Sedona's life

[Dave]

Sedona has been with me for more than a year and still does not trust me anywhere near completely. If she thinks there's any chance of me taking her outside she is very wary of my presence in her "room" and will head for her crate whenever I enter the living room. Only when she's satisfied I won't take her out will she come out and play. She knows "last out" in the evening and afterwards she can totally release. She has fun then.

We had such fun last night. I zonked on the sofa like I usually do, and I woke up at 1:30 to let the dogs out and go back to bed. I switched things up on Sedona, though. I usually let Rocky and Lola out first, but Sedona got wound up when I woke up and started playing heavy. I grabbed her up and ran her out the front. Put her down on the porch and off she went... headed to the back at high speed and ran out again before I could get there, ran back and started zooming around the yard. Stopped to poop and started zooming agin. She ran to the door and when I let her in she was NUTS! We played "hide my face" and she scratched my hands and arms up pretty good, licking at my face, jumping on and off me and the sofa, just having a really carefree time. This all lasted about 15-20 minutes and she was winded.

She only releases her energy without concern like this after dark. I guess she knows the kids are gone, there's next to no noise, and it's okay to let her guard down. I doubt that she'll ever be fear-free, but I hope that someday she'll become accustomed to the general world like she does her hikes. She's so normal when we're hiking, it's hard for newcomers to the walks to understand her extreme fears. To them she looks like a normal dog.

But then I look at her and think back to when she first came to me and I'm amazed at her progress. I doubt she remembers her roots anymore. I was reviewing her history the other day and back in '06 her breeder had a hundred dogs and was cited and sentenced for various crimes in '08, but was allowed to grow his yard to 200 dogs. If he was treated then like he was in '10, Sedona wouldn't exist today and I wouldn't be lucky enough to have her in my life. It's a double-edged sword.



Just ramblin... slow afternoon.

[suziriot]

Sedona has come sooooo far. The hikes alone are evidence of how much more confident and happy she has become. She knocks my socks off, I'm so proud of her. And you, Dave. It's not just hard because of how much patience it takes to work with dogs that are, for lack of a better term, traumatized. It's hard because it's so emotionally exhausting. I can't tell you how many times we say to ourselves "Sheesh, how much more can we do for her? Why can't she just calm down and trust us?"

Dharma still runs to her crate when something makes her insecure. The something could be Brook walking towards her down the hallway, me telling her it's potty time, somebody standing a certain way. One thing that has not changed since when I first met her at the secret bunker in Missouri... her attitude immediately changes once somebody sits down. She can be freaking out with anxiety one moment, but then you sit down and she comes right to you to sit in your lap. Just shows how dogs have their own interpretation of our body language.

[Dave]

I don't get visitors much, nobody likes me. But when strangers (to Sedona) show up, she is very shy. Once she does finally relax, she is still wary. She shines when it's just me and her. She's such an absolute clown, extremely vocal, and just lots of fun when she plays. But All I have to do is say "outside" and she heads for her crate, no matter what she's doing.

I spend a lot of energy on her. I'm so thankful that Rocky and Lola are as tight as they are, because they don't get much time with me. But I'll do what I have to do to make Sedona comfy. The hikes cost me $100 per month, and five hours out of each day. I'll do it as long as it helps. It's the only thing that has helped her out of her shell.

I often wonder about the other dogs from the bust, and from the MO500. Do the adoptors have the same problems as you and I? What are their routines, and have they helped? Could I do something else? Should I do more?

I just want Sedona to be happy, and I let her do what makes her comfortable. I used to be an obedience nazi, but now I am so far to the other side it's comical. After a year all she knows is to sit. Lol!

[suziriot]

Jun 13, 2012 21:03:16 GMT -5 Dave said:

I often wonder about the other dogs from the bust, and from the MO500. Do the adoptors have the same problems as you and I? What are their routines, and have they helped? Could I do something else? Should I do more?

It's interesting... not all of the MO500 dogs came from fight yards. About 1/4 of them came from BYBs that were peripheral to the dog fighting rings. These were dogs that certainly suffered neglect and poor care, but not near the level of violence and abuse that the fight yard dogs did. My friend adopted one of those dogs. She's very sensitive and submissive, but not at all neurotic or anxious like Dharma. This is totally anecdotal of course, but it seems like the fight bust dogs that I have knowledge of are more anxious, more easily triggered, and need a lot more TLC and patience to get them to overcome things that other dogs could care less about. Even the dogs that didn't actually fight - like Dharma and Sedona - were still surrounded by so much pain, violence, suffering, and trauma. But I think you're right Dave... I think that they don't actually remember that life, and that the anxiety and insecurity is more out of habit.

[RealPitBull]

Oh Dave, that was such a lovely post. I just cannot believe how lucky Sedona is to have you. It makes my heart burst almost when I see these posts and photos about Sedona. Life can be so shitty and then something like this plays out - Sedona out of her old life and now in a home that couldn't be more loving and accepting of her - and it is like wow, maybe there really is a force out there greater than ourselves helping us, helping them.

As far as fight bust dogs in general, the gamebred (I'm using the term kinda losely) dogs I've been aware of, whether fought or not, have been kinda weird in terms of shyness/fear. The levels vary - obviously dogs like Dharma and Sedona who have experienced high levels of abuse and/or isolation, will be worse in the fear department. But overall, I do believe this is a genetic thing and therefore only "workable", not necessarily "fixable". If that makes sense?

It's just a daily process of patience, routine with appropriate mixing-up and unique random events to gently challenge, time time more time, and acceptance.

[Dave]

Thanks Mare! I do try to mix things up, but she's pretty wise. I predict that we have reached a level of acceptance now that will continue the rest of her life. I don't see her getting much better with kids, or having to leave the house, at least with the effort that I'm willing to put in. If I work her too hard, she'll get worse. Suzi, I bet you feel the same with Dharma.

[michele5611]

Dave you have made tremendous strides with Sedona!

[Dave]

Thanks Michele. She's a tough one.

Y'know, reading "The Lost Dogs" was a sort of preparation for this, although at the time I had no idea. The story about Jasmine is very close to Sedona's, although it is a little more extreme. Things kind of work out, don't they? Can't imagine Sedona in a shelter environment, though. Probably would have driven her insane.

[suziriot]

Jun 14, 2012 7:45:38 GMT -5 RealPitBull said:

As far as fight bust dogs in general, the gamebred (I'm using the term kinda losely) dogs I've been aware of, whether fought or not, have been kinda weird in terms of shyness/fear. The levels vary - obviously dogs like Dharma and Sedona who have experienced high levels of abuse and/or isolation, will be worse in the fear department. But overall, I do believe this is a genetic thing and therefore only "workable", not necessarily "fixable". If that makes sense?

Makes sense that there would be a genetic component. Well said.