Healing A Dog from a Life of Abuse
How does a dog heal if it was raised in an abusive situation? Can it ever become a “normal” dog? I’ve been asked this question often in the last week because of the release (sale, actually) of 1,500 beagles from Ridglan “Farms”, which has gotten national attention. Primarily a place that bred beagles for laboratory research, complaints of abuse and substandard conditions have been made for over ten years by former employees, and FINALLY many of the dogs are getting out. The events of the last few weeks (and last year and a half) could fill a book, but you can read part of the background of what’s going on at Dane4Dogs, who have been instrumental in getting the dogs out.
To start, I want to focus on whether dogs raised in such horrific conditions can ever be happy, or “normal,” and become part of the great biological miracle that is the family-like relationship that exists between people and dogs. Later in this post I’ll talk about how and where to help the Ridglan dogs, but for now I want to focus on what happens to a dog who is raised in canine hell, and what it needs to heal.
The neurobiology, physiology, and behavior of dogs raised in abusive conditions is not like that of a dog raised well. There is a reason why people are advised to “socialize” their dog when it is young (which often actually refers to allowing them to experience different sights, smells, and sounds, as well as new people and dogs). Puppy Culture, a program designed to help young dogs develop resilience and sound temperaments, is a great way to get a pup off on the right paw, because developing brains are highly plastic, connecting neurons and establishing the size and activity level of structures like the amygdala, critical to the control of fear and anger. Dogs raised in impoverished conditions—like the tiny, wire cages of beagles in labs and breeding facilities—do not have brains that are inherently resilient or adapted to change.
As I say in For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotions in You and Your Best Friend, “Far from being full formed at birth, brains are like software programs designed to be customized once they’ve been taken home from the store . . . The tangle of trails between your brain cells [trails formed and also eliminated during early development] is as essential to your emotional life as it is to the movement of your body, and is equally affected by what happens during development . . . babies whose parents responded to them with expressions of delight formed more connections within the circuits that generate positive emotions . . . The implications of this knowledge are vital to the development of healthy people and dogs.”
You would think this would doom all dogs who are raised in tiny, wire cages in a warehouse, but, thankfully, genetics play an equally important role. Beagles were designated as the “dog of choice” for laboratories not just because of their size, but because of their docility and stable temperaments. (An irony that can not help but break one’s heart.) I have had numerous conversations with canine professionals in the last few weeks that included something like: “My god, what if they were all Border collies?”
So, yes, there is a lot of good news for the dogs released from the Ridglan facility. Many, and I would estimate most, of these dogs can end up happy dogs who adjust well to living a normal life as a family dog. But they don’t come running out of the crate thrilled to be free for the first time in their life. Most of them are hesitant, frightened, some so much so, that they shut down into the back of the crate.
We have a great deal of experience knowing how to help dogs raised in abusive or impoverished conditions. Because there are a lot of them. Lots and lots and lots. Ask any big shelter or rescue. I just talked to Jessica Marchant, the head of the behavior unit at the Dane County Humane Society, and she told me how last year they had several cases at the same time of multiple dogs raised by hoarders in break-your-heart conditions. Sadly, these cases are common, so common that the ASPCA created the Behavioral Rehabilitation Center in North Carolina. For years, they have done stellar research on how to help dogs, who are shut down, learn to adjust and thrive. Here is a fantastic video, taken quite a few years ago, describing their work. It’s long, but hard to stop watching once you start.
So what have they, and shelters around the country, learned? What follows is just a short summary, but it’s enough to get a person thinking about whether they are a good fit to adopt a dog from an abusive situation. Here’s a list to get a conversation started; please add to it from your own experience.
TIME AND PATIENCE: There are some miracle dogs who come out of hell as happy as a Labrador puppy surrounded by bowls of chicken. But most need time, especially in the first three days, for their brains to try to adjust to an overload of sensory information. When our Maggie came at 14 months–raised in a great environment, truly Border collie heaven, but having almost never left the ranch and her mother and siblings–she was so stunned she wouldn’t even pee for almost 24 hours. All she could do is stand and sniff the air. These dogs need a quiet place to gradually gather their wits around them. That means no visitors at first, walks in quiet places to potty, a house without loud noises. And . . .
A SAFE HOUSE: A place to feel safe. Often it’s a crate, snugged up against a wall, perhaps covered with a blanket, but the dog will tell you what feels safest to them. Of course, they will need to get out to potty–sometimes all you can do is pick them up quietly and take them out, but dogs should be allowed to know that they have a safe space to go to. If /when a dog ventures out on its own, squelch the impulse to clap and cheer. Keep verbal praise relatively quiet and your own breathing slow and modulated. Be sure that your petting is also calming–no “pat pat pat” to the top of a dog’s head, but rather lots of long, slow strokes. But only if you are sure the dog is enjoying it–watch their body language carefully. Use lots of great food treats scattered on the floor in front of the crate, and gradual create a trail leading to another room. Do NOT verbally correct any accidents in the house; it is your job to get the dog out as often as you can and reinforce eliminating outside. (Doggie diapers work great too, especially with males who can spritz urine before you can react to the beginning of a raised leg.)
