Sunday, August 30, 2009 - Learning to walk.

(My dear friend Noah, an old soul, sharing a bit of well earned affection with me.

Have you ever seen a rottie with a tail? Well, here's Lu's tail,... Noah. Where ever Lu goes,.. there he is.)

This is truly where the joy of rehabilitation comes in. I was just thinking back to the first day Noah arrived. The condition he was in, the pain, the fear, the aggression, oh yea, the red-zone aggression towards humans fueled by the fear they have created in him.

Here we are, 34 days later and Noah is walking with my pack of dogs. He is still having a difficult time moving forward, and by forward I mean not just psychologically, but physically. He gets stuck. Now, please understand that the mind and the body work together so when he gets stuck it comes full circle. He begins to fear and doubt himself, the mind stops moving so the feet stop moving. Once the feet stop moving the mind does not know how restart the feet. This is where the power of the pack comes in.

Currently, I am only able to walk him on my property. Now, don’t feel bad, I have nearly an acre. That’s plenty of room for us to navigate a mini-migration while this guy is learning to be a good follower. We also still have the legal side to keep in mind. If you read from the beginning you will remember that Mr. Greg Beck and the lawyers from the Devore Animal Shelter are very concerned about this vicious dog, and possibly escaping. If he were to be a vicious dog, and if he were to escape my property we could be in for some trouble. So, to keep all things on the safe side for now, I spend time walking him around my home facility where he feels safe, and does not feel the need to flee.

He has been walking my property with the pack for the past 8 days now and doing just fine. Its no surprise that his new best friend is Lucius. Everywhere Lu goes Noah seems to be just inches behind him. This is actually a good thing for now. Noah has no idea how to play, or how to go to the bathroom on a regular basis. Right now, with all that he has gone through, he seems to be a bit removed from his primal instincts. He even waits for Lucius to go to the bathroom before he does. Noah seems to be looking toward Lu for all the cues and reminders of what its like to relax and be a dog. Noah has a great teacher.

It wont be long before Noah is ready to leave the property and go on a pack migration. We just have to be sure we don’t jeopardize his freedom before he is ready. The powers that be have made if very clear that they need to know where this dog is at all times, and if he changes locations they need to be notified. Better safe in this situation!