Editor's note: Imogen is an alumna who holds the hearts of many of our staff. Though inherently sweet and kind, a traumatic experience made her fearful of strangers, which in turn made it difficult for her to acclimate to new places and people. On today's blog, Coordinator of Volunteers and Programs Michelle Russell writes about her rewarding journey of making Imogen a part of her family.
When I first met Imogen I had no clue that I would be adopting her 2 years later. I met her when I was still an Adoption Counselor at the Richmond SPCA. She’s always been an anxious dog, but at that time she had been through some traumatic experiences. Her previous owners used a variety of punishment-based training methods with her. For a dog who was already anxious and fearful, this treatment only worsened her anxiety.
As a result, Imogen would react poorly when strangers came too close. I always picture her as the last survivor in a horror movie: she shouts at the villain, trying to be tough, hoping that she sounds formidable enough to be left alone. But when I was introduced to her our trainers were already working on her reactivity, and she didn’t bark at me. She saw me approaching with treats and waited for me to toss some to her. After a few minutes I walked away, and that’s how her friendships start—taking it slow, keeping her happy, respecting her space. We soon became good friends.
Not long after, I took on the role of Coordinator of Volunteers and Programs. Although I was no longer working directly with the animals, Imogen became my go-to dog. When I was tired in the morning I would go find her and let her jump all over me, starting my day with affection and laughter. When I had a tough day at work I would shut myself in her kennel and let her lick my face as much as she wanted. Our relationship got stronger. She was there for me, and more and more I realized how desperately she needed someone to be there for her. I daydreamed that it would be me, but life had other plans for us at the time.
In the summer of 2017 a family came for Imogen, and I thought this was it. A young woman and her boyfriend had spent a good deal of time preparing, and they were ready to take her home. I was happily heartbroken. When I hugged her goodbye, I couldn’t shake the feeling that my dog was walking out of the door. I told myself that she was just my best shelter friend. That was all.
A week later she was returned, and at that point I had to admit I’d been fooling myself. I’d already been working with her trainer to be the best friend to Imogen I could, but now I pestered her trainer in earnest. I learned positive reinforcement training methods, clicker training, desensitization and classical conditioning. I learned that practicing her commands in stressful situations would distract her and help her regain some confidence by showing off what she loves. I learned to read the slightest changes in her body language so I could tell when she was getting too scared, or when she was ready to take the next step with a new friend. I brought my husband in to meet her, and we started some short-term weekend fostering before starting foster to adopt, a trial adoption period, in February of 2018. We finalized her adoption on April 20—three years to the day since she first entered our shelter.
Imogen has come a long way in the last few months, and I didn’t get her there alone. Her friends at the Richmond SPCA have been instrumental in supporting both of us through this process. Her trainer has helped with everything from making friends to acclimating to the park to separation anxiety. At this point, Imogen has met most of my family. She and I spend a day each week at my parents’ house where she does tricks for my mom and tries to maneuver around my dad's beard to lick his face. She adores my sister, leaping completely off the ground in excitement to see her, and she’s even become friends with her doggie cousin.
There are a few of things I’ve taken away from my experience with a behaviorally challenging dog:
- Patience and dedication. There are a lot of things that we’ve had to slowly work on and that we’ll be continually working on for the rest of her life, and we’re committed to that. I'm learning to have patience for myself too, because I can’t get it right 100% of the time, but I have the dedication to try to get it right as often as I can.
- Perspective. For a long time my dog growing up was my measuring stick for canine perfection: calm, gentle, great with people and animals. But Imogen is perfect too—she’s just different. It was incredibly easy to make this work when I opened my mind and changed my perspective on what a dog is.
- COMMUNITY. Having a solid group of people behind you can make all the difference when bringing home a dog with some of these challenges. My friends and family have met Imogen on her terms so she feels safe, and for all of Imogen’s life I know she’s got a dedicated support system at the Richmond SPCA, folks who would do literally anything for her at any time.
When she gets to know you, Imogen exudes love. I often say she’s the happiest little dog I’ve ever met. When she’s not scared she’s a little rocket of joy, hopping around to lick you in the face, grab her ball, hide it under her blanket, dig it out and dive onto the couch next to you with it still in her mouth. I simply can’t do justice here to what a wonderful dog she is: how her petite speckled paws quietly carry her around like a shadow, how the tips of her ears flap up and down when she walks, how she curls into a tiny ball behind your knees while you sleep, how she squints and smiles when she lies in the sun. My personal favorite? Her eyes. They’re the color of soil in the sunshine after a summer rain, and they radiate the same warmth and life. Looking into them takes my breath away and makes me incandescently happy. As I’m writing all of this down, I realize that giving her a home was a selfish act. I needed her just as much as she needed me.
Michelle Russell is the Coordinator of Volunteers and Programs at the Richmond SPCA. To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name.
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