ANOTHER DOG: I can not emphasize this enough. The ASPCA’s research center found that this, without question, is one of the most important factors in helping an abused dog adjust. I found the exact same thing in my practice, and multiple humane societies insist on adopting out this kind of dog either in pairs, or into a home with another dog. Nothing is a better role model for a dog than another one, which is so logically consistent that it barely needs repeating. Dogs are living on an alien planet enough as it is, and dogs like the Ridglan dogs have had mostly negative experiences with people. Why would they trust us that it’s safe to walk through a doorway (a big barrier to some dogs) until they see another dog do it? If you have a home with no dog and a new one who has been abused, do all you can to enlist friends with polite, dog-friendly dogs to come visit.
POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT and GOOD OBSERVATIONS: The ASPCA’s Beh’l Rehab Center learned that starting a conditioning program after three days was more successful than waiting longer, at least in a shelter-like environment. That requires good observational skills–what does the dog like? What does it want? Does the dog turn it’s head away when you read to pet its head? It’s telling you it doesn’t want you to do that. What does cause it to turn toward you? A treat? You moving away and clicking for it to follow? Learn everything you can about using positive reinforcement to influence behavior. It’s not rocket science, but it’s not just tossing cookies at a dog or squealing with joy when it does what you want. (Some dogs love enthusiastic praise, but others hate it–which makes it a punishment.) There are a gazillion resources out there on how to use positive reinforcement correctly. Forgive me for just mentioning one of my own: The Puppy Primer is a great way to learn how to teach simple exercises to a dog; it doesn’t have to be a puppy.
ROUTINE: Dogs from laboratories are used to routine. Not only that, but traumatized individuals have often learned that they never know when doom is going to fall, always looking out for the next reason to flee or fight. Routines can be soothing for these individuals, which give dogs and people a sense of control, a sense of agency that has been taken away from them when they were traumatized. It’s ironic, since the brains of people with PTSD learn that anything can happen out of the blue, but in response they look for ways to be able to predict the future. (Which their brains have told them is unpredictable, thus the irony. See my memoir, The Education of Will.)
EVERY DOG IS DIFFERENT: Well, of course, but we humans seem to need to remind ourselves of that on a regular basis. In addition, the work at the ASPCA’s Beh’l Rehab Center also found that a dog’s early behavior did not predict how fast they would heal. Some of dogs who seemed the most shut down ended up recovering faster than others who seemed less affected at first. Go figure.
This is but a skeleton of information about how to help dogs like the ones from Ridglan, but hopefully it serves as a good start to a discussion we can all have together. And lots of stories about happy beagles.
I promised a few words about what has been going on related to scandal of the Ridglan breeding facility, and the successful liberation of 1,500 dogs (so far, there is chatter that negotiations continue for another 3oo or so). Skip to MEANWHILE if you already know or are ready to move on.
The bottom line is that there is no question that the Ridglan facility, a multi-million dollar business that has bred beagles to sell to research labs, has had numerous complaints of abuse for decades. Recently, they qualified for 311 counts of animal cruelty for eye surgery with no anesthetic or veterinarian or sterile conditions, which resulted in a deal from a special prosecutor for Ridglan to give up their seller’s license by July 1st to avoid being charged. One woman, Rebekah Robinson of Dane4Dogs, deserves the lion’s share of the credit for much of the good that has happened. She has been working for ten years to get people to pay attention to what has been going on at Ridglan. She is the one who finally went to court to get it to appoint a special prosecutor to review evidence from former employees that dogs were being abused. (I helped by reviewing heart-breaking videos of beagles spinning mindlessly in tiny wire crates, or shut down huddled in a corner, and writing a deposition as a PhD CAAB behaviorist that the dogs were suffering.)
I was also motivated by having been there decades ago, brought in to help with a “behavioral problem.” I was appalled at what I saw–single dogs in tiny wire cages with open wire floors, with nothing in the cage but a tube to lick for water, surrounded by hundreds of other dogs in the same wire cages. They told me that the dogs never got out, except for breeding. I asked, couldn’t you a least provide something for the dogs to chew on, a Kong perhaps? “No, I was told, that would have been too expensive,” said the people who made millions of dollars a year selling beagles to labs around the world. I left, heart sick, and refused to work with them, even though what I saw was legal, and followed the regulations of the Animal Welfare Act. (Next job: Getting all dogs out of these conditions in laboratories. It’s unethical and simply bad science as well.) If you want to learn more about what’s going on with dogs in laboratories in the U. S., you’ll find no better book than Melanie Kaplan’s book, Lab Dog: A Beagle and His Human Investigate the Surprising World of Animal Research. I haven’t finished it yet, but it is fabulously well-researched about the mostly appalling history of using beagles in research labs. Not beach reading, be cautious if you are feeling especially tender, but it’s an important book and worth a great deal of attention.
Here are some answers to those of you who have been asking “where are the dogs going, and how can we help?” First off, my good friends at the Dane County Humane Society are triaging 500 beagles out of the total of 1,500. DCHS will adopt out 50, 100 go to multiple Wisconsin Federated Humane Societies partners, 200 go to Beagle Freedom Project, and 150 to the Wisconsin Humane Society (main campus in Milwaukee but in four other locations (Green Bay, for example). 1,000 are going to Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Florida and their partners around the U.S. They all need funds, and may still need potential adopters (I hear that some of them have full lists already), so open your heart and do what you can. I’ve already donated 1,000 booklets to DCHS, and Wayne Hsiung’s group, The Simple Heart, who are helping to place some of the dogs. (It is Wayne, an animal rights activist, who organized the “open rescues” in March and April. You may not agree with his methods, but he has made this a national issue, and deserves credit for it.) And don’t forgot Dane4Dogs–they are THE reason that these dogs are getting out.
