Scooby Doo - Our Journey to Happiness

Scooby was doing great in his new home and we visited him a week later for a playdate. He enjoyed meeting his old friend Max and Jessie and we walked 3 miles around the lake, his new habit for the day. The owners took very good care of him and followed all the rules that he came with to continue working on him with success.

Unfortunately, Sunday night at the Laundry place, Scooby got scared by a rolling laundry cart as his car door was opened and he bolted out the door. Selina panicked and ran to tell her mom as some people by the laundry place tried to chase him in order to catch him. Since Scooby is very scared, that made him run faster and further and we have since not been able to find him after hours and hours of long searches and checking local shelters for his arrival.

We miss him dearly and if anyone sees him, please let us know.

His last day with us...

Scooby is now in his new home. His new family is greatly excited and has been walking with him every day. he is slowly getting used to his new surroundings and learning to be more confident on his own.

We are all proud of him for he has accomplished so much more than any one human would have in 3 weeks with the same problems.

And for a great start, Scooby went to church with his new family and was blessed by the priest.

We hope and wish him the best, from here on out -it s up to him! The family will continue to work with him on training in the hopes to one day certify him as a canine good citizen.

This story has a great end and we look forward to seeing Scooby become one of our ambassadors!

Scooby has never shown aggression toward people when approached but cowered in fear. In order for him to break out of his fear, he needs to learn and understand that being around people in any setting is not harmful or painful.
So we set out to the park in the evening when all the soccer games, basketball and baseball practices were going on. Plenty of people, noises of all sorts, balls flying through the air and kicking going on, Scooby was overwhelmed but did well. He walked nicely although occasionally intended to walk back the way we came. He faced his fears with my help and after 45 minutes went back to the truck to go home. He learned to watch games, balls flying, feet kicking, took in all the scents he could find. Tomorrow we will do the same thing and then finish by going to Petco.
Once at home, I brought out a soccer ball that he instantly fled from. Once he saw the other dogs surround it, play with it and sniff it, he lost his fear and actually slept next to the ball in the media room.

Today was yet another important milestone-Scooby had to go get neutered. Early in the morning he went for a walk, without thehelp of other dogs and he did really well. He is starting to come around and allow me to walk up to him to pet him without chasing him. Thats a great big step. After that we took off to the vet and got really scared at all the dogs barking in the kennel. I brought along his blanket and a bone to chew on.

Joe picked him up in the afternoon. he did very well, handling and all stress considered. At home he felt warm and fuzzy and enjoyed petting and being back in his safe place.

This week will be a week of " alone with humans" week to build confidence and trust. Selina vowed to running with him daily starting next week and this will help him on the important step of bonding with her.

Scooby and Selina-his new best friend!

We skipped a day or two but things here have been going well. At night or during down time in the house, when everyone settles down Scooby's relaxes and enjoys being cuddled. Sometimes he will breathe reall hard as if he is hot, when he is really super nervous but he is not shaking or showing fear. His ears are up and he is alert.

yesterday Scooby had a big day. We walked on the treadmill 30 minutes before driving to Farmers branch to an off-site adoption. Scooby mingled well, did great with every dog or cat there and was exposed to sounds and masses of people he has never seen before. He was intimidated and scared but he managed well and never panicked. He even took a bike ride at the site.

But the best part of his day was when he found a new home, two wonderful people willing to give him a chance despite his hang ups and willing to invest the time and patience to help him learn to trust again. this week Scooby will be staying with us while his new home is getting ready for him. Meanwhile he will be getting neutered, hopefully micro chipped and go to busy places every day to see people and cars, and new things. And most importantly, this week he will be doing all these things without his buddy Max and only with a human. It will be a tough week for him but hopefully it will mean crossing another milestone in his journey.

To top the day off last night, we invited him up on our bed without any other dogs around. He was very nervous and panted heavily for almost an hour. My husband was willing to give up but I wasn't. After an hour he got tired and finally relaxed, throwing his head sideways and dozing off to sleep.

We hope that he will adapt quickly to his new home and successfully. he will be on his own without other dogs around to learn from and it will be more difficult for him in the beginning. But on the other hand the best and fastest way to bond with your best friend is daily walks, and Scooby is looking forward to daily runs along the lake with Selina and walks with her and mom. That will help him transition and be a happy camper.

PS: Last night, after falling asleep he lifted his head once and licked my face. I could hear him say "The day I left the shelter, was followed by the happiest days in my life so far. Thanks!"

