Scared out of their wits and then not

A van load of dogs came in from Montreal yesterday and these two were amongst them. The two were found with their two siblings, who are also here now, living in a small kennel with their mother, a Doberman. The mom was for some reason chained up even though she was in the kennel with them.

They'd spent pretty much their whole lives in those cramped quarters so it's a good thing they were rescued when they were and not a month or two or more later when whatever screwed up behaviours they might have developed would've become more ingrained. As it is, all four pups have got some anxieties to varying degrees and also some nasty bite marks reportedly from the mother who was probably going crazy trying to keep the pups off her as they got older and rowdier.

I took them out for their first real walk today and here's what happened.

This is them on the second floor just outside the adoption room:


This is them in the elevator:


This is them on the the first floor just before the exit:


It took about 10 minutes to get them outside with a lot coaxing and waiting. Both of them would take a few steps then flop down, then take a few steps then flop down.

I know how sad and pathetic they look but the pup in the background with the spread eagle body, gripping the ground like it's going to fall away from beneath him is painfully cute in his insecurity. And I can laugh now knowing he'll come round quick enough once he's given a chance because this is what happened once I got them outside (finally!).

At first, both of them are still anxious.


Then they see another dog and maybe it's just coincidence but it seems to trigger them to start playing with each other:



Curiousity about the outside world gets the better of them and their anxieties mostly disappear. I stop for a moment to adjust their leashes and then they attack!



See? I think they'll do fine.

The other two siblings aren't nearly as anxious. Here's the one who looks most like a Doberman:


I'll take some proper photos of these guys in a few days once they're a bit more relaxed.

For adoption information on these pups and other dogs (and cats and other animals), please visit Toronto Animal Services.