Entered: 02/13/2016
Status: Adopted
Age: 7
Color: Liver/White
Weight: 50 lbs.
Gender: Altered Female
Location: Richmond, VA
Health: UTD, HW-, receiving medication and supplement for anxiety, receiving supplement for urinary tract health, treatment for urinary tract infection complete
Temperament: Fearful of meeting new adults and men in particular but calms when familiar, has successfully met children as young as six but nervous if they are active, good with most dogs, might chase a cat
Update 05/13/2016: “Libby has shown a playful side as she’s run around the yard giving play bows, hoping her foster mom will join in a chase game.”
After a month in her new foster home, Libby has become quite comfortable. She loves her yard where she can run around or just sniff out the many critters that have passed through. Running after birds is fun for her and she’s even chased a cat that had invaded her yard. Libby has shown a playful side as she’s run around the yard giving play bows, hoping her foster mom will join in a chase game.
Walks occur daily and she continues to take them at a good pace. While she never pulls, Libby still likes to take a power walk. She does not stop to smell the roses…or to do any toileting. She encountered a cat on one walk and chose to take a wide berth around it.
Her brisk walks, along with a controlled diet, have helped Libby slim down a little. Since joining her foster home, she appears to have lost a few pounds and is showing off more of a waistline. Libby has a small frame, so she could even stand to lose two to three more pounds to reach an ideal weight.
As long as people and things are familiar, Libby is fine. Things that are new or novel can be quite scary. During the rainy weather of late, her foster mom found out to her chagrin that umbrellas are VERY SCARY! Using one on a walk was acceptable, but if she walked out to the yard with Libby for a potty break, poor Libby would bolt to hide in the bushes until the offending umbrella was put away. With some training, she could overcome this fear.
Libby is a very quiet girl for the most part. She will give a soft little happy whine when her foster parents come home. If the doorbell rings or someone approaches the house, Libby lets loose with a bark that would make any Springer proud. She quiets down when told that it’s “okay.”
While Libby will likely tend to be more attached to females, she has accepted her foster dad as a good guy. Most surprising was a visit by an adult son who walked in unannounced. Libby began to growl but, when told it was okay, she immediately accepted her human foster brother as a friend. Over the course of two days, she would approach him frequently to get attention and a good petting.
It is obvious to her foster parents that Libby’s anxiety medication is helping her tremendously. It will be important for an adoptive family to understand that this little girl will need to remain on it for life. What a difference it makes for her quality of life!
Libby’s ideal home will be one with adults, with at least one female in the family. A fenced yard is a must for her. Due to her shyness, she might take a little longer adjusting to a new family than the average dog; but this sweet, sweet girl is well worth one’s patience!
Original: “At night Libby sleeps in a dog bed next to her foster mom. She sleeps quietly all night long, rising with the alarm.”
Libby was obtained by her original family when she was six months old. She was very scared and shy and it was hoped that she would overcome her insecurities as time passed; reportedly this never happened. When her family divorced, Libby was to move from Vermont to Maryland. When her owner was unable to find a home that would accommodate Libby, she turned to MAESSR for help.
Upon becoming a MAESSR girl, Libby joined a foster family that was experienced with helping nervous dogs. Anxiety was a huge part of poor Libby’s life and she was placed on a medication and supplement to help her relax. Despite having a new foster dad that every dog adores, Libby would avoid being near him. Over time, and with the help of medication, she began to join the lineup of pups waiting for the nighttime treat…and then quickly retreat.
Over the course of two months, Libby made progress and became a little less anxious. It was decided that she should move to another foster home without the hustle and bustle of many canines, and with the hope that more one-on-one time would help her continue to become a more confident girl. Prior to her move, she received necessary vetting that she was unable to get when she joined MAESSR. She had been beyond frightened at her first vet visit and that work had been postponed. It was determined at that visit, however, that she had a urinary tract infection and Libby received treatment to resolve it. Her second visit went much better and, although nervous, Libby was able to have all of her vet work brought up-to-date.
Libby was very nervous to leave her foster mom and join her new foster family. She tentatively checked out her new yard and – surprisingly – allowed her new foster dad to scratch her ears! It was all very new and scary, however, as her new home was very different from her first MAESSR experience. No other dogs are in her current home. Meals are given twice daily rather than free-feeding, and there’s no dog door in her new home. Libby was too nervous to eat much of her first meals, although treats and hot dog pieces that hid her medications were shyly taken from her parents’ hands.
During her first full day in her new home, Libby often tried to leave the room that her parents were in to find a quiet safe spot. They would have none of that and tethered her to a leash to lead her to the room they were in. She willing came on leash and when all exits of the room were blocked she settled in and became more relaxed. She even enjoyed some petting from both parents. Her first dinner had some meat juices in it to entice her and resistance was futile…her first meal in her new home after 24 hours. By her third day, Libby decided that eating in her new home wasn’t so scary. She’s even enjoyed sharing a piece of orange with her foster mom, raw green beans, and a bite of cheese from her foster dad’s hand.
In her former foster home, it was reported that Libby was reliably housetrained. This has proved true in her new home. Her foster parents’ biggest concern was the infrequency that she relieved herself initially. For two nights Libby would not pee before bedtime although given several opportunities. Yet, she held it all night long. Good girl!
For walks, Libby was placed in a harness and has done well. At first she was a little nervous walking too close to her foster dad, but this improved. By day three, she took a solo walk with him and did well. She has a brisk pace, which her parents enjoy. Surprisingly, she does not use her walks as an opportunity to go to the bathroom. Perhaps in time she’ll relax enough to do so. Libby has met other people on walks and has done well. She stopped to meet a male neighbor with his grandchildren, ages six and eight. She approached the neighbor tentatively but chose to sit a short distance away from him. She was not concerned about the children, who respected her possible nervousness when meeting new people, and she calmly sat while everyone conversed.
At night Libby sleeps in a dog bed next to her foster mom. She sleeps quietly all night long, rising with the alarm. In the evening she relaxes on another dog bed in the family room. When she waits for her foster mom to return from work, she has claimed a love seat that her parents have conceded as a piece of Libby’s furniture.
Watch for news on Libby’s continuing progress. She is one very sweet girl who loves to be loved.