Exercise first, ....

Scooby definitely prefers the treadmill over the bike, nonetheless I try to alter and get him used to both along with other objects and places to get him used to humans, their actions and behaviors.

here is a photo of me and Scooby on the bike. Exercise, discipline and then affection...it works when you work it!

Playing ball with Chantelle and Lars

Scooby has come such a long way. His daily 25 minutes on the treadmill, walks and games with us are helping him gain confidence.
He now comes to us close enough to pet him and when he gets a bit too shy, it always helps him to be connected to me by leash around the house to keep him at a close distance. This way he learns that I won't hurt him just because he is near me.
He has learned all the rules of the house, never has accidents and tells us when he wants to go out. He nicely chews on his bones and toys instead of other things. 10 minutes a day he has his wild-time and gets all playful with a wagging tail now.
He likes driving in cars backseats and is very mindful not to be noisy or rowdy back there. He sits down nicely and stay calm and quiet watching everything that passes him by.

Scooby and Lars playing ball

Scooby is doing great. He does 15 plus minutes on the treadmill everyday and it helps him with his self esteem. he gets on the treadmill with his tail tucked under the belly and off with it high in the air.
Saturday we went to get his shots and the vet took a look at him judging him to be only 8 months of age. He enjoyed the visit to the vet, he liked all the other dogs there, even went to some of the people to sniff them and show great interest in the vet and his helper. he even allow them to pet him.
On Sunday Scooby learned how to bike ride, although he likes the treadmill more and afterward went to the toy-store to pick out a cool toy. Armed with a new squeaky ball he now can be found playing and jumping around quite often.
He is scheduled for neuter next Monday and will be going to the first off-site adoption this Saturday coming up. We hope to find him a patient,loving home.

Today we learned to relax in the presence of humans without the security blanket of other dogs

3 minutes in

5 minutes into the first attempt on the treadmill. he did surprisingly well and did not panic at all. He calmly attempted the exercise and continued the challenge.

Treadmill Virgin! (2 minutes in)

Scooby has had a wonderful time roaming and feeling secure around our Pitbull Max and the other dogs but still shows a lot of fear when alone with us in the house.
Today his rehabilitation got kicked up a notch. First he had to go for a walk without other dogs and he did excellent. He is learning to walk next to me and is very respectful of me as a leader.
Once back at home, he remained in the house with me and his new exercise was to relax in my presence. The no touch policy continued for this exercise as his little body began to shake when I pulled him closer to me. Within minutes he began to relax and his reward became touch. He then went off into a deep snooze as you can see in the pictures.
The time to build his confidence without Max as his safe-bud has come. So we proceeded upstairs and got to know the treadmill. Within minutes he learned to walk on it,and learn to trust me more because not Max but i was walking next to him. Once he got more comfortable, I stepped off the treadmill and let him feel that he was doing the work. The tail semi-relaxed he walked a good 10 minutes on the treadmill without much correction. This posed a mental challenge for him and right after I rewarded him with food, which unlike usually he ate right in front of me.
Scooby shows a lot of respect for humans despite his fear. This can be seen especially during feeding time. If I touch his bowl as much as with my foot he immediately backs away as a submissive dog would. This is a good thing because it's a mind that shows proper respect for humans, just lacks the trust in them.
His next days will be centered around gaining confidence in things he is able to accomplish without another dog around and with a human as a leader. This will allow him to properly connect with a human and understand that not every human is bad news.

The last three night we offered Scooby a bed upstairs in our room where all of us, incl. our dogs sleep. The first night he felt safer in his kennel. But the last two night he felt really comfortable in the bedroom and started to walk closer distances to us and be less skittish. We have had many more occasions to coddle him and he has started to learn the command sit on his walks.

In the house he still gets scared of us sometimes and only comes to us to sniff ours hands or takes treats. But he enjoys being around us at all times, is interested in everything we do and early in the morning, when I get up for work he is ready to go for a walk and learn more things. He is wide awake and ready to start a new day.

Overall, he has now allowed three people to enter his life and he looks so much happier and relaxed than before. The terror has left his face and he is learning what he should have learned months ago.

First Beginnings

after a few minutes max got him to relax. Max is his hero these days...

Max wants to kow: What is your issue buddy?

Some additional pictures of Day 5

Why does it flash?

