Stella – an update
Do you remember the turmoil my husband and I went through trying to decide if we wanted a second dog? (1 or 2 dogs?)
And then how we made the decision to get Stella? (Looking back).
And how Riley and Stella have become friends? (Big Brother, Little Sister).
Stella came to us with several bad habits and even more fears. We’ve worked really hard with her, and she has made such progress over the past 4 months! It gives us a great deal of satisfaction that now, when she looks at something that seems, to her, delightfully yummy… like a cardboard box…. she doesn’t chew it.
When she first came to us, she didn’t want to have much to do with us at all. But now, when I pick her up to get her ready for bed (she sleeps in a very comfy and large crate), she snuggles her head against my neck.
Stella used to run away from us, but now she only runs away from us when she wants us to chase her. For fun.
She used to bark at EVERYTHING, but now only barks at the scary UPS driver, or birds, or the wind. But, when we tell her “Quiet; it’s okay”… she understands and stops barking.
She lets me give her a bath and that might be one of my favorite times. It’s probably kind of strange, but I just love looking at her long eyelashes and this is one of the few times when she is still enough for me to really look at them. They are so soft and delicate.
She’s not perfect. She still doesn’t come… unless she wants to, which is typically when I have a treat in my hand. And her signal to go outside is a gentle touch on my leg – which if I miss – well, I’m likely to find a surprise in the house somewhere. (We’re working on a bell system, since she simply will NOT give a verbal signal.)
But, gosh, if those eyelashes don’t make up for it.
Comments (3)
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Awww, this is such a wonderful story of Stella’s progress. I loved reading it. Next to kids, grandkids and family, dogs are my love. I am so blessed to have my little Wilbur shih tsu. I adopted him when he was 8 years old and it just was meant to be. Poor little guy may have been brought to the shelter by a young family who found out why he was sick and couldn’t afford to take care of him — we could tell that he was a loved doggie — well, that’s what we prefer to think anyway. He only weighed 7 lbs. and had five stones about the size of M&M candies (a little thicker) in his little bladder and was dropping red in his urine. I took him to my vet the very next day and that’s when we found out about the stones. To have him taken care of would cost $2,500 which I didn’t have at the time but just couldn’t take him back to the shelter so used my Care Credit card for him to have his surgery. My special fee at the shelter was only $25 because I was a senior and we had to laugh at my getting such an expensive dog. He was and is worth every penny of it too. The vet said that many times a dog with stones in the bladder will have a return of the stones but had high hopes for Wilbur because she knew what pet food my dogs were fed. There are so many brands of dog food that are so bad for many dogs and creates problems like Wilbur’s. Wilbur has remained healthy and happy throughout these years here and he knows he is one loved fur baby.
What a sweet story, Carol! Yes, Wilbur is certainly loves. Bless you for rescuing and taking such good care of him!!
[…] her home. Riley, our 11-year-old Bichon has been the-best-big-brother ever to her. (Stella Update; Big Brother, Little […]