[kelly528]

This is me at the very beginning, 2 Aprils ago, with my mom and my 9 brothers and sisters. Mom came from California, pregnant with us, into foster care. Maybe her owners didn't mean for her to get pregnant. Maybe they did, but then realized after the fact how much work 10 puppies would be. You know how it is.



Puppyhood wasn't easy for us. Mom was really jumpy, and we would fall off an inhale milk while she was nursing us. We got a lot of infections. We had to be bottle fed. We must have been a lot of work for volunteers! But by 6 months old we were finally healthy, spayed and neutered, and ready to go into the world. I was the first one to get adopted. Can you see why?




My forever home wasn't for forever. And neither was the next one. I watched as my brothers and sisters left the foster home one by one. My rescuers put me up for adoption again and again, but each time it became harder and harder to smile for the camera.




One day, someone came to see me. She was so scary that I tried to run back into the house when I saw her standing in the yard. I don't remember when strangers started to become scary for me. She fed me some treats for a few hours, talked with my foster mom, then signed some papers. Then the stranger brought out a harness and a collar that smelled really new. I was still pretty afraid of her, so my foster mom had to help me get them on. Then we all walked outside. The stranger opened the trunk of her car and I hopped in without even thinking. Then she shut the hatch, started the engine, and started to pull down the driveway. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I howled as I watched my home disappear behind the trees. I didn't think that I would be coming back for a while, at least.

It was a long and scary ride. I was too afraid to pee at rest stops. The stranger let me into the front seat, and put her sweater on top of me. At one point, I got too tired to keep my eyes open.



I don't know how many hours passed, but eventually we pulled over and the stranger opened up the door. I didn't want any more rest breaks! She caught carried me out as I tried to scramble under the seat. She shut the door so I couldn't hop back in the car. Then we walked up to a house, and she opened up the door. I got really excited and ran right in... Boy, was I happy to be away from all that traffic! I explored the house, and introduced myself to the dog that was there. We found a great spot to hang out. We hadn't really gotten a good stretch in the last 6 hours. It was 2 am. We were so full of beans!

 

[kelly528]

The next day, I woke up and I was still in the same place. It was a big relief to be indoors.



Some horrible noises started up. It's a good thing that stranger had a crate at her place. I hopped right in, and I didn't come out.



The noises stopped for a bit at lunch time. They came from big machines. The stranger's house was pretty new, so the machines must have been nearby, building other new houses for other new dogs. A new dog ran into the house. She seemed to know the stranger. She was really excited to be in this house too, even though she didn't have a bed or toys here. She was very goofy. I think that maybe she had to be bottle-fed too...

 

[kelly528]

The stranger had a lot of dog friends! The bed seemed to be a pretty popular place in the house. I guess that is why they like her so much.



The friends would come and go with the days. I guess it was kind of lucky for me that so many came in the house to visit me, because I wasn't brave enough to go outside and find any friends for myself.





Over the weeks, I got braver, though.



And braver...

 

[kelly528]

The yard at my place is huge!



But if I heard a sound that scared me, I would take off. Mom always knew where she would find me...



Noises really stressed me a lot, even after a month in my new house. They would go from 7am to 7 pm every day. Sometimes they made me feel so scared that I didn't want to come out of the corner. Mom would wrap me in a blanket. That made me feel better, but only sometimes.

 

[kelly528]

One day, I was playing with my friends by the river. It was the only place that I could really relax, away from all of the noises, and play with my friends. A group of strangers walked up. I was really busy having fun, but I had to keep an eye on them. All of a sudden, I heard a noise and turned around. There was one right behind me! I freaked out, lunging at him and barking. I wasn't even thinking, I bit him and gave him a decent bruise. My owner shouted, and dragged me away. She apologized profusely to the strangers. She seemed really shocked and upset.



After that, things changed for a while. We visited a few doctors and I had to get some tests done. I also got used to this thing.

 

[kelly528]

My owner insists that I still have a lot of good qualities. I guess I do let my friends get away with a lot when they visit my house...