Scooby has proven that miracles do happen. In just 4 days of work he now roams around the house freely with very little inhibition comes most times when called to a distance of 2 ft and allows all of us to pet him all over his body, back, head, ears, tail, feet and belly. He now likes touch so much that he completely relaxes and closes his eyes as if falling asleep.

His partner is still Max who gives him a boost of confidence when he is around. So without him Scooby still feels a bit lost. On his walk yesterday he missed Max and didn't quite know how to handle two humans walking with him. He did well though.

At night he cuddled up with all of us in the living room, laying next to my daughter licking her leg and completely relaxed fell over to the side while she pet him.

All in 4 days of work, dedication and attention. From Ground Zero and up. Our next off-site adoption is in a week and a half and I am most certain Scooby will be ready to go to his permanent home. He will have some hurdles to overcome in a new environment to start to feel safe again, but it will be a much easier journey if traveled with someone who has the patience to allow him to grow.

If you know anyone who would be interested in giving Scooby a permanent home please contact me immediately. I will gladly work with you and Scooby until he settles in, every day if need be.
E-Mail me @ : Nanouks71@yahoo.com

Finally roaming around relaxed and clean

Scooby has miraculously improved over the past two days. A total of 12 hours of work have meant a world of difference to him. His body language shows that his confidence is increasing. Instead of his tails being tucked under his belly constantly he now holds his tail downward behind his legs with only the tip up in the air. He has yet to wag his tail with the only exception- Max our Pitbull coming to visit with him. The tail remains like this constantly now. His energy is more relaxed and the panic has finally been reduced. For the first time today he barked, and of all things at me! As if he wanted to say "look, I 'm here, i m not so scared anymore".

Today Scooby came inside the house. It took him awhile to learn to follow the others in when they were called and he now reacts slightly to "Come here" in connection with the pack running in.

we now have eye contact and it doesn't scare him as much. Often his eyes stay focused instead of looking away. His face is relaxed and shows a smile.

In the house he has proven to be potty trained. He goes to the door when he wants to go out. He still prefers to settle in his kennel for safety.

He feels more comfortable with other humans in the house, those he hasn't met yet. He walks in and out of his kennel every other minute to investigate the house, the people, the cats, noises and everything in sight. He is like a sponge soaking up all the information he can get.

Our walk was over an hour long today and very successful. No pulling or panicking at all. For the first time he was able to relief himself in my presence. And when other humans scare him he tends to walk toward me instead of trying to bolt.

In the house he settled in the living room with the whole family, dogs and humans. He took a nap head to head with me for over 30 minutes while he allowed me to carress his whole body. I could touch his tail, ears, belly, legs and feet without him as much a jerking once. This would have been impossible two days ago. I have earned his trust and he now shows me in his language that he is ok with my touch. If any new owner of his can wait just two days to touch him it would break his fear from the start and build a strong bond.

In the afternoon we took a bath. Everything had to happen in slow motion but he showed initiative to hop in the bathtub after seeing Max in it having fun. Undoubtedly my dogs teach him things I cannot communicate. I toweled him off and coddled him in his kennel to keep him warm and relaxed. I figured a blow-dryer would be asking too much from this little guy.

he watched TV until the late hours with the family and then went to sleep peacefully in his kennel. Again, no accidents.

Posture now with kennel open 3ft away

On his second day here, third day altogether, we still have not touched. We follow concepts of canine psychology instead of human. Instead of feeling sorry for him a canine leader gives his love through giving strength and reinforcing wanted behavior. As sorry as Scooby looks, it helps him more that I dont touch him than most humans can comprehend.

If a dogs mind is in a state of fear and is touched, his fear is reinforced. They don't understand compassion the way humans do and the strongest survives. i want him to be strong so I won't touch him until he is ready and he will show me this by relaxing entirely in my presence, in small baby steps.

Today we practiced the walk again. It is the first day we could walk without a second leash on the belly. It is the first day we used another dog to propel him forward- a technique that didn't work at all the previous day. Our walks are still going in any direction he chooses as long as he moves forward and understands he can't panic and try to bolt. He has done an amazing job today on three walks total.

In the yard he is easier to catch now, with slow movements on my part. I have to step on the leash to stop him from running away but the panic level has decreased immensely. He has learned to settle down without shaking, fright or panic next to me several times. This is a giant leap forward for him. And its only the second full day of work.

