Sanctuary News:
Gabbs Dogs Update #5
From Steve Markwell, Executive Director:
Our website has been down for a few days while our hosting company moved everything to a new data center; supposedly we were given several notices that this would be taking place, but if we did get them I don't remember any of them. So that's why this update is late.
Abel has moved in with Dixie; I felt that he would make better progress if he was sharing a room with a calmer dog. The first couple of days Dixie was a bit more nervous and flighty, but she calmed back down and is rubbing off on Abel. I'm petting both of them frequently, Dixie is taking treats from my hand, and Abel is showing interest in the treats, but waits until I leave to eat them.
Tippy, whose behavior and physical movements seemed strange to me initially, is behaving more normally now. Unfortunately, she has taken a cue from Herbie and barks at me when I enter the room. Due to a fairly intense week of construction at the Sanctuary, I have not yet moved Herbie to a more isolated room, which I believe will be helpful for everyone. That will be done this week, and we should start seeing positive results soon. Itsy and Tippy seem especially influenced by Herbie's fear of people and will benefit from his removal from their immediate proximity, and Herbie will feel safer in isolation, with no pack to 'protect'.
This will be the last of the weekly updates; I'll be spacing them out a few weeks apart from now on.
-Steve
Posted on March 30, 2008 | Link
Gabbs Dogs Update #4
From Steve Markwell, Executive Director:
Dixie gave birth to three puppies Monday morning; one was stillborn. The other two seemed to be having trouble feeding and Dixie was not making much of an effort to care for them. I feared she might be too stressed to take care of the babies, and I was concerned that they were not nursing, so I rushed mother and puppies to the vet. An exam determined that the puppies both had severe cleft palates; they would not have been able to nurse without fluid going into their lungs, and would have died horrible deaths by starvation, suffocation, or aspiration pneumonia. There was little to no chance that surgery would have saved them; fortunately we caught the problem before the little ones had a chance to suffer, and I made the decision to have them humanely euthanized. It is always sad when puppies die, but I'm thankful that they were able to go peacefully, when so many dogs are killed every year under much more horrifying circumstances. Dixie seems to be coping with her loss, and I have continued to work through her conditioning process. She has started leash training; we're not going on walks yet, but Dixie is getting used to feeling the pressure of the leash through very brief sessions.
The other dogs continue to make progress, but I feel that Herbie presents a bit of a problem, in that he continues to bark and behave fearfully when I pass by the kennels, and his fear tends to be contagious. I will probably move him into his own room this week, so that he is not as heavy an influence on the others, and I can work with him without distractions. I think one of the reasons I have had more success working with Dixie than with the others is that she has been isolated from the rest of the group; her only socialization with other dogs has been with Clyde, Charlie, Lupe, and others who are easygoing and love people.
The kennels I purchased are working out well, but the flooring is not ideal for indoor use. I'm debating whether or not to remove it. it is designed to channel urine out of the kennel and keep the dogs' feet out of their waste, which is great, but it is very difficult to clean and tends to trap feces. I think my bare wood floor with a mop and bucket, some bleach, and a little pet stain and odor remover will make for an easier setup to keep clean. As far as the flooring is concerned, I might find some use for it, perhaps if I ever need to set up a kennel on my deck and I can clean it with a hose instead of a mop. Of course I'll need to build my deck first.
Thanks to everyone for your continued support.
-Steve
Posted on March 21, 2008 | Link
Gabbs Dogs Update #3
From Steve Markwell, Executive Director
It's been another good week for our Gabbs dogs; the kennels have arrived and been built, and the dogs are feeling more secure in their smaller enclosures. Of course, the goal is to get them out of the kennels as soon as possible, first on the leash in the living room, then in the yard, and eventually around the block, and finally, to the vet for spaying/neutering.
Herbie is still not into being petted, but he is allowing me to be very close to him. He's still barking and growling at me, but that just shows that he's feeling more at home at the Sanctuary. Itsy and Tippy are doing well, but of the four dogs in kennels, Able continues to make the most progress. He approaches and licks my fingers, and allows me to pet him when things are calm. I'm hoping to start leash training soon.
In the bathroom, Dixie still hasn't given birth, but I'm expecting the little ones any minute. There was some gurgling going on this morning, which is usually a sign that babies are coming soon. Dixie eats from my hand and allows me to approach her and pet her. She still shies away a bit, but she doesn't run from me anymore, and has stopped all of her nervous pacing when I enter the room. I would start leash training right away if she was not due to give birth; instead, I'll hold off until she needs a break from her puppies.
I'm doing everything I can for these dogs, and they're making good progress, but they need your help, too. It costs about $1,500 to build a bedroom for three dogs to share; your donation will provide the Gabbs dogs with a warm place to sleep at night. Thanks in advance for your support.
-Steve
Posted on March 15, 2008 | Link
Gabbs Dogs Update #2
From Steve Markwell, Executive Director:
I had to go to California for a training program at the beginning of the week, so I was gone from Sunday afternoon through Wednesday morning. Apparently, while I was gone, my shy, skittish Gabbs dogs were very territorial in my apartment and wouldn't let my caretaker through the door to check on them. No doubt Herbie was leading the pack as they apparently stood at the doorway, snarling and snapping. So rehab was put on hold for a few days, but when I returned, the dogs let me in without incident, other than a little barking. While this behavior isn't our long-term goal, it does demonstrate to me that the dogs are feeling at home enough to defend their territory against someone they perceived as a dangerous intruder; it also demonstrates that they are still felling a bit vulnerable. So it's a case of good news/bad news.
