Chester is a fearful dog. There's no question in that statement. It's true.
But, his fears, and those of other rescue dogs like him aren't the only stumbling blocks in the healing process. We hold them back with our own fears. It's easy to pity a helpless animal who has been abused in any way; starved or neglected, maybe beaten. And sometimes it's difficult to determine if what we feel is pity or love. One of those has the power to heal, the other could drag us all down. Sometimes it's difficult to determine which emotion we have at the time. Do we simply feel sorry for the animal? Or, do we see potential in him and believe that we have the patience and desire to help him heal? Does love factor into the equation at all? Will Chester's progress depend on the emotions I have for him? The short answer to all these questions is "yes".
I'm beginning to realize that many of the improvements Chester has made stem from our ability to believe in his success. If I'm persistent and push him to do a task that I know will help him heal, he seems to oblige. He rises to the expectations I have for him. It wasn't easy, on Chester or me, to physically drag him down the hall to another room or outside to potty. On the other hand, if I was hesitant and let "my" fears dominate the situation, he would surely have failed. If I had left him under a table in the basement he'd probably still be there.
Chester improves a tiny bit every day. He doesn't balk or pull away when I leash him and walk throughout the house. He will follow me, or sometimes lead, just about anywhere within the walls on our home. Going to the back yard is easy and not a fearful thing any more. Walking out the front door isn't as great but we haven't done it as much lately as we should. That's me holding him back because I wanted to give him some normalcy after our traumatic road trip. I thought he might need some time in a comfortable, controlled environment to get over the stress of the long road trip. If Chester could speak, he'd probably tell me to "get over it" and "let's go back to the parks and take long walks again". Yes, the road trip was traumatic, but likely as much or more for me than the dogs. I felt so badly that the dogs were scared and I was embarrassed that a family member was so nasty to them. I wanted the trip to be a good thing for Chester. I never dreamed the outcome would be so different.
Hurdles attempted and achieved include:
1 - Walking throughout the house and outside to back yard on a leash
2 - Doesn't always flinch or jump at most common noises
3 - Smiling
4 - Wagging tail, a few times
5 - Rarely walks with tail between legs, sometimes though
6 - Playing with toys, loves soft toys but still no balls or ropes
7 - Drinking from the "community" water bowl
8 - Eating or drinking from a standing position, occasionally
9 - Looking "at" you when you speak to him, more each day
10 - Rising to meet your hand when petting, sometimes
11 - Playing with adopted sister Casey, several times
12 - Taking walks outside, still must have Casey along and still fearful and anxious
13 - Allowing others to pet him, in a quiet corner of his own home (even children)
14 - Not always underneath a table or chair, most times spent in corners
15 - Eating treats from our hands, will stand or approach to get them sometimes
16 - Approaches me when I've been out of the room awhile, wants acknowledgement
17 - Bath, enjoys it
18 - Personal grooming, he does this regularly
19 - Brushing and combing, he likes us to do this now, before he allowed it
20 - Gained approximately 10 pounds
21 - Enjoys being petted, originally he only tolerated it
22 - Stands and approaches for treats
23 - Loves getting "in" the car and taking rides (this wasn't new to our home situation)
Not a bad list for two months in a new home with new people and another dog. Chester has a long way to go but we won't hold him back. He will progress at his own pace, but with our encouragement ... and sometimes at our insistence.
Awesome
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