Shore Girl” – Gracie

My Life as a Fearful Dog

My name is Gracie and I’m one of the Eastern Shore girls. Not much is known about my early life on the Eastern Shore. What I remember is that I was surrounded by a lot of other dogs, including my friends Chloe and Poppy. Some of us were chained up, some were tied to trees, and some of us could run free. I think maybe I was one of those that ran free because my friends at SEVA GRREAT were told that it took Animal Control around six months to be able to catch us. I am really good at running and hiding. I never had any interaction with people so they are very scary to me.

by Gracie

Once they finally caught me, I was put in a kennel at Animal Control and I was very frightened. These people from SEVA GRREAT came and picked me up and though they seemed nice, it didn’t make me feel any better. My new foster mom came to pick me up and I kept trying to hide behind bushes, under the stairs and anywhere else I thought was a good hiding spot. I got to my new house and I just didn’t know what to do. For a couple of weeks, I was so frantic and lonely that I howled all night, just wanting to be back where I was familiar with my surroundings. I ran around the house at night, trying to find a way out. I jumped up on all the windows trying to escape. I even jumped up on chairs and tried to climb the walls. It was terrifying.

My foster mom started to give me some kind of little pill in some cheese (I really LOVE cheese!). I started to calm down just a little bit but I still wouldn’t let anyone touch me. And, I certainly wasn’t going to allow that leash or harness to be put on me. My foster parents gave me toys! I never had toys before and they were cool, especially the ones that are soft and

Photo: Kim Maxey GRACIE

squeak. I carried them with me everywhere. At nighttime, they put them in a crate and I would go right in there to sleep with my treasures. Every morning, I would run outside to do my business. Then, I would take my toys, one-byone, and carry them to the dining room to hide out under the table all day. Mom let that room be all mine and I even have my own bed in there that was so soft and comfy. I never want to leave that room.

I was in my new home for about a week when I figured out that I got treats if I did my business outside. It seemed to make Mom so happy that I just kept doing that. I suppose that made it worth it to go outside. I found I could just peek into the family room where my people were, and they would open the back door for me. But, if I saw anyone else outside, I just wasn’t going to go out there. I didn’t know them, and they were just too scary. But I got snacks even for just facing that scary thing outside.

There are two other dogs in this family, and they are ok. The big one, Jordy, seems to be mostly interested in any breakfast or dinner that I don’t finish. I don’t mind because I’m not always that interested in my food. Now when he goes after my toys, that’s when I have a problem. Mom tells him to “Drop it!” and he usually listens. Then, there is Vinny who is more my size. We have made a pact. He will leave my toys alone and will also teach me when to bark at the Amazon or FedEx truck. I didn’t know how to bark until about a month ago. One of those trucks brings a box that I think we’re supposed to be excited about, according to Jordy and Vinny. It says Chewy on the box and has treats or toys inside. I’m mostly interested in the new toys. They just make me feel much better when I surround myself with them.

I’ve been at my new house for about eight months now. I’m used to these people but I still don’t want to be touched. Mom started to do this cool thing where she’ll sit on the floor with me with her laptop and this lady on that screen watched me. She’s an animal behaviorist. I have no idea what that is but it’s ok. Mom tells me we are on Zoom call. I thought that was what I did when I ran around the yard like a crazy dog…..or maybe that’s Zoomies. Anyway, that lady on the screen was watching me and telling Mom how to get me more comfortable. Mom will sit on the floor with me, almost under the table, and will read to me. I have no idea what she is saying, but I like the sound of her voice and I can relax. She will put a treat in her hand and let me take it from her. Sometimes, she will hide it in her hand, and I have to nuzzle down into her hand to get it. She makes it hard sometimes. While I’m trying to get it, she sometimes touches under my chin. It’s all very strange to me and I don’t really like that part. If I let her touch under my chin, sometimes she’ll try to touch down the side of my neck, down to my shoulder. I haven’t gotten used to that part yet. At least if I pull back, she will stop and not make me do it. That lady on the screen said that I can control how much I get touched. They say belly rubs feel nice but I’m not ready for that yet. Hopefully someday.

One day, my old friend Chloe came to visit me. Her mom was there and that frightened me. I shook all over because it was someone new in the house. Chloe wasn’t happy either because she had never been in this house. She was trying to find a place to hide, like I did when I first got here. So, we didn’t feel like playing, but maybe another time we will.

