This is how long Bella has been in foster care. Now, if you think about it she was born Oct 27th, 2007, and came into Pet Haven on July 27, 2009. She has been with Pet Haven for half her life.
Bella was never socialized when she was young and when she came into our home, we knew we had work to do. The first adoption event she attended was a problem - she went crazy! You could have held a T-Bone in front of her face and she wouldn't have even seen it....strange I know! There the work began!
We started out slowly with teaching her how to not get so excited when entering a pet store.
Then we attended basic obedience and this little girl Showed she was a PRO! Though she was very excitable going into the class, you could get her attention and she did what was needed to get the treat! She passed basic obedience with flying colors. This little girl is a smarty pants (most rat terriers are highly intelligent and will do almost anything to please).
Next on list, Dog to Dog Aggression. She was so excited because she was never taken out of her house and, as a result, she never learned the proper rules of greeting another dog. Again, after 6 weeks, the improvement of this little girl was great!
Then it was on to Dog to Human aggression. Bella absolutely loves men (she has been called a little "hussy" quite a few times) and as long as there was no eye contact, she does like to smell people (and bark at the same time). But once the eye contact and hands came down, the excitement set in. You can almost hear what is going on in her brain. "I'm scared... I like people... wait I don't like people... wait I do... CONFUSED!" She will let people pet her. She will give a little "GRR" but not move away. She's just not sure. But, of course, if it is a man...watch out, that little butt and nubbin of a tail will start wiggling REALLY fast!
Currently we are attending Doggie play group every Sunday! She started off behind the curtain of a doggy pen and slowly graduated to taking off the curtain to watch the other dogs play. then it was dogs being put in the pen with her - some interested; others not so much as they were giving off the "get me outta here" vibe! Last Sunday we got to the point where she was actually out of the "pen" for about 30min! Which is AWESOME - Though she thinks she is the FUN Police. The dogs will be playing and making noise. She will run after them barking and then stop a couple feet away, turn around and come back looking at me as if to say, "Mom, I told them to k knock it off!"
We are very proud of how far we have come with this little gal! Although she will never be perfect, it is amazing how far she has come with learning things she never knew before. I am proud to say that we can now go to adoption events and she does pretty good! There are still a few outbursts, but with continued training and praise (and FOOD!), we are sure that she will keep improving. Many of the fosters and employees of Chuck and Don's are very impressed with all the progress she has made.
So why is she still with us? Some people tell us she thinks that she is already home. Maybe she acts up at events because she wants to stay with us. Like I said, she's really smart. We on the other hand feel we have done our best to prepare her for her forever home. Someone that can enjoy her like we do!
At home she is very different from out in the public. But in public is what a potential adopter sees. People ask if she does not like other dogs? Yes, she does like other dogs. She is more comfortable with 1 or 2 others and she seems to prefer the males (go figure)! She LOVES tennis balls, squeaky toys and will play forever! Once it gets later, she is more than happy to sit next to you and nap while you watch TV. She loves the outside and a nice fenced yard would be her dream (and ours)! Summer means lots of walks and her new favorite activity is running alongside the bike! Those little legs can go like nobody's business. If you stop to have her do her business, she WILL tell you she wants to keep running!
Kids under 10 may be to much for her. There were 4 kids (ages 2-9) in her first home and it didn't go really well, especially with the younger ones. Once she gets to know people she remembers them! She gets along pretty well with our resident dog, Butch (also a rat terrier). Sometimes she thinks she can boss him around and you will catch her with her body turned one way and her eyes the other. You can tell she is just waiting for the opportunity to jump him when he isn't expecting it - just to be a pain! Of course they have their little scraps, but they're dogs and stuff happens - it's never serious, and in a couple minutes they are pals again!
She loves her kennel and she is usually in it daily while we are at work. We have tested her with having the run of the house for up to 4 hours and she does fine (just make sure that if there is any food in the garbage that it is securely put away - along with any Kleenex and Q-tips). She is housetrained, but if you don't pay attention to her she may have an accident. Imagine you being in a house with 4 kids, I can bet there was times that she was ignored when she did have to go and she just went inside. As far as sleeping arrangements go, she would prefer to be in your bed obviously, but will sleep in a bed on the floor in your room - you just have to tell her to go there!
Hey, I know - Remember the dog that was going to be sent out in the mail? How many people wanted to adopt that dog? There were hundreds! Yet, here sits sweet little Bella, still waiting for her forever home. Maybe we should pull a stunt like that - will that get her adopted?
