Okay. So for those of you who know me know that a rescue pug lives in our home. This little guy has over come so much. When we brought him home he was so scared that Richard had to hand feed him because he was too afraid to eat out of his bowls. We later discovered that he was afraid of more that just that. From the garden hose to the vacuum cleaner. He was even afraid of clothes hangers. We worked on overcoming that fear for about a year. Now he sits right next to me when I do the clothes and doesn't flinch any more. Our final traumatic fear was the fatal nail clippings. He would scream and fight until I was bleeding. This lead me to take him to the vet for this task. Do you know that it takes four adults to hold this little 20 pound dog down to clip his nails! They even considered putting him to sleep while they did it. I convinced them otherwise. Well Last weekend I sat him in my lap, and after about an hour we finally got them done. It was totally worth his wild. I loaded him up on hugs and treats. Tonight I decided to do it again. Now mind you, I only clip the very ends. Just so he gets used to it. And to guarantee that I don't clip the vein. He sat without struggling too much. I let him smell the clippers for a long time before we began. When he was done I talked softly to him while I clipped the front legs. When I got done he was still pretty calm. I them moved on to the rear ones. He sat there and was VERY tense. His little toes curled under with fear and he shook profusely. All the while looking directly into my eyes with his eyes very wide. We got to the final toe and it was done. I put the clippers down and held him for a bit longer before praising him and getting him treats! He did it! It took five years and all the trust he could muster, but he did it. It is an awesome feeling to see something so broken and scared become quite secure and confident. Here is a picture of the brave little guy!
He is a lucky little dog to have such an understanding pack leader.
Posted by: Ranger | November 05, 2007 at 10:36 PM
Wow, he is so cute. Hugs and kisses are a remedy to just about anything. Great job, Mom.
Posted by: zeta20 | November 04, 2007 at 10:52 AM
Wow, he is so cute. Hugs and kisses are a remedy to just about anything. Great job, Mom.
Posted by: zeta20 | November 04, 2007 at 10:46 AM