Once the Riglan dogs are out and placed (they are allowed to keep about 190 dogs there who are part of research projects) we need to have a national conversation that changes the laws that allows dogs to be kept in abusive conditions, laboratory or not, period. When you know better, you do better (thank you Maya Angelou), and we’ve known for decades that the status quo is not acceptable.
MEANWHILE, life goes on at the farm: I got a break last week from the heartbreak of the Ridglan beagles (it’s consumed my life for much of the last month, been helping where and when I can). Skip and I had SO MUCH FUN a few days ago. SO MUCH FUN! We haven’t had much chance to work sheep together off the farm (or on it, for that matter) because of book tour, a torn meniscus, and an immersion this past month trying to help the beagles. But we got to go to friend Liese’s farm and help her train her three new sheep that had never been worked by a dog.
Sheep do not arrive having read the chapter on predator/prey relationships. I have seen some sheep whose first reaction to a working Border collie is to run like deer, but much more common is curiosity. Who are you they ask, they necks stretched forward to sniff the dog? Or, they put their head down, forehead forward, to smash the dog into the ground. Avoiding that, or a dog injuring them on their first date is the challenge. I warned Liese that just about anything could happen, but I didn’t expect Skip to be PERFECT and that I would leave bursting with pride.
Here he is first encountering the sheep–a set up for trouble: Only three sheep (much harder to work, there is safety in numbers). Never been worked by a dog. Two are half Hampshire, a breed famous for, uh, being hard to work. All are yearlings, one is a ram, also harder to work than older ewes. But . . . a nice, open area to work in, a good place to start!
Below is a video of our first “lessons.” Note how around second 28-30, the sheep look up at Skip as if “What is this?” I first start swinging my stick behind Skip as a way to encourage the sheep to move away–boosting up Skip and creating a learned response–dog approach, move away. I was working to keep things as quiet and calm as I could, as well as stopping Skip or lying him down to reinforce the sheep whenever they moved away from him. Watch the lead ewe consider challenging Skip, but then moving away around at minute 2:22.
I wish I had a video to illustrate what is happening in the photo below, but Skip was in a position I didn’t like . . . lots of pressure from both the sheep and the fence. I was starting to walk over to move them all out of the corner, when the ewe you see facing him did a mock charge–head down and a mini-charge toward Skip. This is a situation in which even the best of dogs might bite, but Skip didn’t budge. He acted as though nothing had happened. The ewe, having tried and lost, turned her head and moved away. After that, the sheep moved away from Skip as if they’d been worked by sheep all their lives.
You know that feeling when your dog goes above and beyond and you think your heart is going to burst with pride? I’ll bet many of you do, and that means you know exactly how I felt when we walked off the field.
I am out of gas now for any more photos, except this lovely one of our walk along Black Earth this Sunday morning.
Please add your voice if you have had experience working with dogs from abusive situations. It is a problem so much bigger than many think. And, jump up and cheer with me that 1,500 dogs are either already out of Riglan, with the rest coming day by day! “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” MLK. Let’s celebrate the successes, heaven knows we all need some reinforcement!
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About the Author
Patricia B. McConnell, PhD, CAAB Emeritus is an applied animal behaviorist who has been working with, studying, and writing about dogs for over twenty-five years. She encourages your participation, believing that your voice adds greatly to its value. She enjoys reading every comment, and adds her own responses when she can.
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I have taken in dogs from hoarders and breeding facilities where the dogs did not get out of the cages. Can’t emphasize enough the time and patience. And remember there is no time line – every dog is different.
I had a mixed breed rescue who seemed to have no good experience of people in her first 9 months. She was a wonderful dog, gentle with children, but would kind of “herd” strangers when they entered my home. I had a guest who completley understood and explained what she was doing, when she had two women kind of “cornered”. Once I call the dog to me, the strangers were welcomed in the house.
Thank you for posting the video of the sheep. It was the perfect thing after reading about the beagels.
Nancy: Love the story of your sort of herding dog. Skip hates it when people leave the house. I have to call him away from the door. I’ve always wondered if it’s a kind of herding instinct gone neurologically viral.
Having been a foster home for a dog rescue for nearly 20 years, I have also taken in dogs from abusive, hording and neglectful environments. I echo the need for time, patience and routine. My two resident dogs have helped dozens of foster dogs get their feet under them and move on to permanent homes. I especially love to foster the fearful dogs. Some have taken over a year in my home before being ready to go to their adopters, and others have been able to move on after only six months. Giving each dog what they need is key – and each dog needs something different from the previous ones.
Minnesota Mary: Thanks so much for the reminder that every dog is different, it’s easy to fall into generalities. And kudos to you for all your foster work. Hero!
