Its official, The DogSmith Training Center is sponsoring the rehabilitation of a gorgeous Red Merle Mini Aussie. We will pick her up from a facility in two days and begin the long road of “helping her become a family pet” We plan to blog about her daily progress, the behavior change protocols used to help her along her journey and her progress. As of this moment she is a terrified dog who hides in a corner and avoids all contact with people.
Thank you to New Spirit 4 Aussie Rescue and Walton County Animal Control for helping to put this together
Lois Marlow the Animal Control Manager at Walton County Animal Control has asked us to help with this gorgeous dog. In her current state she does not stand much chance of finding her forever home. Catherine Zehner and I first saw this scared girl in January 2010 when we were visiting the new Walton County facility to talk about training programs The DogSmith of The Emerald Coast could offer to the residents of Walton County
I am a sucker for Aussies and “need a project”, this is the perfect match. She will arrive at The DogSmith National Training Center in the next couple of days where she will undergo a full medical check and a 7 day quarantine period to ensure she is healthy enough to begin her rehabilitation. Bethany Jordan, The DogSmith Panhandle and Southern Alabama is on hand and only a few miles away to help with this task. Bethany is a Veterinary Technician. The first few days are not going to be very pleasant for her as she is not comfortable being handled. We do need to attend to her physical needs as a priority and then we can work on her mental needs and her behavior.
Known Back Ground.
The only know background we have is that she was trapped wandering around a rural area in North Walton County. From an initial assessment she appears to be in good condition, her coat is okay, nothing a diet of Life’s Abundance premium dog food cannot correct. Often with stray dogs the coat, ears and nails are in poor condition due to neglect but in this situation the nails are short and her ears are clean.
First Steps.
I am busy preparing an area for her where she can be quiet and away from noise, dogs and people. The area will have direct access to the outside. I will not be able to touch her to attach a leash and collar for the first few days and I cannot afford to traumatize her by physically moving her in and out of a building while I build up and develop some trust with her.
My plan is to visit her every two hours during daylight hours and hand feed her so she becomes desensitized to me and I can begin to shape some confident behaviors around me.
Watch out for her arrival pictures to The DogSmith National Training Center. Follow this blog on our Rescue Dog pages