When a Life of Fear Disappears
Ellie was a senior Greyhound deemed unadoptable by a Greyhound rescue group for one reason: she refused to leave her crate at the rescue for six months. This was back in the 1990s. I received a call and drove down to meet her.
Even my soft voice wouldn't coax her out of her self-imposed
confinement. She was frightened of everything.
What to do, I asked myself.
I established enough trust and slowly crawled into her crate
with her. We sat together. I was successful in getting her out of that crate,
and home she came.
My mom and I had many dogs in our home back then, and each
had their own crate. The doors remained open. They came and went as they chose.
These were their safe spots. The doors were closed only when we went out for
errands. This was for their safety.
Ellie refused to leave her crate at the rescue for safety
reasons—hers. She did the same in our home, and this lasted another six months.
Ellie is an example of the reasons dogs need time to adjust
to new surroundings on their timetable, and she was given as much time as she
needed.
Slowly, she ventured out, step by step, as her fears
disappeared. Secure that her crate was always there, she eventually joined the
others in our family.
The photo below was taken in December 2005 with the fireplace logs aglow.
So why the coat, you wonder? It helped her feel safe. She wore a coat year-round. The only thing that changed was its weight.
Ellie lived a long and happy life with us at GREYSETT. Why?
Time, patience, and understanding of her fears resulted in a well-adjusted and happy Ellie.
Rest in peace, sweet Ellie. You remain another beautiful
GREYSETT memory.
—Lesley💞
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| Here's Ellie, safe and secure at GREYSETT |
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I always tell people that it takes llong as it takes. Each dog is different. I've had dogs who walked in the door just like they'd always lived there. My latest dog took three days to come out of the crate. She was terrified of everything and everyone. Four years later, and you'd never believe that she was the same dog.
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