Small steps = Big praise

I am just in awe of this girl each day.  Such spunk, such drive, such tenacity. She has started sleeping on my bed at night.  For the last 3 nights she has actually hopped her little self on my bed at night and nuzzles herself next to my legs for the night. However, I think she sleeps with one eye open because if I even think of patting her, she quickly hops off the bed.  Luckily she will jump right back up and settles down again.  Tiny little progress but it means so much considering the state she was in when she come home to me.  Today is one month since I brought her home.  She has come so far yet has so very far to go.

This picture is just so cute.  The fact that her eyes are closed (which I am sure was a blink) just makes me think I captured her taking her first deep breath of peacefulness and relief. I know that is a little mushy but she does that to me. :)

The progress -3 weeks

Its been a while since I have updated on Ruby's progress.  So, the little girl is just so amazing.  This princess obviously has had nothing good happen from a human being in her whole existence yet, she is very willing to learn otherwise.  I have slowly been introducing her to more and more touch. I had taken her collar off a few weeks ago and she went collar free for about a week and 1/2.  We didn't push her, just let her exist and accept our presence and treats. (she LOVES treats) Eventually we found that when someone is on the couch, she will jump up there and since she is so adorable we could not resit trying to pat her.  At first, she would jump down but within a minute or so jump up again. Figuring she must not be TOO bothered by our attempts we kept trying.  Now she will allow us to pat her all over, even pull her up to our lap where she will fall asleep!  I told you she was amazing! 

Eventually in one of our couch sessions I got a new pink collar on her. She didn't seem to mind at all. I was having her stay in a room that I could close the door of while we were gone until the day that apparently she didn't want to be in that room alone anymore, and scratched the heck out of the door. (sorry landlord, we'll fit that.) So I told ruby she was getting a leash and being out in the crate.  So, once again, on the couch, hooked up a leash and had her wear that for about 5 days. She fights and twists when you pull on the leash but slowly has learned that nothing bad will happen if she goes with it.  She is by no means over the leash pulls so we do it infrequestly but I do pull her towards he crate when it is time to get in.  She will fight until she gets to teh crate door and then walks right in, waiting happily for her treat. 

Today was one more breakthrough: After several days of leash -crate struggles, this morning I decided to give her a chance to follow the command and not touch the leash.After a few times saying "crate" and pointing to the crate with the treats in her smelling range, she WENT INTO THE CRATE ON HER OWN!  I was so excited, gave her a handful of treats and poked my fingers in to pat her nose and left. 

Here are some pictures of her reviving some love from my brother.  and yes, this IS the same dog.  Can you see the difference in her?  I sure can.

 First touch, not sure she wants to stay for this

Ok, maybe for just a minute

Yes, that's right.  That's the spot.

Bliss

Snuggling Ruby Style

We are on day 6 of the Amazing Ruby Adventure.  She survived Thanksgiving when family came over for the day.  She barked at everyone who made sudden movements but also accepted treats from everyone and seemed to fair well over all.  Hopefully she considers it a positive day.

Progress on a daily level is that she well commonly jump on the couch when someone is sitting there.  Usually she prefers is someone has a blanket on their lap.  She did lay down with me and Daisy and Winter on the loveseat right on top of my feet.  She seemed very relaxed so I thought I would risk upping the contact level and pat her.  First I scratched under her chin and eventually got to pat her all over for several minutes. She seemed to love getting her ears scratched.  I was so excited. eventually someone else came into the room and she got down but this has to be a great step forward.  She still doesn't let someone get much farther than a chin scratch but she survived our snuggle session and hopefully thinks of it as another human test, passed.  Here are some pics of her on me.

She tries so hard

Last night I let ruby explore the upstairs of the house. She was so nervous running to the top of the stairs and back down again. Exploring a little further each time. Because I was upstairs, she really wanted to be up there with me and she fought her very core fear instinct to follow me, even though it scared her so. Eventually she made it into my bedroom.  I think the room seemed like a possibility for entrapment, she only walked in a little and ran back out, more each time until she seemed to have assessed her threat level, and felt safe(r). 

As usual, Daisy (the alpha) was in the room with me and we were on the bed and I was watching TV.  Daisy was watching out for Ruby, seemingly feeling her anxiety.  I decided to just ignore Ruby and let her explore. Suddenly I was startled by the sound and motion of Ruby trying to jump on my bed!  I was shocked, I was sure she would find that too intimate and unsafe, but she really was trying.  Unfortunately her little legs were too small plus I am sure her fear stops her from jumping with abandon, so she ended up frustrated.

Poor girl. She wants to be with us so badly. This is such a great sign, I can't wait until she trusts me enough to let me hoist her little round boston bum up on the bed for the night.  I was so excited with the possibility. Here's a pic of her from my phone as she was trying to get up on the bed.

