Loving a Princess

My 17 1/2 year old Shih Tzu, Candygirl, passed away in 2018 and I was heartbroken, and so was Honeybug, my Yorkie-Poo. So after several months, I decided to start looking at rescue dogs. My friend since high school years rescued a yorkie that was adorable from Storyteller's Express, Canton, NY, and had a very good experience. So I went on their website and started my search. It didn't take a long time before a little pair of dark sparkling eyes captured my heart. My Princess (not her original name) was one of a pair of Papillon/Maltese girls that were rescued from a Amish puppy mill and were in need of new homes after they were vetted. Princess was very traumatized after being in the puppy mill for approximately six years of her life before being rescued.

Princess was five hours away from me but the owner/manager, Carolyn Parker, of Storyteller's Express, said that someone would transport her to me and I could foster Princess until I decided whether I wanted to adopt.

In the middle of January 2019, I drove half -way to meet Princess and her transporter, Cyndi. I was forewarned that Princess was very shy and a "fear biter." She weighed less than 10 lbs and, as soon as I looked at her, I knew she was a "princess." She has lived up to that name, believe me. Princess was in a crate and, after coming back home with her, she was placed in a X pen inside the den. That worked for a 'while' and Honeybug would look in at her and the three cats. It was wall to wall furniture in the den with the X pen in there, so eventually I decided to remove the pen so she could have her freedom to move about the room. Princess is paper trained but up until this Spring has never had the experience of walking on grass. She uses puppy pads.

For the first few months of her new life with one other dog, Honeybug, and three cats, Tobey, Shadow, and Bliss, Princess slowly adjusted. She bonded quickly to Honeybug, her new "big" sister. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that she is extremely afraid of men, and she barks at my husband quite a bit. Thank goodness she isn't a pit bull or german shepherd with a big bark, but her voice is big enough and she runs right up to him, skids across the floor, and stops short of the back of him when he leaves the room. Princess gets along well with the cats too. I had to handle her very carefully in the first few months and I suffered a puncture bite on my thumb once when I tried to pick her up. Going to the vet or bringing her for grooming required a mild sedative (not for me, but for her) although I was pretty nervous myself.

Mostly Princess was given plenty of room and patience to adjust the first year. She is a sensitive eater so she eats special diet food for sensitive stomachs, and she put on a few pounds. She still is a pretty small girl. When I enter the room, immediately she runs over to my chair and sits on the floor near my feet. It has taken me over a year for her to approach closely to me to eat her Puppy Treats. She will not eat out of my hand but will come within several inches of my feet. She does not like to eat if my husband is in the room without me. Can you imagine what she has been through from her prior handlers that she is so scared?!

Let me tell you about our little routine for me to take her anywhere. We have a pink airline type"crate" that she will get into (willingly now) but at first we had to barricade the doors going into rooms from the hall outside dining area, make sure none of the cats or Honeybug were around, and corral her into the area her "safe spot" entering the crate. Then, we would carry her into the den, place the crate on a couch, and I would reach in and have to gently take her collar and coax her out while she shivered like crazy. Once out, though she will calm down and she stopped being a 'fear biter' threat relatively quickly after the first few months. Now she goes into the crate easily and I can take her out with minimal effort. I did not pet her because of her fear or hold her for almont the first full year although she wanted to be close. I cannot pick her up just by walking up to her and reaching out still but we are getting closer to that.

Progress has been achieved. She went to the groomer without being sedated just a couple of weeks ago and she was well behaved! We have taken her outside to a double X pen in the yard several times. She does not like the grass especially and barely moves. I have her on a leash at all times although she has plenty of lead to walk. She will sit on my lap once I have picked her up and let me stroke her and kiss her. She seems to have a sense of security or control when she is wearing her harness. Princess and I are definitely bonded. She looks to me for safety and knows I love her. Instead of being stuck in a small wire cage, she has pretty muchthe full roam of the downstairs of our house. She loves stretching out on her microfoam bed, and every night she listens to Wholetones music or Music for Dogs to alleviate stress.

After the first few months I brought Princess home, I inquired about hiring a dog trainer for rescue dogs. One highly respected trainer told me that "these dogs have permanent mental damage." In other words, they are brain damaged from the abuse they have received. I decided to work with Princess and use plenty of love as my best tool for recovery for her. It is working and it may take another year before I can just pick her up without our little routine of in and out of the crate. She is worth it! It took 6+years for her to become so frightened so I have adopted a "whatever it takes" attitude. Princess is adorable!