoke a couple of days ago after I left an email with WIN. Then I had a call from Garin and then she and I spoke for a spell. After that it was a lot of e-mail and phone calls and finally the application and then fee for the adoption. WOW you really can do a lot on-line. LOL

Beckett is now our newest family member. He isn't a foster like the horses, he is now a member of the family. He has his own bed, dishes, toys, blanket, doctor, and name. Beckett Ellis-Dunsford. Perhaps the horse is next. Well, I think the second dog will be next in the fall and then the horse the year after. Then we'll be set until we retire for additional family members. It is the right time for this and I think we're all lucky for different reasons.

Beckett will be picked up tomorrow. Presently we are on our way to meet Garin at the border of Mass and Maine for 12:30 tomorrow but we're stuck in F'ton NB because of a snow storm. We had intended to drive down to the location and stay over night but this storm has us pinned down here. Oh well, another 6 hours in the morning and then 11 to get back to PEI. This is quite the adventure.

This will be Beckett's Blog start. For the winter we'll be living in Charlottetown and for the spring, summer, and fall we'll be out at the summer house.

I think that once he has been trained to come when you call him, he'll enjoy the property. We have the plan to upgrade the screened in patio with a special dog door insert that we scored at Home Depot for a sweetheart of a deal. It will allow Beckett to go out in the patio and then out into the large enclosure or into the house at his leasure.

Well, it's getting late and we have a very early morning start.

Jan 19, 2011

Here again, I see where this is going. Big lag time between entries and far too much to blurt out and expect a sane person to read! But I'm going to do it anyway.

We are now nestled into our 2 bedroom apartment as of the middle of November. This is the shot of the kitchen before we really put more items in... but it looks cool so far.

I had to change the colour of the grey wall because it didn't go with the new sofa colour... I ended up with a brown. It looks good with the Orange accent colour on the small wall in the kitchen.

The cottage had been locked up for the winter on New Year's eve day. It was the first time in 5 years that we didn't keep it open for weekend stays. sigh!

Now, the big news is that we're approved to adopt a dog. It's going to take a bit of work but we'll find a way to get him up here. Garin, a volunteer with WIN in the US has been exeptionally good to deal with (she'll read this so I'm sucking up!) and is going to make sure that if at all possible, we'll have Beckett with us sooner than later.

Here he is. He's the lighter coloured Wheaten. I can picture him, once he can be trusted to come when called, running through the fields. For the winter I'm thinking he'd be just fine snuggled between Darrin and myself on the sofa. OMG.. I just realized I'll be going back to poop-n-scoop days. Ok, it can't all be roses!