08/11/2023
I'd be remiss not to talk about our other "puppy" available through The Artemis Project. Bailey is our "wild" foster we got months ago. I remember bringing her home- 2 seconds after taking her out of the crate, and putting her in the yard, she'd jumped the fence and was GONE. I had a team searching for her and had to follow Facebook group posts of "who's dog is this on this road..." It was stressful. And not successful.
She showed back up. Eventually. And then proceeded to stay on the outskirts of the property (a safe 200+ meters). We tried to tranquilize her at one point. We spent all day outside waiting for it to take affect and it was like she had so much anxiety, her willpower beat it. Mike and I figured we just had a wild dog from here on out that we'd be feeding.
We caught Bailey in traps we'd set (in the horse trailer once). Several times. The first 2 times she chewed through her harness and wire cable, or Sarah wasn't paying attention with doors open. To say that this dog had me wondering about my life decisions was an understatement. Ashley Dale always cheered us on though, so we kept going.
We showered Bailey in love and affection from a distance and let her have her space (forget keeping her in a fence that's less than 6 feet). When we were able to catch her, we would talk to her and spend hours petting her until she relaxed. Day by day, she'd creep closer to us. I remember the first time she booped my hand. Sarah came in doing a happy dance the first day she got the boop. Even Charlie and George were ecstatic when they too got "boops." After that, she'd let me touch her head. Then belly rubs and pats all over. It was a painstakingly slow process.
Today she enjoys the indoors. She's still shy and skittish with new people and will absolutely not take treats out of your hand, but look at her now. She's so incredibly sweet. We definitely put her in some very stressful (well, by her definition, they were stressful) situations and she chugged through with us. She was never, and has never offered, to be reactive. She gets after the cows when I need a work dog. She loves the kids and is always the first to greet me when I come home. She gets along well with all animals (sheep, goat, horses, cattle, other dogs, and cats). She's potty broke and would love to spend her days as a couch potato.
Her only vice I've ever found? No Bueno to chickens. I do think she's part bird dog of some sort, so there's that. However, she more than makes up for it with her sweet disposition. She has always been determined to TRY and that's all I could ever ask of my kids and animals. From the day we brought her home, she always wanted to come and say hi, but whatever trauma she experienced in the past prevented her from it. She still carries that trauma, but she's overcame so much of it and I'm SO proud of her!
I'm happy for her and how far she's come and pray she gets an incredible family. I feel like she's finally ready to move onto her next chapter and I hope she gets to be the most spoiled couch tator!
