Panda gets a lot of enjoyment watching other dogs play. Sometimes, she tries to jump in the middle of dogs playing. She comes when called now. Not all the way into the room next to you, but close by. She goes outside with other dogs running down the stairs and will run into the house on her own now, even if I am standing at the door. I turn my head in the other direction and she runs past. She goes out around 4 times a day. She eats very well. I feed her Fromm dry food mixed with home cooking on top. I mix in her meds and probiotics. I’m looking into adding an Asian Herb for anxiety to mix into her diet to help. She’s currently on the medication Prozac and Xanax. Panda was recently shaved down again. Taking her to the vet to put her under while shaving avoids any added stress.

Panda Cont...

Panda is slowly getting closer to me. Every other day I massage her for 10 minutes gently and talk to her softly. I sit on the steps going downstairs and keep my eyes away from her. With my head turned i can see her come to smell my arm and then she backs off. This is a huge step for her. I try to keep my movements around her slow so she can adjust and calm herself before fleeing. Here is a recent video- sorry for all the baby talk, but she responds very well to it. :)

Panda came into www.caringheartsrescue.org in the Fall of 2009'. She came from a Backyard Breeder who was finished with her because she would not produce babies anymore. She only gave birth once in the three and a half years the Breeder had Panda in her Kennel. The Breeder mentioned that Panda was one of those dogs that liked to play the "hide and seek game." She would run from her if approached. She was right about that.... this Breeder ruined the life of this poor creature. Panda is one of the most fearful dogs I've come across, but I'm determined to see her through to a new home. I'm a foster for www.caringheartsrescue.org. This Blog will act as a sort of Project for me to document Panda's progress and to give the potential new foster or adopter an idea of Panda's needs.

Panda was a mess when she first came into Rescue. She's still very frightened, but much better than at her arrival. I'm hoping we get to a point where she will not run when approached. I was so overwhelmed with not knowing how to deal with this level of fearfulness that I contacted many trainers in the area. That led me to a Dr. Kathy Meyers- http://www.veterinarybehaviorclinic.com/
She was kind enough to foster Panda for our Rescue. She agrees that Panda is a very extreme case of fear.

Over the months I tried my best not to get in Panda's way. I wanted her to just get used to my presence and all the noises of a home. Panda does great with other dogs so it’s great for her to see relaxed dogs and learn from them. She goes outside and does great with the housetraining as long as she is let out several times a day. She's learned to go up and down stairs by running with another dog in the household.
She's on the medication Prozac and Xanax to help her while she adjusts.