May 12, 2003 (Day 23)

Time to worm the dogs again..... After last week, we have been wondering how this would go over. And actually, it wasn't too terribly bad.

Sara was the easiest, but then again, she tends to trust us more than the pups. Tyler was hesitant, but we did get the medication in him without too much trouble. And then came Gunny's turn...... Whew! That boy has jaws like a steel trap! Getting a small opening for the wormer wasn't easy, but I learned years ago that you can massage the throat in a certain way that will cause a dog to relax enough for a person to pill them, or in Gunny's case, use the wormer. You just can't miss the opportunity when it happens, so you have to be ready. Forcing the jaws would just scare the dog, so it is very important to do this carefully!

After the worming, we gave them all a small slice of steak as a treat. Wow, I don't think these dogs have ever seen food like that! Sara took it directly from me, which means she's pretty much back to where she was before the incident of last week. Tyler approached, but stopped just short, and waited. When I put the tidbit down, he grabbed it and -poof- it was gone. Gunny ran and hid behind his mother. -sigh- This boy just gets harder to reach as time goes on.

May 16, 2003 (Day 27)

This has been a pretty slow week and due to long hours, Karen & I haven't been able to try much more than daily care and maintaining a steady routine for Sara, Tyler, and Gunny. Fortunately our schedules have become a little less hectic, and we should be able to do more with them now.

Today we closed off one of the two isolation kennel runs, because letting the dogs have access to both of them only served to promote more chances of them running away from us when we tried to give them their medicine. So we have gone back a few steps, and are using the maximum security kennel run for the moment because it has a large crate in it for them to hide in when they feel the need.

May 17, 2003 (Day 28)

We have been a little curious how Sara, Tyler and Gunny would react if they saw someone they didn't know. Today we had to let the water company check out our inside meter and we saw first-hand. It wasn't pretty. All three of them ran to a corner and shivered.... Gunny was the worst, as usual. He was very visibly frightened. Poor little thing. But we didn't have much choice, since the water company is the only one who can replace a broken meter. Fortunately the service person never even tried to make contact with them, so they could pretend like they were invisible. At least, that's what they seem to be trying to do at times....

After the water company left, it became very clear to me that we need to try something else. This week has seen little if any change, and while not every week will be progressive, last week wasn't very great either. So, I decided to start with Gunny and do something a little different. I picked him up, and took him with me.... away from his brother and his mom.....

The next thing Gunny knew, he found himself introduced to Kimba, Chaunie, and Caralysa. If there was any chance of this pup warming up, these girls would find it. We had to limit the time together because while Gunny should be worm-free by now, he still needs to be checked again by a Vet. But for now, we decided to just monitor the exposure. And the results of this experiment? Read on....

At first, Gunny wasn't sure what to think. But after a few minutes, his curiosity won out, and he ran over to check out Chaunie, with Kimba following him every step of the way. He gave a great big smile when he saw Caralysa, who is just about the same size as he is right now. And they all starting romping and playing..... Eventually, our three girls curled up at my feet for some quality time, which meant if Gunny wanted to play with them, he would have to approach ME. Something he had NEVER done to this point.....

Sure enough, Gunny walked right to me, and while Kimba and Caralysa gave him a good face-washing, he stood there and let me pet him. Sure, he was really more interested in the other dogs, but the point is, he still approached me, on his OWN, and without any real sign of fear. Oh, how I wish I had my camera then..... his tail was wagging and his face lit up with a glow in his eyes where there had not even been a spark of hope before. From now on, "dog contact therapy" will be the prescription for him. It seems to be a major door-opener!

WEEK 4 (Summary)

An entire month has passed since we first took custody of Sara, Tyler, and Gunny. We've tried to let them approach us on their own terms. It seemed to go nowhere except backwards. We tried touch therapy. They liked it, but would not take the steps on their own. Now we've tried to integrate our own well-adjusted Samoyeds, to teach Sara, Tyler, and Gunny that it is ok to trust humans. And finally, it seems to work, but only when our dogs are present. Still, it is far too soon to tell if our three Kentucky dogs will be able to learn or not. Let's see where next month takes them.

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