Last year I fostered a former bait dog, Sprout, a bully mix who was by far the most damaged foster I’ve ever had. After a police raid of a dog fighting ring, he was brought to an animal hospital. He had broken bones, open wounds, and was covered with scars. By the time he came to me, he was physically healed, but clearly mentally scarred. Your advice regarding having another dog to help was spot on. My Jax (9 year old ‘foster fail’ Husky/Pitbull mix) was invaluable with helping Sprout adjust to his new life. Jax has been my partner with all fosters. He looks upon every dog he meets as a new friend. From the moment Sprout arrived, Jax took over showing him the ropes. (This is the door where we go outside. Here’s the toy box… just take out whatever you want to play with. Up there on the sofa is where we sit with Mom. Wanna chase me out in the yard?) Watching this horribly abused dog slowly learn to trust, play, and be happy was wonderful. Letting him move on to a great life with the wonderful woman wh adopted him was bittersweet. I was happy for him, but sad to see him go. Patience is the key… that and a helpful dog partner.
Carole. Wow. What a story. Triggered my allergies, darn those watery eyes.
We rescued an eight year old male Basset Hound who was a puppy mill surrender in February. He is beginning to eat and drink more, enjoys the yard and is now able to go out the door. Coming in the door is a real struggle and usually takes him three attempts. At night he has to go out on a leash or he will not come in. He seems conflicted about human touch. If I leave my hand in range he will nudge it, but does not like human initiated touch. House breaking was a breeze, maybe because he was used to a wire cage bottom. The saddest thing was he finally started curling up on his bed two weeks ago. I suspect his cage was too small to turn around in. Our plan is to get him a mentor later this summer when we have some family issues resolved. He’s come so far though that if this is as good as it gets, we are happy!
My heart aches for every dog in an abusive situation. Thank you Trisha for your post and for your untiring work on behalf of these dogs we love. I have volunteered as a trainer with rescue for many years and have seen firsthand both the damage some humans do, and the wonderful healing other humans facilitate. It feels like a miracle to me how much emotional damage a dog can recover from. It gives me hope for the future.
Thank you so much for this post and the link to that ” fantastic video” about the rehab in NC! Many tears of joy to see those dogs transform and be adopted. I am on month 6 of a new journey with a chi-mix I adopted from a local SPCA. She is my second rescue – the first being an older, more well-adjusted chi-mix I adopted 3 months prior from an Animal Control. Previously I have gotten puppies from backyard breeders — “free puppy” signs on road trips — good dogs — good teachers all … but adopting older dogs is such a rewarding and more complex learning ground. I am relying heavily on working with an animal behaviorist and the extensive information you generously provide through your blog library and your books and pamphlets. I have such immense gratitude for you and the other dedicated souls who give their lives to helping ‘lost’ dogs find their way back to the loving side of humanity.
When I adopted Elsa from a horrible standard poodle puppy mill, she was basically feral-she didn’t even know how to accept a treat from your hand. Two weeks following the adoption she began having seizures. I don’t think I could have done it without Sam, my scatterbrained but adorably sweet standard poodle. I learned how to deal with the seizures, Sam taught her how to be a dog. She was always aloof but once you earned her trust, she was as devoted as could be. Both are angels now but I’ll always be grateful for him teaching her how to be a dog and her loving. They were the best and I miss them both tremendously. While Sam may have taught Elsa to be a dog, it took a 85 lb. Old English Sheepdog senior rescued dog to teach her how to wag her tail. The 3 amigos didn’t have a lot of time with each other but all three taught me so much about rescue. Loads of love and even more patience worked wonders.
Thank you for finishing up this post with Skip and sheep because then I was able to breathe. Beautiful pictures too. I volunteer at Oregon Humane and there are way way too many horrible breeder/hoarder/just plain overwhelmed stories. Makes me wonder what is wrong with people.
Being in rescue is not for the weak. Having been involved in it for two decades and 77 personal fosters, each one is so different. From the collie Izzy who had been on the run for two years, and once trapped and brought to me she had to drag a 40 ft line for weeks before I trusted her in my securely fenced area, to the 8 border collies I rescued from a former client who had fallen on difficult times, to the emergency phone call I answered about a German Shepard being beat in the head with a shovel by her OWNER, and needed a SAFE PLACE NOW! And so many more. I’ve read everything I think you’ve ever published, some multiple times, trying to help these dogs. It’s heartbreaking, but so needed. Thank you for all you do.
Thank you so much Dr McConnell!
I’ve rescued senior dogs for years.
I adopted a 9 year old mill breeder about 6 months ago. I was new to mill dogs, but recognized on day 1 that she didn’t know how to communicate to my other dogs (I recognized it from a prior dog with dementia). She was totally shut down, but observant.
So, I just kept watching and began taking notes.
On the 3rd day, I woke up to her sleeping on a dog bed next to my male AussieDoodle.
I joined a great group that helped me understand a lot of what was happening.
The AussieDoodle became her mentor dog.
It took her 3 weeks to step outside the door.
It took 4 months before she could walk on a leash.
Since then, she has grown by leaps and bounds.
Everything had to be her choice.
I’m so proud of her and it’s definitely the most rewarding rescue I’ve ever had!
