Well, this now makes 2 adoption days in a row that Duke survived the whole 3 hours. On top of that, the location for this one is busier and had more people walking past. Duke did well and growled at fewer people. He even managed to tolerate attention from some people. He also got along (well, tolerated) with more dogs than he growled at. He met a mother and her adult son who were interested in him and, while not perfect by any means, put up with most of the extra attention they gave him. He even managed to give one visitor a kiss on the mouth when I was not looking.
It was, all in all, a productive time for him and hopefully he will start to learn that not all people are out to hurt him. Although I will not be able to attend the next Annandale Adoption day (July 6th at noon - Petco in Annandale...Mark your calendars and be sure to stop by), and the next Springfield Adoption day will be cancelled due to a VGSR event, I will try to bring him to both local adoption days in August with my son and nephew.
After the stressful day for him, luckily there were very few cars on our walk tonight. I am sure he appreciated that. I know I did.
Hi! I found this blog through Duke's VGSR profile, and I have to say, what a beautiful boy! I have an incredible soft spot in my heart for German Shepherds as I grew up with them, and I hope Duke finds his forever home soon. I know how difficult it can be to have a dog with anxiety, so what you are doing for him is truly amazing. I have participated in my share of 5+ minute staring contests so I know what thats like. I'm glad there are people like you out there who won't just throw away a dog that is still a work in progress. -Melissa
ReplyDeleteThank you Melissa. He has been a lot of work but he is worth it. We will be at the Fairfax Adoption day today so hopefully we can go 3 for 3. The morning walk was pretty stress free which helps.
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