Stella: Two Days

Stella returns home in just two days. The past two weeks have been quite the journey – for her, and for all of us in the Happy Dawgs household. Stella has come a long way over these past couple of weeks, and I could not be more proud of her. She really does want to just relax and enjoy life, and she’s been working very hard to do that.

Stella’s reactivity towards strangers has improved tremendously. When she arrived, she was growling, barking, and lunging at strangers, and kids sent her through the roof in terror. Now, nine times out of ten, she becomes alert and watchful, but she waits for guidance instead of automatically reacting. She is still very fearful of kids, she is still terrified of skateboards, and she’s very nervous around kids on bicycles, but instead of trying to bolt and run, she’s been trusting me to keep her safe. This is a massive improvement in Stella’s behavior, and I’m very proud of her.

Where Glimmer is concerned, Stella can’t be around her, period. However, when we’re coming in the door after a good walk and Glimmer is sitting at the top of the stairs, instead of trying to attack, Stella has finally started to trust me by waiting quietly while I step between her and Glimmer and get Glimmer to move away. Considering how things have gone between her and Glimmer, this is a massive improvement in Stella’s behavior.

Stella has made a lot of changes over the past couple of weeks. She’s worked very hard, and I’m very proud of her for that. I hope she will continue to do the same for her owners.

Have a great day, and remember: Stay calm and lead on.