She is a perky and energetic girl, which is basically the result of being a young dog stuck in a shelter. Totally normal and to be expected, but.... just a few minutes into your walk she settles down. It's as if she realizes she has a nice human by her side, and the calmer the human is = the more relaxed the dog can be.
You may not know this, but dogs read emotions from people! If you were to approach a dog like this with a high-pitched squeal, grabbing at her face and/or acting all hyper over her.....that is GOING to make her hyper. The more dramatic a shelter dog acts when I'm walking them, the more I quiet down my own emotions and interaction level, so that they can realize such behavior doesn't get results. Once they start to settle down we can practice "Sit" and taking treats politely, etc - I love giving attention and hugs, but it needs to be done wisely and appropriately, because the last thing we as volunteers want to do is reward poor behavior. We have to remember someone is going to come in and look at this dog tomorrow, or the next day, or come to help walk dogs, and if WE invite jumping up and rude behavior, that's basically setting up the dog to fail.
The thing I don't believe a lot of folks think about is how shelter life can be for a dog which just days or weeks ago, lived in a home, on a couch, with their own toys and yard, maybe with kids or other animals, etc. Suddenly all that is GONE; "home" is now cinder block walls and a 5' x 10' space....half of the kennels face a wall so they don't even see another dog unless one is coming or going. They are well fed, kennels cleaned, water, toys, bones, but they only go outside at certain times and that is tough on them - and it's why you see so many posts from us the walking crew, asking folks to come out and spend some time during the week which is when it's the slowest for walkers.
These dogs, if they each get three - four great walks a day - are calmer, happier, and in a better mental state. And each time they go out, if those humans help to reward good behavior and avoid too much excitement, that reinforces what many of us keep working on. Because we do work on them, on every single walk, knowing their next family may be just a day or two away. 🩷🐾🐾💛
Check out Jitterbug's profile here, or visit this pretty young lady in person at the Humane Society of Wicomico County on Maryland's eastern shore.
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"