Our story is very tame by comparison. Max (our 2nd dog) was a 2yo Golden Retriever/Samoyed mix. A beautiful fluffy boy. But, oh, so very aloof. Our initial meeting at the Golden Retriever rescue was disappointing. He sniffed every object in the room before even looking at any human. After having had an in-home interview, they knew we never put our dog out unless we were home (wildlife issues and HOA meant no functional fence, so we had a “trolley”), that we took our dog with us whenever possible, even in the car while at work. For 2 years he continued to “exist in our lives. He didn’t seem to know about toys, treats, etc. We knew we were at least the 3rd family to adopt him. (They had a “backup” dog to make sure we’d take Max – Bear, 18 months old and very overweight, but he got car sick easily.)
We don’t know what happened, but at about the 2 year mark, we suddenly noticed he wanted attention, started responding to treats & toys and he wanted attention, wanted to be petted and loved on. Because he’d be in the car (windows & tailgate open/closed as appropriate to the weather & always a window so I could keep tabs on him) the seasonal employees would stop and love on him (they had to leave their pets home to live in seasonal park housing, so they really missed their pets). Eventually we dubbed him the “unofficial seasonal therapy dog”. They might come talk ti me but they’d always stop to visit Max. We never could let him off leash, though, because the only thing he liked as much as being in the car was to go run for a mile or so. He always came back, happy as a clam, but he needed to go for a serious run.
During those first 2 years we just kept treating him as part of the family, resigned to having an aloof dog. We were so happy when he finally figured out he actually had a home and a family.
Thank you for all you’ve done, Trisha. I commented on one of the posts that it seems like they just released the dogs in the big pen. After not having interaction with other dogs their whole lives. No fights. So mellow and “happy”. I trained w you MANY years ago when you brought sheep as a distraction to a class in Middleton.
We have a rescue 4 years now. She is so loving and good with people and most other dogs. What confuses me is when we go out for a few hours and she is alone in the house she seems exhausted when we return. We don’t do this often. She is rarely left alone but occasionally it happens. She has never damaged anything and has the run of the house and several places she has deemed safe. I wonder if even after having her 4 years she fears us not coming back? The other disturbing thing is she whimpers in her sleep. If I gently stroke her back she comes out of it. We have very little information on her circumstances before she came to WI from Alabama with a rescue organization. I’m thinking she will always have a certain amount of anxiety due to her past but I wish I could help her more. She is a delightful creature with a huge personality and we feel lucky to have her.
I foster dogs and have come to specialize in under-socialized dogs. I once had a dog live under my couch for two weeks. Wouldn’t come out to potty, and I wasn’t about to reach under there and create a set back. So I slid a wee pad under there and was just happy my flooring was vinyl. I knew she was going to be okay when there was a thunderstorm, and she crawled out from under the couch to press herself to my side and shiver.
My experience is that step one, before anything else, is build trust. I spend a lot of time just outside the dog’s personal space bubble, hanging out with my own dogs and ignoring them until they feel comfortable enough to get curious and start to close the gap on their own. Then it’s lots and lots and lots of treats to build good association, along with plenty of patience and keeping to tiny steps. While they may never be a “normal” dog, I’ve seen plenty who live happy, content, if somewhat small, lives.
Cissy is my found dog, a miniature Australian shepherd mix who had lived the first 2 years of her life in a home troubled by domestic violence and a whole lot of substance use accompanied by frequent police visits. When the people moved away, they put her out and left. They lived near a wooded area where my dog Thor (a joyous boxer mix) and I go walking, and after months of living on her own, she began approaching us. It took two months of twice-a-day visits and a lot of treats plus high quality meals for her to be comfortable enough to walk home with Thor and me. I have videos of her walking with me the day before she came home, almost getting all the way. She would dash ahead, then loop back around me to urge me forward, and then repeat. The animal control officer had tried to catch her and a nearby vet’s office had as well, but she adores Thor and he really made the difference. He is a very calm, confident, happy dog who sincerely believes everyone is his BFF.
Cissy’s first vet visit was revealing. She had not been spayed, she had Lyme disease (successfully treated with doxy), she had intestinal worms, and her bloodwork was a mess. Her back had been injured (the vet thought probably from being hit repeatedly with something and I, myself, had seen her previous person hitting her in the face) and she has ankylosing spondylosis. She was frozen with fear at the vet and if she were human I would have had no trouble saying she was catatonic. The vet was kind enough to let me hold her while she was premedicated before her spay and while the meds took effect, but when I put her into the kennel, she cried and my heart broke.
Cissy has been part of the family for about 2.5 years now. She is fine in the house and OK in the yard (6-foot privacy fence), although at first if there was any noise outside – someone driving past in the alley, loud voices, a neighbor’s AC kicking on, she would run back inside. I learned quickly to keep the back door blocked open. It took months of heavy reinforcement for her to be willing to even go near the gate and then she would grab the treat and dash away. Now she will go to the gate and stick her nose out to supervise the neighborhood and yes, she has strong opinions.
The one thing she would not do was go for a walk. She’s an incredibly smart girl and I wanted her to have those experiences. I could leash her up but she would never voluntarily walk outside with her leash on, even with loads of reinforcement. Mind you, she sees Thor go outside three times a day to go for a walk, but it was too much for her. I could carry her down and outside the gate, but she would also panic and struggle to get back in. We worked on it for 2 years and made virtually no progress. I thought about carrying her in a front pack, but rejected it because I worried it would put unnatural stress on her already damaged back.
