When we brought her home we couldn’t get within 4 feet of her in her crate without being sure we’d lose a hand, maybe a whole arm. The family that rescued her loaded her in the car in her crate (that she could open on her own by the way!). When we got home, we had to cover the crate in blankets and lift it from the bottom so our fingers were not within reach of her teeth. She sat in that crate for 3 hours growling, lunging and snarling at us while Todd and I looked at each other and wondered what in the world we had been thinking. (But I insisted that she would be better off whether with us, or we'd find her a great solution.) When she cautiously emerged from the crate, it was only to cower in the corner farthest from us never taking her wary eyes off of us for fear of what we might do. She didn't go out to use the grass facilities for the first 15 hours with us. We tried rolling tennis balls toward her to draw her out. No luck. I wish I had gotten a video of her that first night so I could compare that time to now and times in the future. It's really very striking. But of course, during the moments you're alarmed or terrified, you're not thinking, "Hey! Let me pause and get a picture of this vicious animal." This was the first night--her fear is clear:
Within 24 hours she accidentally let me pet her while she was distracted and realized it was okay. But still, no one else could come close. There were SEVERAL rough days, but little by little she has let each human member of the family and her big fur brother into her circle of trust. She’s still reactive but getting less so every day.
We renamed her Gracie and playfully call her Gracie-Goose (which is fitting because now she fully gooses me with her nose every morning as she excitedly welcomes me into the new day.) But Gracie is fitting because she's teaching us about how life changing is to be given grace and love, just like God offers us.
We're loving Gracie through her struggles, we're growing and stretching our patience, we're watching love change her from a vicious attack animal to a lover. As I watch her, I am so struck by the transformation. And my heart is pondering the power of unconditional love. She's illustrating in a real, visible way how the unconditional love God offers each of us is truly transformative and healing.
One of the training strategies we're learning is to draw her close when unknown things are near and have her look at us. (If you're looking for clutch dog-training strategies, check out Zak George on YouTube.) When she focuses on our eyes, she can see whether that unknown thing is alarming to us or whether we are at peace. She can draw on our energy and learn to trust that if we're not scared, she doesn't need to be scared either. I hope that soon, she will direct her attention to us without prompting when she wonders if something is to be feared.
OOOOOHHHH the lessons in that. God tells us in the Bible we are to fix our eyes on Him, trust in Him, rest in His unfailing love, not to live in fear. In fact we're to give our anxiety to Him. So when I'm worried or afraid, maybe I should do the same thing I'm asking Gracie to do, huh? Look to Him, focus on Him, let Him put my heart at ease, trust Him to be my leader and caregiver.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. -Proverbs 3:5
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. -Psalm 46:1
When I am afraid, I put my trust in You. -Psalm 56:3
There are still days that are hard. Gracie had no exposure to people beyond her family originally, no experience with another dog. Everything is an unknown, so everything is scary, so everything must be fought against. Walking her is still hard if a car drives by. I end up covered in sweat with a sore arm and a maladjusted neck. And yes, I still ask myself, "What in the world are we doing? Should we have taken this on?" I'm pretty sure God still gets frustrated with me...with each of us...because we also still have those moments.
But then, she comes home, exhausted by the frenzy and ready to cuddle and I remember how far we've come in only four weeks after she spend seven months forming habits and fears before she joined us. She will continue to grow, just as I will always be a growing work in progress.
Dogs can teach us a lot of things. So far, what she has taught me is the power of love to change and heal a heart. And all she's getting is our incomplete, messy, human helping of love. Imagine what the extravagant, unconditional love of God can do for you!
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear. -1 John 4:18a
But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. -Psalm 86:15
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Day 1- She was given to us with all of her gear for free today. We were told she is a mini-austrialian shepherd/border collie. After 3 hours she finally came out of the crate, but she's not coming out of the corner. Our big boy, Ranger, is trying to speak gentle dog body language to her. She is not having it.
Day 3- Our first time seeing her "happy tail!" and Todd is entering the Circle of Trust.
Day 5- Tentatively coming to terms with big fur-brother, Ranger. #rangerthegoldenirish
Day 15- Okay! Having a fur-brother and a yard to run in is actually pretty great!
Day 26-We got her genetic testing results. WOW!! Not what we expected! But that doesn't change how we feel about her!
Day 28- Okay. Yes, this is HOME.
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As always, look up and be blessed!
-Krista
Inspiring story about Gracie and grace! Now I am curious about Ranger's backstory...
ReplyDeleteMy boys are rescue dogs as well, but they did not have the same type of bad experiences your Gracie must have experienced. Both of mine adjusted pretty easily to our family. Look forward to Gracie updates! Bless you and the family for taking in this dog who clearly needed a loving home and family. How much did the doggie DNA test cost?