We’re very happy to announce that our Bell’Anima foster Paco has successfully escaped death row and was dropped off last night by two wonderful volunteers!
As with most foster animals, we know very little of Paco’s background, except that he was abandoned by his owner for excessive barking and running away, that he is 5 years old and has a perfect bill of health.
With that little information and the fact that Paco is a beagle after all, we were prepared for anything! I worried about the excessive barking and howling and about how much pent-up energy that little guy might have stored while at the shelter, and of course what other side effects that might have gotten him used to exhibiting.
With the firm belief that I would eventually be able to rehabilitate him with the support of our DoggyDay network of professionals and Bell’Anima Rescue, I dug my heals in and waited for the drop off.
Paco could not have been more different than what I expected!
Instead of fear and anxiety, I found curiosity and a healthy friendly confidence. Instead of obsessive barking and howling, I found an extremely observant and patient dude. Instead of social ineptitude, I found a polite gentleman, eager to meet and play with any dog we came across on the street and in the dog run.
In the house, Paco is patient and observant, with the lighting ability to pick up any ques and signals both from humans and from the other dogs. He only needs to be shown the way once, mainly through body language, and he’s there, he’s going it! Impressive. If I didn’t have my doubts (based on the fact that he was abandoned for such easily corrected issues), I would say that this dog has been worked with a lot by a knowledgeable and patient owner.
But my guess is that he is simply a fabulous dude, too intelligent and noble to have gone all rebellious on his misfortunes in the past. He just waited wisely and patiently (hey, maybe that’s why he was running away, LOL) to find the pack of humans who are worthy of his presence and gifts.
Even though his natural hunting drive is EXTREMELY strong, he understood in under 2 minutes that bolting out of doors was NOT what I was asking him to do, and with only 3-5 repetitions, we were able to exit the house onto a busy and interesting new street, sit on the porch for a minute and then go on our walks. He now (mind you, this is less than 24 hours) needs to be asked only once to wait while any doors are being opened, and I can see that in another day he won’t even require being asked. Amazing!
Leash walking is a bit of a struggle still, as he is incredibly nose driven and easily excited and distracted for now. We don’t know how long he’s been in a cage, but I was not about to let that be an excuse for letting him drag me around the slush. It might have taken us 40 minutes and a serious number of liver treats to get his attention back to the walk, to only go 3 blocks to the dog park, but boy was it worth it! After the first couple of blocks, he picked up and the rest was just maintenance.
He’s the same with everything else, waiting in a calm sit to be release for his food (saw that from Emma, thank you dear for helping), letting me bath him, clip his nails, clean his ears, and anything else I’ve shown him so far. I’m blown away!
Early this morning, he impressed me even more when we came out in the garden for the first pee and the neighbor’s dogs were barking and howling. I went numb expecting to finally see his true colors and to possibly lose control over his howling in the wee hours. But no such thing happened! He was definitely on point, whining and preparing to go for the full Beagle bark-howl. He was even investigating the fence and how he might jump it before the liver hit his nostrils (no chance there, it’s about 10′ high). But with only two or tree liver distractions, he figured out that it’s better to stay focused on me, the pee stains on the garden snow, and the smells under the bushes.
At this stage I would not let him out in the garden off-leash, because left to his own devises he WILL bark, howl, jump and dig. But with just a little bit of work, I can confidently say that this boy will be 100% reliable on voice commands in about 2-3 weeks.
That does NOT mean that he should be left to his own devises after that, mind you! He is too noise and sound driven, too intelligent, crafty and curious to ever be without a captain. This is not a lap dog, though he craves closeness and loves to snuggle in a respectful and calm way. This is a working dog, which is to say that his brain is always working and needs healthy and challenging outlets for all his faculties, mental and physical, or he will come up with his own version of an interesting day’s wroth of activities.
Still blown away by his quick wit and ability to learn and commit, I’m looking forward to the giant walk we’re about to go on.
All paws ready? GO!