At the end of the day he has earned his food again. His final task is to eat in my presence. Patiently I waiting until he calmed down enough 30 minutes later and he began to eat out of my hand but from a 1-2 ft distance. WOW! What a big improvement to not eating at all when humans are nearby.

His feet still bleed alot but the walk was easier on him since he understood the concept. He showed interest in other humans on his walks and stopped to stare at them rather than to bolt.

While falling asleep he was completely relaxed to my hand on his nose and his head. Any touch beyond the ears frightened him and tensed him up again. We stayed within the limits he gave. I touched his head and thats wonderful.

I feel pride in him for the giant leaps he has taken in these 2 1/2 days. if he could find an owner patiently and understanding enough to his world, his recovery could be near miraculous and fast.

Overnight, no accidents in the kennel again. it appears it was only the worm meds that caused it the first night. He feels safe in his kennel. That is his safe-zone when he needs a break.

Jessie trying to get him to play

In the morning I coaxed Scooby out of his kennel on the 30 ft lead into the backyard with only my legs and body positioning in his way, blocking any attempt to run away. I gave him some time in the yard while I cleaned up the kennel, refreshed the blankets and water.
Then we began our work.
First I introduced him to the two female dogs of my pack. With their help I had him observe for 30 minutes that they came when called and enjoyed touch and closeness. It interested him although he cowered in a far away corner, peaking in our direction. At the end of the 30 minutes he began circling us, while in total panic every time he had to pass me even from a distance of 8 ft. I ignored him and stayed calm and relaxed just training tricks with my girls and loving on them. First lesson-humans and dogs can enjoy each others company.
Food was no motivator to Scooby. He ran from treats and the smell of a salami didn't catch his interest. He had to learn to work for his food.
With a 4 ft leash on his collar and another slung around his belly, we now had to learn how to walk. Scooby did not want to stand on all fours in a humans presence. Pulling the leash by the collar has the opposite affect. It was important that he learned to move forward with his body and the pressure on the neck would lessen as would the pressure around his belly once he stood up. Patiently we practiced this for almost an hour when he finally got the idea of moving forward. First he moved forward in circles trying to get away from me still until he realized i wasn't giving up. After 2 hours we called it a day and I gave him some food. He was so tired he fell asleep standing.
A few hours later we just spend a lot of time in the yard, focusing on showing Scooby interactions between my pack and me. By the end of the day Scooby came within 3 ft near me on his own accord in the presence of Max our Pitbull , who seems to give him confidence. He took several treats out of my hand and finally fell asleep 2 ft from me totally relaxed while i held his leash. This entire time we have respected his wish not to be touched. He sniffed my hand but aside from switching leashes and using my leg to slightly touch his rear to move forward, no direct touch has taken place. he still shivers in fear but shows less panic and begins to relax.

On a side note, his nails have been clipped back severely, most likely by his previous owner. Aggravated through the concrete while learning how to walk, his little paws were bleeding for hours all day, causing him discomfort and pain while trying to accomplish the biggest achievement of his young life yet- gaining confidence in himself.

On the way from the shelter to the house Scooby was very curious about his surroundings and he seemed to feel safe in the little kennel secured in the back of the truck bed. He stood up and sniffed the millions of scents in the air and for the first time i saw his little face relax. When he caught sight of me in the window he ducked down only to repeat the same thing over and over.
As we backed into the driveway he cowered down in his kennel, turning his back to me and burrowing his face into the steel corner of his cage. I had asked the shelter to put a collar and leash on him because i did not want his interactions with me to be physical in nature until he was ready. From here on, everything was done in his language-woof!
One by one I brought out my dogs and let them jump up to his cage to say hello. he was too terrified of them as well and only glanced at them from the corner of eye. I settled him in in the garage and left him so he could eat his food and medications. After 4 hours he still had not touched it.
To coax him out of the kennel I walked up to the back of the cage where he laid, and held his leash to secure him. He instantly bolted out only to be tugged back by the leash he then desperately tried to escape. In the backyard it was clear he would not relief himself so I switched his leash carefully to a 30 ft training cord attached and let him roam around freely by himself. In the early evening hours he settled into his kennel again and finally ate the food with the medicines. Coddled in the far corner of the cage, my cats paraded around him, scaring him even more. I have never seen a dog so petrified of all sounds,movements, animals and humans around him. I let him rest for the night, covering his kennel to make him feel safer.

Most important rules to be kept:
No eye contact at any time
No talking at him or in his presence
No Touch, especially when he shows fear