At The Waggly Dog, one of our core philosophies by which we do business is to give back to our community. We are best able to do this by working with dog rescues that need help working through training and behavior problems with dogs in their care. We donate our time and skills to various rescues in order to make sure that even the most troubled of dogs can have the best chance possible to find their forever home. This is the story of 2 such dogs that we have helped do exactly that.
In November of 2019, we were contacted by the Colorado coordinator for ATRA - Airedale Terrier Rescue and Adoption, a national Airedale Rescue group. They had 3 dogs that had come into Colorado from a less than desirable situation in Oklahoma. One of the dogs was able to be placed with coordinator as a foster but the other 2 were still in need of a foster home. We went up to a vet clinic in Boulder to meet and assess them to see what we could do for them. Jake at that time was extremely fearful especially of men and Judy didn't get along with the third dog in their trio hence the third dog was removed from that situation.
Once we arrived n Boulder, we meet the coordinator and a potential foster who was only able to take on one of the 2 dogs. We met Judy first in an exam room. She seemed curious to meet us and seemed friendly despite her being nervous, a good sign. They put Judy away and we then met Jake. Jake was all but shut down. For the most part, he was hugging the ground like the world was ending and the sky was falling. We felt absolutely terrible for him. We moved from the exam room to a series of 2 outdoor play yards. Jake perked up a bit and ran to the far side of the far yard. He was sniffing around but was extremely cautious of us and our proximity to him. We talked for a bit and then brought Judy out into the other play yard.
Up to this point in the vet clinic, they had been separated in the vet clinic because of Judy not getting along with the other member of their group and they didn't want to risk anything happening between Jake and Judy. They were unfamiliar dogs from difficult circumstances and they made the right call in doing that to ensure their safety. Once Judy was in the yard, they met at he joining fence and Jake perked up quite a bit. They were so happy to see each other. Judy was moved into Jake's yard and they began playing together which was a great sign. The fact that Jake was able to go from his fearful and anxious state to play mode is a big deal. This meant that he would be easier to reach and work with to build trust. While this was great for Jake, we had some bad news for both the potential foster and the rescue. They would need to be fostered together and there was a high likelihood that they would need to be adopted together.
The rescue was in a bit if a bind at this point. The potential was only able to take on one dog but they needed to be together for Jake's sake. Finding people to foster dogs is another challenge that rescues face especially when you need to foster a pair. We talked among ourselves and decided, despite having 2 dogs of our own, a foster from another rescue, a new puppy on the way in a few weeks time, and my moms 3 dogs coming for an extended stay while she recovered from back surgery that we simply had to help them and foster Jake and Judy together.
There are more updates to come. In the next part we will discuss their first few days in our home. In the mean time, please check out the ATRA website and Facebook pages.