When you realize the work you did with your abused, adopted dog is FINALLY paying off

Yesterday was a milestone moment, when for the first time in a year and a half, another person besides the other half and I, took this boy for a walk. It's been a challenging year for us so far (and we're not even that far into it! 😂), and puncturing my foot left me with a wound that reopens each time I walk for an extended period of time. I cannot afford have something sideline me so we have an awesome pet sitter helping with the crew for a couple of days.

For the first time another human took Raymond out, making me simultaneously freak out with worry and also have a huge sense of relief that I can actually leave this place for an entire day in the future. Since June 2022 we've never been away from the house more than seven hours at a time because we were so hesitant of his behavior, but geez, has he come a long way.....it's mind blowing to realize this is the dog that bit us every day for months. We used to wait till 10pm to walk him when no other dogs would be out, or go out at 4:30am, just to avoid possible triggers and meltdowns, because his reaction to anything unusual (sometimes even as small as a garage door opening at a house that was normally empty), would result in frantic tantrum behavior. HE is the reason for my hashtag #WhateverItTakes - because that is what we kept telling ourselves while we learned how to handle a highly reactive and abused dog.


He now knows a bunch of tricks which we incorporate into every walk so he can earn treats; down, roll over, high five, spin, sit, stay. Our boy has come such a long way, and it was super exciting to realize we can move on with our lives a bit - do you know how hard it is to drive from near Ocean City to Dorchester County for events - and get back home in seven hours, LOL? 😆 We just don't leave our crew crated for any longer than that so it's been tough to get away, however I spy freedom ahead for us this summer!!😍


Every dog takes work, and the ones which require the biggest effort wind up being the most special. <3 A big thank you to our awesome friends who are experienced pit bull owners for walking us through the learning process with this boy - if it hadn't been for them encouraging us we may not have ever learned out to keep working with a mistreated and reactive dog. Hard work DOES pay off!

By the way, he arrived a few days after Deputy Glenn Hillard was murdered in Wicomico County, as we our community was reeling from the loss of one of our own. The day of the funeral we came home and decided to give this second chance dog the name of a hero, DFC Hillard's middle name, Raymond. 💙🖤

Thanks for stopping by my blog ~ 😊

community first • marketing consultant • advocate for small business • lover

of classic cars • beach girl • believer that "together we accomplish more"