Early Morning Thoughts of a Rescuer:
Last night, when I called in the Special Needs group from the last potty break of the night, Mikiko didn't come in right away. That's not unusual. Her wires can get a little crossed and she can take awhile. Sometimes her nose distracts her. Sometimes, she's not done guarding the horses. Standard Operating Procedure is to bring in the dogs, grab a flashlight and go look for whoever hasn't come in. It happens a couple times a week. Everything is fenced but it's a large area.
So, looking for Mikiko. Standing on the patio, swepping the yard with the flashlight, I don't see her. I don't see movement. That's still not unusual. Time to start walking and calling. After a minute, I just stop and listen. I hear movement and then silence. Movement and silence. She's on the nature trail and she's tired. I can hear her crashing off into the brush when she gathers herself and tries to move towards me. When I see her, the look on her face was full of relief when her eyes lock on mine. She just stays put as I make my way to her and she's breathing hard with the immense effort she was making to get to me. Her wires were extra crossed. She was trying to get closer to me but just couldn't quite get all four feet under her. What she needed most in that moment was just my happy voice and hugs. She seemed AMAZED that I came out in the dark, just to bring her in. She couldn't take her eyes off me and just wanted touch. After a minute, I helped her on her feet with her harness she needed help balancing as we walked, partly because she kept turning her head to look at me. Back inside, I gave her some water and helped her on the bed where she curled up next to me just like she does every night, sleeping the sleep of the safe.
Yes, Mikiko. I will always come for you. "Ain't no mountain high enough."
Rescue On.
#emotionalrescuedogs #love #rescue
Beautiful sunset, beautiful brother and sister team! 🐕
#emotionalrescuedogs #adoptdontshop
#emotionalrescuedogs #doglover #love
#Pierre!
#doglover #rescue #emotionalrescuedogs
Early Morning Thoughts of a Rescuer:
Of course puppies come when I call them. I forget that I should show this on more videos because it's such a normal, natural thing for puppies to do. Sometimes I struggle to teach them NOT to stay super close so I can walk.
So how do I do get them to come? I don't use treats with puppies, just my voice and affection. It's a connection I build from the minute they arrive. I'm safe. I'm happy. And I pick them up all the time. My front yard is enclosed but it's really large, since It's also part of the farm. We take daily walks together off leash and explore the nature trail. When the get distracted and head off, I just use a happy voice and call them back. You can do this inside the house too.
Years and years ago, I volunteered for a really big rescue and had a mama and her litter that were horribly neglected, starved and sick. They had their own page and gained quite a following as they healed so the rescue asked me to bring the puppies to a fairly fancy fundraising event. Once I got there, I had help getting all five inside and it only took a couple minutes for them to leave me and wander individually throughout the crowd. Now, I can only take so much of not being able to keep close tabs on my babies and they were all over the place so from time to time, I'd just stand up and in a slightly raised voice, call "Puppies". All five of them would stop what they were doing and in their clumsy puppy way, run to me for a check in. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. All here. "Good puppies. Now you can go play again." Why did they listen so well? Because I'm the mama and we love each other.
Does that skill continue as they grow? Well...pretty much. I take our special needs group on a trail walk frequently while they're outside playing. Sometimes they know what's about to happen and head for the trail before I even call them. We all love that engagement! Even blind and deaf Sunny figures out what's going on and joins The
Good night, Pierre and Houndy!
#emotionalrescuedogs #love #sleep
Good night Joey!
#sleep #rescue #doglover #emotionalrescuedogs
Jazz and Blues! Send them some love!
#emotionalrescuedogs #fosteringsaveslives #everyone
Warmer temps mean we get to take a walk! Check out when happens when I tell them to "come back".
#dogrescue #adoptdontshop #emotionalrescuedogs
Pierre is a dirty, snow loving dog! He goes outside four times a day to potty and move around.
#emotionalrescuedogs #love #specialneedsdogs
Paralyzed dogs still want to run and play
I'm not afraid to use "equipment" for our special needs dogs.
#dogrescue #emotionalrescuedogs #specialneedsdogs #love
