3/4/07: Sebastian was found as a stray and when he was turned over to Whipstaff Rescue in Northern Minnesota, he had about 4# of very old, worn chain attached to his collar. The staff at Whipstaff provided background information that Seb didn't appear to have any health issues, his teeth were in good condition, he was slightly underweight, he got along fine with other dogs and ignored cats. They also said that he was extremely timid and had probably been abused.
This morning, I met Seb, a beautiful Golden Retriever/Shepherd mix, and although he cowered in fear when we approached him in his outdoor kennel, he did fine during the basic evaluation. I fitted him with a bright red collar (for courage) and RAGOM ID, and then told him how lucky we were to be starting his journey to a new Golden life together. He wasn't crazy about being leashed, but we finally made it to the van where he just flat dug in. Finally, we lifted his 60# or so aboard and away we went.
When we got home, I was pleasantly surprised when Seb found a bush and a snowbank to do what came naturally. And every time we go outside, same (poor) bush and same snowbank. Good boy!
This afternoon, I found out that Seb is food motivated so he's been easy to lure with offers of dried liver and cheddar cheese. It's very funny to see him stretch out his whole body so he doesn't have to get too close to take his treat...then he gets lots of praise for being so brave. The resident dogs are in heaven because they're included in this "get in line and sit for free food" extravaganza...little do they know (or care)that they're playing a part in re-teaching Seb to trust his people.
Tomorrow, I hope to see Seb wag his tail. This is how we start...little step by little step.