I took Annie outside for the first time! I had her in a harness, a collar and a slip-leash. I was making sure she wasn't going anywhere! We stayed outside for about 5 minutes, not very long. The only thing she did was try to get out away and try to escape. I took my dog out with her to help her out. He tried to engage her in play, but she wanted none of that; but she wasn't afraid either.
As I was carrying her back into the house, two of my cats got into a really terrible fight! So I had to put Annie in her pen and run and get my cats separated. It was traumatizing for me, so I can only imagine what it was like for her! I just hope that she won't associate coming back into the house with a hectic cat fight or something loud and awful! I hope that its only half a step back rather than 5 steps back.
And she did poop when we got back into the house, I think the excitement shook it out of her! That's two poops in one day, we're getting somewhere!
After the whole cat fight situation, I gave her some time to collect herself and calm down.
I attempted to feed her some chicken but she wouldn't take any, even though she really wanted some. I am positive she wouldn't take it because my dog came into the pen with me following the chicken. Then he proceeded to act like her pen was a dog buffet and eat all her food and try to eat all the chicken. It wasn't the greatest idea that I've had. But now I know that she won't eat food from me when there is something else there. Stanley the cat was being a bit difficult too, as he also loves chicken. So next time I feed her, Woody will not be included.
While talking to my mom on the phone yesterday evening, she brought up a good point: Maybe Annie is lonely? I told my mom that she still never comes out of her crate, even though the top is gone. And when she is out of the crate she just lays in one spot on the floor and doesn't move. She doesn't sniff around or explore anything at all, that I've seen.
My mom suggested that maybe after my son went to bed, Annie come into the living room and sit with us while we're watching TV. So she can be around people and on the couch like a normal dog, hearing the TV and hearing us chat to each other. And she could be loved on while we're sitting there. Because who is to say that even though she spent so much time alone and is totally terrified of us, shes not still lonely?
So I put a blanket down on the couch, because she STINKS! No bath for 3 years = a stinky dog!
I brought her into the living room and put her down on the couch, she circled around and went to the corner of the couch as far from me as possible and buried her head. We sat like that for some time, while I watched TV. I would occasionally scratch behind her ear or try to uncover her face. She wasn't shaking or scared looking, but her ears were perked up like she was listening hard!
My husband, Alex, decided to try something out. He loved on her a bit, then picked her up. He sat down and put her on his lap! She sat there, for about 30 minutes trying to decide whether putting her head under his arm, under his hands, or by her tail was hiding her better. She wasn't scared though! No shaking! She was just trying to make herself as small as possible. Probably because she wasn't sure what was going to happen and she wasn't sure why he was holding her.
I told him to be gentle with her because I'm not sure where on her body is sensitive, so I didn't want him to keep touching a place that made her uncomfortable. Her feet are off limits.
Alex, sat there with her for about 30 minutes on his lap, scratching around her ears and chin and sides of the face. Talking to her about getting a bath and how pretty she was. And now she was a good size for a lap dog, because 5 out of 5 cats agree that he has the best lap in the house! Hahaha.
He put her back down on the couch and I sat with her for a little while longer until it was time to go to bed. I put her back into her pen, on her new bed(thanks to Nana Susan), and said goodnight to her and Stanley. I turned the light out and heard her hop out of her crate. I looked back in and she was eating the left over chicken from when I tried to hand feed her.
What I learned:
- Her interactions with Woody have to be separate from her hand feeding sessions. She won't eat when he's in there with her, maybe because fear of him being aggressive over food? She is not food aggressive, at all. So food sessions will be separate and quiet, play sessions will involve no food.
- She does some exploring when the lights are out, that I've been unaware of. I think that's when she eats. Stanley goes to sleep like a bird, when the lights are out hes quiet. So when hes quiet, Annie gets up.
- She doesn't mind being on the couch with us, she just doesn't know what we're going to do with her. Couch sessions will happen every night after our son has gone to bed. That way she can get to know our house while its quiet.
- Chicken is every dog and every cats favorite treat! I put some chicken juice on her dry food before bed and she ate about half of it, which is a huge deal since she hadn't been eating much dry food.
Stay tuned! I hope there are more good things to share in the coming days and weeks. I hope we make a lot of progress!
Happy Friday everyone! I hope you guys have a great weekend!
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