My son makes me very proud in many ways, one of which is his volunteer work with a local rescue group. He fosters dog after dog, including many mamas and their litters of pups. Obviously if they have been rescued, they all come from challenging backgrounds.
One little girl named Nancy has been more challenging than most. She was so abused as a tiny pup that she's terrified of everyone and everything. She began trusting my son and his dogs somewhat, but was still very skittish around anyone else. None of her visits with other people lasted long because she didn't want anyone near her. Nancy was in my son's home for over four months and was rejected time after time by prospective puppy parents. In spite of the fact that she is stinking cute, no one wanted to take her and give her the time and space she needed to begin to trust, to love and be loved. She'd become viewed as unadoptable after so many heartbreaking rejections.
My son, being the tenacious man that he is, began daily text nags to his dad and me about giving her a forever home. He knew she was running out of time to find anyone to love her. After weeks of resistance, he finally convinced us to give her a try in our pack. (We needed a fifth dog like a hole in the head!) Nancy was not well accepted the first few days by our geriatric pooches, but they've come around. They don't want to play nearly as much as she does, but they let her lay with them, eat with them, and be on our laps! After two weeks in our home, she is a full member of the pack. She's the lowest ranking member, mind you, but still accepted into the family. She's begun following me everywhere like the others do, hanging out with me in the office when I'm writing, jumping up on my lap, and letting me pet her every time I reach for her. She loves nibbles of meat or cheese and lines up with the other four to get her tidbits. All in all, I think she is doing pretty well for being in this new environment only two weeks.
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