Raymond

Raymond Adoption Diary: Day 1

July 16, 2009

I didn’t anticipate that Raymond, our newly adopted shelter dog, would have any real difficulties in adjusting to our family. Boy was I wrong. Helping a stressed-out shelter dog adjust requires patience, time, and resourcefulness, but it’s worth the effort!

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Raymond Adoption Diary: Day 2

August 30, 2011

Raymond’s behavior didn’t change today. Supervising Raymond worked: he didn’t potty inside. He didn’t potty outside either. I thought he might be afraid to go in front of a human. Dogs aren’t modest, but they are afraid of punishment, so I thought he was probably a victim of harsh potty training. I began taking him [...]

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Raymond Adoption Diary: Days 3 Through 10

August 30, 2011

Potty fear and lack of eye contact are pretty insignificant when compared to not eating! Raymond didn’t eat supper the first night home, and after 10 days, he still hadn’t eaten. At all. No treats, no dogfood, nothing. Given his very empty gut, pottying was not a problem. We decided that he was so stressed [...]

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Raymond Adoption Diary: Week 3

August 30, 2011

Raymond eating better now. Once he had taken a few bites, the hex seemed to be broken. The next day he ate a little more, and by the 3rd day he was ravenous, at least as long as his food was drenched in gravy. Slowly decreased the amount of gravy and by the end of [...]

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Raymond Adoption Diary: After 6 weeks

August 30, 2011

After 6 weeks, Raymond still doesn’t potty unless he was on a long walk, nor does play with chew toys. He is spending more time out of his cave, and initiates interactions with us by coming up and pushing at our hands with his nose, wanting a pat and a scratch. He likes being groomed [...]

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Raymond Adoption Diary: After 12 weeks

August 30, 2011

Raymond began to show an interest in toys, and he now solicits eye contact with us. Much to my relief he now potty’s without having to walk for an hour.

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Raymond Adoption Diary: 6 Months

August 30, 2011

Raymond is acting like a normal dog. He pottys when we take him out. He eats pretty much whatever is in his dish. He likes toys and playing tug of war with Garrett. He no longer retreats to the stair cave. It took awhile for him to detox from a situation that was beyond his [...]

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