Dixie continues to be the star student of the group; I moved her into the bathroom, where I have a spare bathtub that I filled with wood shavings for her. She seems to feel secure in the bathroom and likes sleeping in the tub, and I've been able to have a lot of short sessions with her, working on turning human contact into a positive experience. Wednesday, we had no petting, but plenty of sniffing and nose touches. Yesterday I could pet her a little, but she was still nervous and pacing quite a bit. Today she has stopped pacing for the most part, is letting me approach and pet her with both hands on both dominant and submissive contact points, and she is taking food from my hand -- a huge milestone for a dog that wouldn't eat with a human being in the same room with her two weeks ago. Hopefully we will continue on at this rate. Dixie also continues to respond positively to socialization with Clyde, Charlie, and Lupe. Remember that Dixie was the dog that "shut down" when touched, essentially blacking out from the stress of human contact. At the temporary shelter in Reno, she never showed any interest in people, but here, she comes to me and sniffs me over, and seems interested in whatever I may be doing in the bathroom. When I bathe, she even likes to lick the water off my hands. She is making tremendous progress.
For the other four dogs that are still in the living room, progress has been slower. I've been able to pet all of them as long as they have been in the small bedroom, but only Abel lets me get close in the living room. He stays fairly relaxed when I enter the room, but watches me very closely. The girls, Itsy and Tippy, are getting much calmer. Herbie is increasingly confrontational, but is becoming less nervous. The kennels I ordered arrived this afternoon, and we put the units together while the dogs looked on. Herbie was agitated initially, so we took a break and came back later, at which point the dogs were relaxed enough to lie down and take a nap while we worked. Having Clyde, Charlie, and Lupe in the room was helpful initially, but eventually Tippy decided Lupe needed to leave, so I took the little ones back downstairs. As we put the finishing touches on the kennels, Herbie began to get upset again, but he did a very good job overall. Some time in the next day or two, I'll put the dogs into the kennels, where I will be able to work with them more easily, running from me no longer being an option. It will also be nice to separate the other dogs from Herbie, as his fear tends to be contagious.
I continue to be optimistic, and expect progress to come more quickly now that the kennels are here. My goal is to figure out what the dogs are afraid of, slowly desensitize them to those stimuli, and gradually work them into the same routine that the other dogs at the Sanctuary follow, including plenty of socialization with people and other dogs,and lots of outside play time. We'll get there. Check back next week for another update.
Posted on March 7, 2008 | Link
Gabbs Dogs Update #1
From Steve Markwell, Executive Director:
I thought it might be interesting for our supporters if I wrote weekly updates about the Gabbs dogs' rehabilitation, since we're dealing with five animals that never had human contact before they went to Reno a few weeks ago, and these five were the least social of the 149 from the Gabbs hoarding incident.
The dogs have settled into my apartment, which is usually a new dog's first stop at Olympic Animal Sanctuary. In addition to the living room, which has been stripped and made reasonably 'dog-proof', I've provided them with a small room where they can hide when they're not feeling especially confident. I also use this room for short, social interactions between myself and the dogs, since they can't run from me in there and have no choice but to accept a few gentle touches. I keep these sessions very short -- usually around thirty seconds, several times a day.
Abel and Dixie have both approached me and initiated contact with me on multiple occasions, especially when i bring Clyde, Charlie, and Lupe into the apartment to play. Dixie is especially interested in Lupe, and Abel likes the boys.
Itsy and Tippy remain shy, but they are gradually letting their guards down. Tippy is willing to be in close proximity to me as long as I don't try to touch her. Itsy keeps her distance except in the little room.
Herbie still thinks he needs to protect the other dogs from me, so he tries to stay between them and me, and always looks me right in the eye. I generally ignore him, because despite all of his bluffing, he is the most afraid. This affirms what I've frequently said about 'alpha dogs' -- the overly dominant behavior they display is typically a result of their proportionally greater fear of humans, other dogs, etc. Herbie is coming closer and closer every day, though.
The plan for now is to continue to get the dogs familiar with me without pushing them too hard; one thing that I will be changing, however, is the amount of space they have. My living room turns out to be a little too big for these guys; I need to have them more confined to take away their option of running away from me. I have ordered some kennels and special floor panels that should arrive in a few days. The dogs will stay in the kennels and undergo a slightly more intense socialization program, which will consist largely of me lying down in the kennels with them and watching TV. Then, as they lose their fear of me over the next few weeks, they can come out, learn to walk on a leash, and start going outside. I don't expect it to be easy, but I have no doubt that the Gabbs dogs will learn to love people and will continue to enjoy their new home at Olympic Animal Sanctuary.
Additional news: Abel has now been vaccinated (he was the only dog they were never able to successfully give a shot), but we still don't know whether or not Dixie is pregnant. If she is, it should become obvious within the next week or two. She looks pregnant to me, but sometime a dog can have a false pregnancy that's pretty convincing.
Check back next week for another update.
Posted on February 29, 2008 | Link