Since that week, I get a piece of cheese every night. I try to pick it apart. It has pills in it. My owner holds my chin up so that I swallow them all. It took a long time, but I began to not feel so small and hopeless when I heard scary noises. I got a lot braver.



Like... a LOT. Check out the size of this guy!



I even began to enjoy being outside, just me and my mom. No dog friends to back me up.

 

[kelly528]

We still work really hard to get me braver. It's different now, though. It doesn't feel like I'm on a treadmill, constantly battling the same fears. I'm so good at relaxing now! When we check up with the vet, her and mom always sound super excited and proud.



One day, mom got off the phone. "We got a job, Juno!" She said. Jesus H. Christ, I was only just starting to get the hang of my other jobs! This new place was scary-- lots of strange people, strange dogs, and strange noises. Mom talked with the strangers when she brought me to my first day at work. They said I needed an "evaluation". Strangers then took me into a room, scared me silly by petting and investigating me, then started letting strange dogs run up and sniff me. I hate that! I must have done pretty well, though, because I got this thing called "separation". It's super peaceful, and I get to go there while mom works.



Halfway through our work day, mom would join me for lunch break. We worked really hard getting used to all the playrooms at daycare, the strange people, new dogs, and the scary rolling mop buckets. Even though I spent a lot of time alone, I came home pooped out from all the learning I did. After about 6 weeks of this, I got to meet some strange dogs again. They didn't seem so scary. Granted, I felt a lot braver in general...



I practised my manners a lot for a few weeks. Strange dogs really are more like friends that you haven't made yet, if you can get past the scary parts. I was SO excited when I realized this.

 

[kelly528]

That pretty much concludes my journey, so far. Life moves really fast. Especially since this past spring. The strangers, the friends, the scary noises, the pills, getting braver, working at daycare... I thought I better get it down in words and pictures while I have the time. Usually I'm too busy playing, or too tired to think about it.

 

[McCourt]

That was so enjoyable!! Thank you for sharing with us. I hope to read more some day.

 

[kelly528]

That was so enjoyable!! Thank you for sharing with us. I hope to read more some day.

Thanks for reading! These past few months have taken us to many (totally opposite) places that I never imagined for her... I can't believe it, but with this daycare thing she has going for her, she might one day become the "bombproof" neutral dog that I didn't really set expectations for, at first. Just goes to show that life has a habit of changing just as you think you've figured out what to be content with.
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[KateBren]

Beautiful story, thanks for sharing. I love the part that she earned the "separation".... I think separation looks pretty good, nice and relaxing

 

[McCourt]

Thanks for reading! These past few months have taken us to many (totally opposite) places that I never imagined for her... I can't believe it, but with this daycare thing she has going for her, she might one day become the "bombproof" neutral dog that I didn't really set expectations for, at first. Just goes to show that life has a habit of changing just as you think you've figured out what to be content with.
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Doggy daycares seem to be amazing. My middle son worked at one for a while. He even got bit but still loved working with the dogs every day. I agree with your last sentence. I think if more people were open to new experiences, they may find their lives greatly enriched.

 

[kelly528]

Beautiful story, thanks for sharing. I love the part that she earned the "separation".... I think separation looks pretty good, nice and relaxing

She thought so too! LOL. For the first few weeks, she definitely got more than enough stimulation simply by watching and listening to the dogs and staff through the plexiglass. She would come home and crash on the couch, just dead to the world.

Doggy daycares seem to be amazing. My middle son worked at one for a while. He even got bit but still loved working with the dogs every day. I agree with your last sentence. I think if more people were open to new experiences, they may find their lives greatly enriched.

They are noisy, I won't lie, but amazing experience for anyone looking to work with animals. I really like working for a small business too, my boss has been so accomodating of Juno (employees get to bring their dogs for free) and has even enlisted my help to start a day-training program, and write blogs and manuals (my degree is in English Lit). Best of all, the whole franchise (it's Dogtopia) is totally force-free, so I am never afraid that my coworkers are going to mess Juno up by scaring or intimidating her!