A little over a month ago, I got her a heavy-duty stroller and it has been transformative. I conditioned her to be willing to sit in it, then to sit in it with the top down, then to sit in it with the top down while I moved it, and so on. Meanwhile, I had also been getting her used to wearing a harness and a Martingale. Within a month she was happy to suit up and dash out to her stroller, so I decided to start going outside the gate with her. The first time we just stayed on the outside of the gate and did not move out into the alley. I gradually increased the distance we went, and today we went about eight blocks. She passed people and vehicles passed us and she did not panic. We visited one of Thor’s human friends who is very dog savvy, and I opened the top of the stroller so he could give her a treat, which, true to form, she snarfed down. As of today, we do most of the walk with the top down because she feels more secure that way, but my goal is to increase both the distance we go and the amount of time she will tolerate having the top down. Eventually she may be willing to walk under her own power, but, if not, her world is richer than it was before she was willing to ride in a stroller, and I am happy with that.
this is beautiful…I love it, love it, love it. I love all of these posts, all of the amazing work ❤️
As others have stated- patience and time are needed. My work is with Puppy Mill Dogs who have lived in cages their entire life and many never having a kind word or a kind touch offered to them. Your question of why should they trust humans is all to real- yet I find these dogs incredibly resilient and forgiving when placed in the right evironment. Another confident dog is vital in their rehab IMO. These dogs need to be accepted in wherever they are in their journey to leaving the past behind. They all have a story and they all are different. PTSD is real and often it’s the dance of 1 step forward, 2 steps back until trust, security and confidence are built. I’ve spent many an hour just sitting on the floor at a distance comfortable for a dog- sometimes 5 ft, sometimes 25- reading to them, no eye contact, tossing them a high value treat when they have the courage to glance in my direction. I work on conquering comfort zones one at a time. Throw to much at them, and expect to much of them and they often shut down once again
These dogs need to learn how to think as nothing as ever been asked of them, as absolutely everything is new and quite scary- even that threshold you mentioned. I was working with a miniature poodle, who had spent 8 years as a breeding male who was progressing really well- until he was in the back yard and I pulled out the hose to water the garden. It was a 3- step backwards kinda day. But onward we moved in baby steps… for I believe it’s my responsibility to help these neglected, abused, or abandoned dogs that I encounter to become the best they can be to enjoy life to the best of their ability. And what that means for one dog may not be the same as another. Thank you Patricia for all you do, for all you’ve written. Your words of wisdom are often in my head 🤣 .
Mary, you are a hero!
I was a foster home for a puppy that had come out of a hoarder/abandonment situation. I believe he was living with a group of dogs and someone dumped a bag of food over the fence once a week or so, so all the dogs had to fight for it. He was born there, so he had NO early handling, plus I think he was a Catahoula and/or Aussie mix. He was 12 weeks when I got him and had at least a couple weeks of human contact in transit, while being vetted and such, and he bonded with our family quite quickly, and was sweet and smart for us, but didn’t accept strangers, remaining fearful as long as I had him (about 7 months). He did eventually find a home in a quiet household where he wouldn’t have to face too many scary situations.
We’re a month and a half into fostering a 9/10 shut down Huntaway (ex-working/breeding dog) who, it turns out, came with a broken and abscessed tooth. I can’t sing the praises enough of the charity we are fostering for as they organised a vet behaviourist for us very quickly when the dog was not as had been described to them and have paid large vet bills for X-rays and tooth extraction. The biggest praise though must go to my 13-year-old rescue mutt who has been calm and patient and shown her all the ropes and routines. Without him, I don’t think she’d be making the progress she is. Thanks for all your books over the years, Dr. McConnell – they have been tremendously helpful.
I have adopted a puppy mill breeder. She is my third one. My first was a male golden. Easy you never would have known he was part of a puppy mill. Then number two female lab was turned out because of health issue. She had to be carried in to our house. Once in She stayed in her crate and room with the doors open. I had to invite her thru doorways. She wouldn’t stay in the same room with my husband for one year. We had a golden at the time and he was a huge help.
Now to today. We took a shih tzu female 2yo about one and a half years later she allows me to approach and rub her under her chin. She has started to sneeze on the back of my legs or even better has started to play on the back of my legs. She is good following me. We have started games like I jump and she goes in to the play position. We chase each other around the house. She is always up for fun but still is shy of being touched. Slowly but surely she is looking for it more. She sleeps in the same room with us in her bed. Her safe place is under the kitchen table in a huge comfy bed. She hates her crate.
She is a pure love and we have the of our lives to be whatever we are going to be.
Time and lots of love is what ypu need. We do have a blind poodle that is the same age as her and an older maybe about 2 years older not sure about him he was a stray adopted from the shelter.
Not sure if this helps anyone but I have to say leave your expectations and quietly celebrate any tiny steps you get. I know we do. Husband cannot get near her until a few days ago she sniffed his fingers from behind him. We were both thrilled.
We adopted a mill momma about 18 months ago (meant to breed “mini golden doodles.” She did not relieve herself fo 18 hours, having never stepped on grass or been in a house. She was terrified of the sound the refrigerator door made when it closed, and especially had fears around eating. She preferred eating at night when we were asleep. After a few months I enrolled her in a wonderful class, but she would only go to the corner and fall asleep. So she wasn’t ready, and that’s fine.I suspect she had had enough of people telling her exactly how she should be.
