I have begun work at the Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley, and am thouroughly enjoying myself. Being back in Idaho is a bit of culture shock, but for the most part I have found the people to be incredibly friendly and warm. And the dogs! There are so many wonderful dogs here! The Wood River Valley is so lucky to have such a great animal shelter. The resources they put into their animals, as well as the resources they have for the community are amazing. Because it is an adoption guarantee shelter, they certainly have some long term residents. One cat has been here since I left 2 years ago. It makes me think she was waiting for me to come back to adopt her... There are also some long term resident dogs. One in particular peeked my interest. "Sundance" was dumped at the shelter after hours. It took staff 3 days to catch him, he was so shy and untrusting of humans. During his time at the shelter he has certainly blossomed. He even goes to an organized agility class which he really loves. Don't be fooled though, he is still a shy boy, and he displays his fear at the shelter by barking at anyone who passes by his kennel. I knew he wouldn't get adopted acting that way, and I had a hunch he probably hadn't ever been in a home setting. So, after making sure he and Stella would get along, and that he would behave around Chip, I decided to take him home as a foster, and try to get him some socialization.
So far it's been a bit rough. He is petrified of everything. Thank goodness for his crate. He retreats to it any time he is inside, which is fine with me. I am happy he has a safe spot. Our biggest challenge is that he won't go to the bathroom while here. He is too spooked by everything outside, and he paces or runs around the yard tail tucked. So, I have resorted to taking him back up to the shelter to go to the bathroom a couple times a day. (It's amazing, we get there and he walks around marking on everything...) Today we had a breakthrough- he trotted around the yard with his tail up, and didn't hide nearly as much. When we went inside I was able to call him over to me, open the front door and he ran inside. (Usually I have to creep up to him to put his leash on and coax him into the house) So, maybe we are making progress. Did I mention that the first day he got out of the yard and ran off for 3 hours? Thankfully he did come back when a thunderstorm passed through.... He sure is handsome though...
So, I'll keep you posted on Sundance's and my progress. If nothing else, I am learning how to be more patient.....
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