Ruby's theme Song... By Cake (Kenny Roger's Cover)

Progress is slow

I have decided that pushing her until I can at least pat the top of her head, is out of the question.  My process with her so far is this.  I reach my hand towards her periodically and she licks it a few times and we walk away. When I am sitting at the computer I have yummy treats (tiny pieces) there with me and almost every time she puts her front paws on my leg, I say good girl and hold a treat for her.  I hold it as she puts her mouth around it and use my other hand to try and scratch her chin.  Sometimes more than others she sort of lets me until she gets the treat out of my hand and then she is off.  At this point on day two, I can scratch her chin much longer than yesterday which started off as no touching whatsoever. Tonight she is following me around and laying next to where I am sitting, mostly watching me.  If I call her and pat my leg, she will put her paws up looking for a treat. every so ofter I just scratch her chin and no treat.

I worked today so she stayed free in the house with Daisy.  I gate so they can't go upstairs and left a few puppy pads down.  She only went once and on the pads, so at least we are not dealing with a major potty training issue on top of her fear.  She had no accidents yesterday and already knows what "wanna go out?" means.  She is VERY smart.

I was telling my brother, Mark who lives with me how my dog mommy instinct is to scoop her up and give her lots of love and I still find myself nearly reaching for her to grab her up and then sadly, come back to reality.  She is so adorable and such a perfect little Boston shape and personality that it kills me that I can't.

So, before I try and push her into accepting me putting the leash on her and changing her collar etc, I am going to wait until I can pat the top of her head. I think that will be major progress.

Here is a picture of her yesterday as the sun was almost out of the living room and she found a spot under a chair.  So lonely.

Name change

So, Polly does not seem to fit this little girl.  I thought I would be fine with it but she doesn't know her name PLUS, this is the name her breeder/idiot named her.  Therefore, I can't get the ickiness of saying this name to her as a reminder of where she came from, out of my head.  So, Nathan (my 13 yo son) asked me if we should change her name.  I said, that I wasn't sure. He said, "How about, Ruby?" I said "wow, that name seems perfect for her!" So I think that is what we will do. Ruby is her new name.
Here is a copy of the "pedigree Certificate" from her puppy mill past,  I have half a mind to burn it.

The First Night

So last night from the time of getting her home until bed time I gave Polly a bunch of treats.  I figured, every time she comes up to me and licks my hand is one step closer to trust. She basically stood for the 5 or so hours before bed time, I am not sure she even sat once.  Poor thing, like she had to be ready to flee at a moments notice.  I set up her crate with a clean soft blanket and puppy pad and threw some treats in there hoping she would climb right in. (I had to crate all my other dogs while I did this, they think they should get a treat every time a treat is given) no such luck. She would stretch herself into the crate to reach the treat not allowing her back feet in, no matter what.  If I moved at all while she did this, she scuttered right out again.  She obviously has been tricked into a crate before and it was traumatic.  I decided on the first night I wasn't pushing her into anything. So after an hour or so of trying to get her in there, very passively I might add, I decided to closer her into a room with puppy pads and a dog bed. So, we went to bed.

First thing this morning she went outside with all the other dogs and went to the bathroom just like a pro. I have yet to get a leash on her since she is afraid of the leash.  I worked with her last night on getting her used to being near it without trying to put it on her. So I am crossing my fingers with some more work she will let me put it on today. She didn't want t eat her food and of course my little scavenger, Winter wanted to eat what was left. So I picked up her dish.  I have been trying to feed her, her breakfast as if it were treats and she will take the kibble but spits it out.  I think because it is not as tasty as the real beef soft treats I was giving her last night. She is very smart.

So, adorably, she has been sitting and even laying in the sun after all the commotion of breakfast and after meal play time. So I got my camera out and got a few shots of her showing her Boston genes.

Coming home

Picked up Polly tonight from another volunteer who met the transport to pick up their foster and agreed to bring Polly to Portland. We heard that Polly is a "fear biter" which means she is not aggressive but with bite humans when she is afraid.  And we also heard she is always afraid of humans.  So we all were a little nervous at wondering how to handle her.  Our first dilemma was getting her from the volunteer's crate to my crate.  we tried getting a leash on her, coaxing her, tipping the other crate so she would gracefully slide in, and finally I just reached in a grabbed her collar.  She didn't growl or bite me but wiggled and squirmed as if she was very scared and extremely uncomfortable with what I was doing to her.  With the help of the volunteers, we wrestled her into my crate. No bites.  However, she did poop on me but I would call that a success.

I brought her in the house to meet the rest of my crew. (4 Bostons, 3 of them rescues) She got right out o the crate and sniffed and they all seemed fine.  She will come up to my hand and sniff me and usually lick my hand.  If I try to pet her, she will back away.  Any sudden movement from a human makes her jump.  She ate a bowl of food and has been sniffing all around the house getting used to everything.  I would say, a good beginning to the start of an adventure for the amazing little Polly.