Wednesday, November 11, 2009

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.

9 comments:

Ian said...

Poor pups.
Glad they were rescued.
Was the mother rescued also?

Fred said...

I think so but I'm not sure where she is. I'll see if I can find out.

Unknown said...

I couldn't help smiling while watching them "attack" your hand Fred. Reminded me of a Rodney Dangerfield joke "my dog's favorite bone is in my arm".
I'm sure these cute pups will be adopted very quickly.

borderjack said...

I hope mom's okay...It's horrible that they would have to be so anxious. But they are really, really, REALLY gorgeous dogs...I was looking at the photos thinking they are some of the cutest dogs I've ever seen (apologies to my own, if they read this...:)

Lynda said...

I love how you captured them being shy and then finally playing with you. So sweet!! They really are cute little ones!

I don't think I will ever understand how some people can treat dogs like garbage, not worth anything. Boggles my mind.

JennaB said...

I took these guys out the other day as well.. same experience. I had to carry them out most of the way but when outside they totally changed were they were all wags and licks.

Fred said...

I saw these guys today and they weren't half as bad as they were a couple of days ago. Just a bit more time is all they need.

Anonymous said...

I know I'm late to the party, but any word on the mom?

Fred said...

No, not yet. I thought she was rescued as well but from what I hear the owner hasn't decided if he wants to give her up. I think the rescue group is still in communication with him so who knows how it'll turn out.