Paisley 21-056
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Thursday, August 19, 2021
Paisley has had several new and old experiences this past two weeks that are continuing to expand her world and give us more information on how best to make her feel safe.
We had a trip out of town, so our dogs needed to go to a pet lodge for a couple days and nights. Paisley did a half-day visit with our resident dogs so the staff could meet her and she could see what the routine was there. The staff knew her history, so Paisley did well and was accepted for the weekend stay.
The longer stay was also with our resident dogs and they all shared the same kennel space and exercise time. This really helped to make the experience something that Paisley saw as safe and the report was that she played well with her pack, liked the pool, and got a complementary bath before we picked her up!
Paisley was wagging her tail upon our return and did not scold us for leaving her in a strange place. She is still excited to jump in the car and go out on adventures.
On the other side of the coin, Monday trash day arrived again. Each Monday morning, we get to the end of our long, shaded driveway and Paisley startles at all the trash bins that are set out in front of everyone’s driveway. She flips on her “Alert! There may be danger here!” mode and barks loudly at these potential threats.
The same thing will happen on occasion in the house when she hears a strange noise. Each experience has been more easily calmed with distractions and redirections.
These alerts are part of who 5-year-old Paisley is. While the nervous reactions may lessen in intensity and duration over a long period of time in a constant and safe environment, they are part of her nature. An experienced owner and a confident residential dog will help immensely to make her feel safe and secure.
Friday, July 30, 2021
Paisley had a wonderfully successful week of social activities. Over the weekend we brought her to Battle Lake along with our two resident paws and we had two-plus hours of Paisley being around pets and people at a RAGOM planned Meet & Greet.
While she did occasionally display her nervous barking reaction to new people or four paws, she readily took cues from her pack, stepped away from the stimulus and/or took treats to calm down.
At one point there were 10 dogs and over 20 people in a relatively close setting and she was fine. Now as everyone in the group will testify, she did let us all know when someone new came in to join the gathering. She is a very alert early warning system.
This stimulus-filled activity was followed up on Wednesday with a trip down to White Bear Lake. Paisley was without our resident dogs on this adventure and got to meet our daughter, her husband, and our 11-month-old grandchild. After an initial first “Woof,” she accepted this extended pack. Paisley joined us for lunch at Punch Pizza on their outdoor patio, and we all took a nice long walk on trails at a nearby park.
Now let’s be clear. We kept Paisley under control and supported her as she stayed calm and relaxed during each of these events. It was also a team effort to monitor her reactions, but I was thrilled to see her handle the amount of stimulus from cars, people, and noises around us.
As Paisley grows in her trust that we will keep her as well as her pack safe, she is more and more open to staying calm and not overreacting to the world around her. And boy was she excited to share her adventures with our pack dogs when we returned home!
Paisley continues to be a joy to have around, and she shares with us that she loves belonging in a home where she feels love, acceptance, and safety.
Sunday, July 18, 2021
Paisley is increasingly comfortable with our routines and is learning to play with toys and one of our resident dogs. She is slimming down nicely and currently weighs 76 pounds rather than the 80+ pounds recorded by her vet in April 2021.
The initial response to seeing people or animals outside has toned down to one or two barks and then maybe a few “woofs” to let us know someone is there. She is starting to accept that when we are relaxed that she is safe, does not need to protect us, and that if our dogs are not reacting maybe it's not a big deal. All three dogs would like to catch a chipmunk though.
We are learning other things about this girl. She is particular about where she will go potty. There are a couple of spots that Paisley has deemed as okay, and those are her target zones. However, it is not her thing to just find her spot and go. She has a need to pace back and forth, squat, decide she is not ready and start the process all over again!
Her ritual has taught us to use a new hand signal. When the resident dogs have done their business and we are all eager to go inside, we have found a way to speed up Ms. Paisley. Rather than just saying, “Go potty!” we have added the hand gesture of waving the open palm back and forth, in her pacing mode. She responds to this verbal and visual cue much faster than to just the verbal request.
Ah, the joy of learning how best to communicate with your dog! Side note: she is fluent in sit, down, wait, and come.
She remains a sweetheart waiting for just the right quiet home.
Wednesday, July 7, 2021
Paisley is a 4-year-old Golden with a heart of gold. We believe that she was thoroughly enjoying her original family for about two years when their situation changed. The family had their first child and Paisley became anxious. She would suddenly bark, loudly and aggressively, to protect her larger family from unknown people and events, such as delivery trucks.
She was surrendered when the behavior couldn’t be changed and the family was expecting their second child. When she is content and secure, she is your typical happy, Velcro Golden seeking out petting or treats or walks or play.
The concern for Paisley is that she reacts to the world around her as if it might be a danger to her or to her pack. That reaction can be sudden and intense. On a walk, a person, another animal, or even a car may illicit barking and pulling at her lead. You can calm her down and distract with food treats or redirection, but she will want to look around you to see if the danger is getting any closer.
The best way I can describe it is that she will be walking nicely with you on a loose leash and then if she perceives a threat, she goes immediately to DEFCOM- 3! Successful introductions to others should be done slowly, gently, and at Paisley’s pace. She has successfully met friends in single, controlled situations, taking the time to allow her to feel safe.
Unfortunately for Paisley she has bitten young pre-teen children twice without providing much warning.
The most recent case was just days after her first adoption when her world had gone through some rapid and significant changes and her level of anxiety was not understood. And I can understand why the family did not anticipate her behavior. It is because her normal state is one of such a friendly, lovable golden girl.
All bites are serious and there was some bruising and a small tear of skin in the most recent situation, but neither case required a trip by the child to a doctor.
After this latest incident the adoptive family agreed to return Paisley to RAGOM, but even though she had only been with them a week they requested to keep her through the weekend so that the husband could return from a trip and say goodbye to Paisley before she was surrendered.
Paisley’s forever family needs to have a long-term commitment to helping her adapt and respond appropriately to anything new in her environment. Ways to make her world seem safer are to keep it small. She needs a quiet neighborhood in a rural or low traffic area.
She needs a home with limited visitors and no children living in the home or visiting. A confident, low-key resident dog would truly help her understand that things are okay and that she and her pack are safe. When she adopts you as her pack, she will be the Golden girl for you.
Adopt Me: If you think Paisley would be a good fit in your home, please review our adoption process. If you have already submitted an Inquiry for Application, email [email protected] with Paisley's name, RAGOM number (21-056), the name you submitted under, and a sentence or two explaining why you feel your home would be a good match.