It’s been slow but amazing to see her offer behaviors. She still doesn’t want us around when she eats, but she does want me to chase her to her bowl. She rolls in the grass, crosses logs over streams, and watches very carefully when other dogs play with toys and balls. I think she might some day play with toys, but if she doesn’t, that’s fine. She loves to cuddle with us and has her own special chair now.
I fostered a 5 month old Beagle mix that had spent 2 months in a high kill shelter in Louisiana. Within 1 hour of euthanasia (director said she was “unsalvageable” a rescue group with which I was a volunteer, pulled her. I watched her for about 5 days and knew she needed somewhere to deconpress. We brought her home and installed her in a bathroom that had the commode and bath through another door. She was so traumatized she hid behind the toilet. I would go in with a bowl of chicken pieces and a book and just sit on the floor of the vanity area. If she peeped around the corner (I could see out of the corner of my eye) I would thump a piece of chicken in her direction. She did eat her meals from a bowl on our laps (we leaned back and stared at the ceiling). It took over 2 weeks before she voluntarily came to me or my husband – we had not touched her until she came to us. I put a baby gate up and our other 2 dogs and 4 cats would drop by and visit. We kept her and I’ll say I did some sort of “training” for her fear reactivity almost every day of her life. She died in 2024 of lymphoma at 14 years old. We miss her still.
I worked with a rescue group for eight years. We received dogs (Collies) from several hoarding situations over the years. Due to the closeness of our volunteers, we were able to observe their behavior through emails from fosters daily. It was consistent with the stories I read in this posting that tell of a total lack of socialization and the “toilet huggers.” The younger ones seemed to transition more easily than the older ones and went on to live happy, relatively normal lives. One Collie-mix that I fostered took months to accept human touch. I picked her up along with two male dogs who may have been her siblings, from a court release due to hoarding. I decided to foster this girl Katie, due to her fears and submissiveness. The boys were quickly fostered and adopted into homes in a short time. The girl was welcomed by my five Collies in their loving, gentle way. I quickly realized the best way to handle this girl was to allow her to progress at her own pace. She was very comfortable with my dogs, but she would run from me any time I approached her. Food treats held out, only caused her to run away. Time! Patience! Prayer! Eight months went by. One Saturday morning, I went out to the back yard, as I routinely did. The Collies and I played for a while. Katie continued to run with the others, but never got too close to me. I sat down on the grass, and was covered with wagging tails, licks, and nuzzles from my crew. My hands covered my face. Suddenly, everything stopped. A quietness occurred, a stillness. I moved my hands from my face, and couldn’t believe what I saw. My Collies were in a circle around me. Katie stood in the center, inches from me. I slowly reached out, and she allowed me to touch, then pet her. She licked my face! I burst into tears, and she licked them away. From that day forward, she never ran from me. She allowed me to work with her on basic lead work without flinching or balking. It wasn’t long before we put her on the adoptable list. She went to a perfect home, an astronomy researcher, who lived alone in the forest, and worked at night. Katie was able to go to work with her and be with her 24/7. They had many good years together, and this girl had a wonderful life.
The rescue that I have been involved with for many years (as both current volunteer and former staff member) takes in a high percentage of dogs who have been used for breeding in puppy mills. They are often terrified of humans and completely unfamiliar with how to live in a home environment. All of the things you mentioned are not only part of the dogs’ rehabilitation process at the rescue but also recommendations given to adopters.
It has been policy for many years that these dogs must go home with another dog, one that we refer to as a mentor dog. When I did adoptions for the rescue, I would sometimes have people come who wanted to open their hearts to a puppy mill dog and felt sure they could do so without another dog in the home. To help them understand the need for a mentor dog, I would first have them meet and interact (or try to interact) with one of the very under socialized mill dogs. Typically, the dog would present as withdrawn, fearful, unwilling to be touched, and hunched down low or pancaked on the ground if approached.
Then I would bring out one or two of the non-mill dogs at the rescue and put them in the same room or play yard as the puppy mill dog. Without fail, the demeanor and behavior of the puppy mill dog would change almost instantaneously. They would become more animated, more active and playful, and sometimes even allow touching from the humans present. Their posture would change from low and cowering to loose and wiggly.
This dramatic visual difference was always enough to help prospective adopters understand the rationale behind needing a mentor dog for these very psychologically (and sometimes physically) damaged dogs. I would always tell the adopters, yes, a puppy mill dog can live in a home without another dog but it will take incredibly more time and patience and will be incredibly more difficult for both the dog and the adopters than if they go home with another dog. We should always want to set our dogs up for success and mentor dogs provide such a wonderful way to do that. They are often the best therapy available!
Just read the article & skimmed all of the above comments: you are ALL wonderful people who restore (what’s left of) my faith in the human race. So first of all I wanted to say “Thank You” to all of you and also put in a plug for the multi-talented Patricia McConnell’s newly published book. If you haven’t read it yet, I heartily recommend it. My husband and I both were impressed not only by her novel-writing skills but also by the similarities in the ways she portrays & evaluates people as well as dogs. (I used to represent & provide pro bono support services to survivors of domestic violence & feel certain that her experience with dv has contributed much to the richness of her novel -writing skills as well as to her well-known success training & healing dogs.) Her videos & photos are also wonderful!