I’ve learned so much over the last few months. At night when it’s dark and no one notices me, I can sneak into Mom and Dad’s room to get more toys. I can also frolic and play, and no one sees me because they are asleep.

I have started getting a little bit excited when Mom and Dad come home, or when they take Jordy and Vinny for a walk. I think I might want to go on a walk too, but not enough for that leash or harness to be put on me. I know they won’t hurt me, but I still prefer to be by myself. I know that they are there for me and won’t ever give up on me. With their help and the help of SEVA GRREAT, I will learn to be more trusting and behave like a normal dog.

Night and Day

On a warm July afternoon, a very small and scared pup came to stay with us. When we greeted her at the car, she cowered in the crate. The smell of feces, urine and dirt emanating from the car was quite strong and we were not sure how Jane drove to our house. Once we moved the crate into the back yard, we opened the door. That scared pup ran from place to place looking for a place to hide. We sat awhile and then carried her from the bushes, and she sat by her new foster dad, Scott. She allowed Scott to pet her, and we thought “well this is going to be easy.” We will rehabilitate her for a couple of weeks, have her spayed and adopt her to a wonderful family. Boy, were we wrong. That day started our seven-month journey with Poppy.

As foster parents for over 10 years, we have seen a lot. From a tripod pup in diapers, to a pup with severe seizures, to a Turkey Dog, who had no social skills and a broken pelvis, we thought we had seen it all. Poppy was completely different. She was absolutely terrified of human contact, and trembled when someone would get close. One of the benefits of the COVID Pandemic, if there are any, is that we have been working remotely for a year. When SEVA approached us about fostering a pup, it was an easy yes. We would be home to take care of this girl and quickly transition her to a new home. We made sure Poppy had a safe space and we welcomed her to our home.

Poppy has the run of the house along with her foster sister, Allie. When Poppy first got here, she moved from two spots in our house. Her favorite spot is her pink house. It is big

POPPY

enough to hold a pup bed, but small enough to dissuade humans from entering. Or at least that is what Poppy thought. We climb in there and try to snuggle with her. Poppy used to be extremely uncomfortable while we were in there and was very happy to see us move along. Her other favorite spot is sitting on the white couch in the fancy living room. No one sits in there which makes Poppy happy, and she has a great vantage point to see if any pesky humans are trying to approach her. Once there is a human sighting, Poppy makes a beeline for the pink house for safety.

Poppy loves her foster sister, Allie. Although Allie is a bit standoffish with Poppy, Poppy takes every opportunity to try and play. She will sniff Allie and prance and jump around Allie to entice her to play. Occasionally, Allie will indulge Poppy. We are hoping for more of that in the future.

Poppy has the love and support of not only her foster family, but also friends and neighbors. Madeline and Natalie enjoy coming to our house to read and play with Poppy. They are so hopeful Poppy will come out of her shell. They say prayers every night about Poppy. Poppy also had a virtual session with an animal behaviorist. She helped us with cues when Poppy was extremely uncomfortable and how to diffuse the situation.

With new medicine, we have noticed that Poppy is becoming more approachable. She appears to be more comfortable, and the scared shaking is less and less. We are not sure if the skittishness is a permanent thing, but we will continue to give her the best care and remain prayful. She really is a sweet girl. Poppy’s biggest quirk is her behavior change from day to night. All the movement and activity during the day is overwhelming for Poppy. At night, once everyone settles down Poppy enjoys playing with toys. We have found many toys ripped apart and stuffing strewn about our house. It is super cute to hear her squeaking her toys while we are trying to sleep.

As our journey with Poppy continues, we will assess her progress and provide updates. Poppy still needs to be spayed and once she is more comfortable with human contact and possibly wearing a cone, we will do that. We will continue to shower her with love and positive human contact in hopes of breaking this beautiful girl out of her shell.

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Do you have a SEVA GRREAT dog? We would love to see what you are doing. Our alumni seem to be having very exciting lives. Share your pictures, including captions, by sending them to grreattimes@ adoptagolden.com. They will be featured in the next newsletter under Homecoming. And if you have a story to tell, we and the other Golden lovers would enjoy reading about it. So, send those stories with your photos also.