Weeping Willow (Or, "Life is What Happens......")

Last week I pulled a gentle, sweet German Shepherd named, "Bosie" off the euth list of the shelter and promoted her on various adoption sites, seeking emergency foster or adoption.

I received a call to foster Bosie from a lovely woman in New Jersey.

"Deb" has a home, a family, horses and a couple of older German Shepherds. She was eager to help a Shepherd in trouble and offered to foster Bosie.

But, when I called the shelter I was told that Bosie had just been taken by another rescue group.

When informing Deb of this, she was pleased that Bosie had been saved, but offered her help for another Shepherd.

"Well, call me if there is another Shepherd who needs to be saved. I am happy to help." Deb told me.

Sure enough, another Shepherd came up on the Euth list that night. "Willow" was on the list for behavior.

Though not aggressive, the dog was described as extremely fearful and timid. -- "Scared of her own shadow," to be precise. I called the New Hope number to pull Willow off the list and later called Deb to tell her about Willow.

Deb was willing to drive in to pick up Willow as soon as the dog was spayed.

Deb picked up Willow a few days ago. -- But, the going since has not been easy.

Willow, as it turns out, is petrified of everything -- especially people.

It took Deb a couple of days to win enough trust from Willow to be able to walk the dog. But, should other people appear, Willow bolts, turns circles, tries to bite the leash and desperately escape.

Willow's tail is constantly between her legs and her head and body, held low to the ground -- like a dog expecting to be violently battered.

Because she has other family members and other dogs, Deb has had to keep Willow confined to a large crate inside her horse stable. (Willow is apparently unafraid of horses and seems to feel secure/safe in the crate.)

Deb and I have talked several times since she brought Willow home.

I have tried to give advice (which Deb has followed to the letter): "Don't stare at her. Sit down with your back turned towards the dog and talk in soft sounds. Offer her cheese from your hand. Don't be afraid. The fact she is afraid to look at you shows a dog who is submissive and terrified. She shouldn't be a threat to you."

A few days later, Deb is able to walk Willow fairly easily -- unless some other person appears, in which case, the dog totally panics.

Today, Willow wagged her tail at one of the horses when he came over to greet Deb. That was a major breakthrough representing one of the very few times Willow seemed to show any joy.

It might, in fact, be "good news" -- if we were seeking to adopt Willow to a horse.

Unfortunately, we need to find a human for Willow.

A human (preferably, a woman) who lives in some kind of remote area where there are almost no other people or family. A person who is very dog experienced and willing to work with an apparently, severely abused and traumatized (by humans) dog.

That is an extremely tall order.

Poor Deb. She called to save a perfectly socialized, healthy, 6-year-old German Shepherd and ends up with a terrified, "scared of her own shadow," forlorn and abused, 4-year-old Shepherd mix.

A dog who is "adoptable" to only the most "diamond in the mountain range" home.

What to do?

Well, Deb is going to work on getting some better pictures of Willow. I will advertise Willow on various sites as "Special Needs" (wow, the understatement of the century) and we will both have to pray for a miracle.

At first, Deb and I both speculated on whether or not Willow might actually be a "feral" dog, (judging by her extreme terror and attempts to hide or escape from people) but we have both now eliminated that possibility.

For one matter, Willow was surrendered "over the counter" by someone claiming the dog was a "stray." (Feral dogs usually are caught by Animal Control on catch poles or with traps).

For another, Willow walks well on a leash -- providing there are no other humans around.

It is indeed hard to try and piece together the circumstances that might have represented Willow's former home or life.

Did Willow have a home early in her life and then lose it in some way to live as a stray for several years?

That's a possibility.

Was she owned by one person, kept in a yard or basement for years and never socialized with other people?

That's a possibility, too.

But, according to Deb, the dog's extreme cowering and fear of human legs, human voices or objects held in human hands indicates an animal who was extremely abused or beaten by humans.

Willow is even afraid to take the cheese from Deb's hand and only does so after much hesitation and back and forth, conflict.

"I am not a big believer in God, heaven or hell," Deb said to me today," But if these exist, the former owner of this dog should have price to pay someday. -- They should rot in hell, forever!"

Well, it seems some people (or person) indeed did a number on Willow.

How long will it take to reverse the emotional damage to this dog? How long would it take to win Willow's trust and love towards humans in general -- or, even just one human?

No one can say. It's a long, "one step forward; two steps back" process.

I tried to console Deb today by saying, that yes, had she taken Bosie, it would have been a much easier foster and the dog probably would have been a fairly quick adoption.

But, it seems God or fate or the powers that be had some other plan. -- Or, to put it another way, "Life is what happens when you've made other plans."

"I remember my Grandmother used to say, 'God never gives us burdens that we can't carry.'" I said to Willow's distressed and befuddled foster person today.

That of course, is no consolation for either Deb (personally dealing with Willow) or myself (whose job it is, to try and find suitable and permanent placement for an otherwise, "unadoptable" dog).

Willow is a huge challenge and "burden" so to speak, for both Debbie and myself.

The question is, can we face and carry it?

Can there really be some special person out there who can eventually take on this sad, "Weeping Willow" dog who has probably never known a happy or care-free day in her life?

I don't know.

The odds are long, but hopefully not impossible. -- PCA

******

Written by mandy787 Blog about this entry

This entry has 1 comments: (Add your own)

#1 Comment from jmuhjacat
5/16/08 4:34 PM | Permalink

Your paraphrase of a John Lennon lyric ("Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans"/"BEAUTIFUL BOY") is so apt. My heart breaks looking at this picture and reading this account. May Willow's miracle occur for her SOON.

How well I think I know what she is feeling!

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Weeping Willow (Or, "Life is What Happens......")