Second Chance Dogs is such an interesting watch! I had worked with Pia Silvani at our local shelter, new to the field and knowing nothing of her background, for over a year before someone mentioned offhand, “Oh, Pia’s in that documentary, you should watch it!” Color me surprised!
I read Away to Me over the weekend and could not put it down! I devoured it in under 48 hours, reading it pretty much every second my baby was asleep (and several hours that I should have been sleeping, too!). I thought you did a marvelous job with Maddie’s voice as a character and narrator. I am very much looking forward to finding time to watch the interview you did on the book with Companion Animal Psychology, and I can’t wait to read more of your fiction in the future!
Thank you Trisha for talking about this horrible industry. I do know the pride of when your dog goes above and beyond. I had adopted a brace beagle from our dog resort that was also a rescue. An employee watched someone dump her into the woods during a thunderstorm. They quickly rescued her. She was so shy and afraid of so many things, she would not walk through my house. Because none of us knew about her past, we never knew what kind of experiences she had in her early life. We had another dog who was mostly good with her. I was not at all aware of what living with a true working hound was like. We live in a neighborhood and the houses are somewhat close together. I was fortunate to have a large fenced in backyard. Out in the yard all she wanted to do was sniff and sing her hound-song, it was truly her drug of choice. Our neighbors were not happy. I am by no means a professional trainer but have studied animal behavior and positive reinforcement since the 80’s when I read Karen Pryor’s “Don’t Shoot the Dog” out of interest and as a hobby. With the help of you, Karen Pryor, local trainers and a one on one conversation with Ian Dunbar, I was able to help my sweet shut down girl with patience and knowledge. She became a therapy dog and I actually got her to stop baying on cue, it took me a long, long time. I was never so proud of her and of me.
Jane, that is one hell of an accomplishment! I am proud of you too, and of your dear beagle.
We took in 3 laboratory beagles from a university. They are all Marshall’s beagles – 2 were 2.5 years old and 1 was 1.5 years old. They had been on study at the university and I was on the IACUC so could see what study they were on. No prior history though, as the university was their last stop. Now, 4 years later, they are living their best lives and are amazing dogs. They each had different triggers and even now we still find new things that upset them. They do like routine and they all have their own quirks, but they have become secure and loving.
Routine is critical. Knowing what to expect relieves anxiety.
WE adopted an 8yo black lab about 8 months ago who’d been bred who knows how many times. She’s super friendly to people almost like she’s auditioning herself to people we meet on walks. Nearly embarassing. She loves kids too. She’s extremely wary of other dogs. If they get closer than 3-5′, she snarls until her space is restored. She doesn’t seem to want to bite other dogs which having entered her space are on her ‘bad’ list until many better encounters later. We’d love her to have a dog friend. The rescue said she’d be best as an only dog. They couldn’t/wouldn’t tell us anything about her past. We’re working on ‘gentle’ with treats because she makes an alarming gobbling noise when you give her treats. Strangers never offer one a second time. Again, no biting, just the noise. Dogs generally love routine at bedtime – where, when, how. At first she wanted to sleep with us in bed which was a bit scary because if you touched her bum or back too suddenly at night, she would snarl and warn you off, but she seemed to need to lie against someone to feel secure. She will now often sleep on her own on the couch at night, only sometimes coming to sleep in the bed and then, not usually touching. That’s a bit of a relief for me. Some nights she wants badly to sleep in the bathroom where she cries until I put a cushion down for her and then all is well. We’ve always adopted older dogs but none have been real rescues, just dogs that needed homes. I would REALLY like to know more about her past so that I can understand her better. Do any of these behaviours hint at anything?
All of our dogs have been rescues. We haven’t had a puppy in 40 years. We have multiple dogs which helps, but some of our rescues have never learned pack manners, sometimes attacking other dogs. It sometimes takes human intervention to teach them acceptable pack behavior. Our only failed rescue was a street dog that tried to kill one of her pack mates. We had to send her back to the shelter.
Even dogs that have always been well treated can take months to adjust to being re-homed. Dogs that have been abused might never fully recover. We adopted a lab once that had been chained in a back yard for his whole life. He had never learned to carry things in his mouth. I would have sworn that was impossible to do to a retriever, but he never learned that behavior.
We have never had a rescue that did not respond to human affection and companionship.
We got our rescued staffy cross pup Mabel early on and thought she must have come from a cramped, unpleasant place with no freedom as she was scared of everything. She also did not seem to know what grass was, how to play with a toy and was scared of leaves. Time, patience, routine and another dog all helped her. The safe house/crate did not really work for her and it took a long time to get her used to a crate and sleeping on her own. Perhaps due to previous conditions she may have experienced, she settled a lot better after she was toilet trained and was just able to sleep in a bed not in a crate. My belief is that most rescued dogs can go on to have that familial bond. It will just take a large amount of time and patience for them to trust compared to a dog from a good environment along with much smaller steps. We have enjoyed watching Mabel interact with our in-laws older black labrador, as whilst he has taught her how to calm down more, she has re-introduced some puppy like behaviour with little hops which is adorable to see!