To be able to come home to these two little dogs who are always genuinely ecstatic to see me in the evenings, makes my day complete and releases the day's stresses from work. This makes my house a home and a happy place.
I cannot begin to imagine anyone who could be so cruel in their treatment of these animals, nor can I begin to imagine the horrors they must have gone through. I only know that I've seen them bounce back, learn to be happy, no longer afraid, and learn to trust people again.
Brody is still making advances and showing his happiness and personality every day. He doesn't like me out of his sight when I'm home, he's learned to be more and more relaxed around strangers in the house, he's learned to play, finally give tentative kisses to me on the nose or cheek and it is an absolute joy to watch how excited he gets when it's bed time and he loves snuggling in bed with me and the cats. He's also learned to be patient and very gentle in waking me when he has to go out in the middle of the night. Unlike Punkin who thinks I should wake to suit him when he wants and be a little smug devil about it.
Abby loves everyone who walks through the door for the most part, though there has only been one person who ever came into the house that she did not like and expressed that dislike by barking and growling at that person. She loves all the kittens I have fostered in past and wants to mother them all. She still mothers the two who've stayed as they grow and they adore her, that's their momma dog. Although I will say that Punkin, pictured above, really loves Brody best and is rarely far from him.
It has been an amazing journey learning from them and watching them grow and develop their personalities. And I love how they talk, Corgis have their own talk and don't just bark to bark, they talk. I have also firmly decided that there is nothing cuter than watching a corgi from behind as he goes downstairs. Always, always makes me smile. Or watching him race up the stairs and stand with a goofy doggie grin at the top waiting for me. I never miss an opportunity to tell and express to them how much I love them.
Although the new thing we're working on for Brody is his becoming protective of me. He will woof or growl sometimes at the roommate's dog if he perceives he's in my space and does this really only when both the rommie and I are in the room. He has also woofed and watched others in the house warily. We've been working on redirecting. I have to say that he's smart and quick to pick up the redirection, but never loses sight of a potential "threat" to me. The moment I see him tense and start a low growl, we redirect with a firm no, or his name and placing my hand on him. This works for him and he won't jump down and try to chase off Rico, thereby starting an argument. He'll quiet down and just watch, then in a couple minutes he ignores the situation and gives me a tentative kiss. looking for the approval for being a good boy. Which is my cue to give him his favorite thing, and ear massage, which calms him further.
Currently Brody's favorite game is to play tag with the kittens, or rather, catch me if you can and I'll sneak up and swat you game. Watching this interplay always makes me laugh. You'll see the kittens egg him on, (sometimes Abby gets in on it) he chase the kittens, and when they come round a corner or back down the stairs, the kittens are chasing him. Even my slightly older female cat, Jasmine gets in on the fun. A lot of the time Punkin likes to run up behind or onto something and wait till the dogs go by and playfully swat them and run starting the chase all over again. And if the doggies actually corner one, the kitten usually rolls over and lets the dogs molest them or push them around with their noses, then he gets up and the chase begins again. Binx is the most tolerant about the dogs molesting him. And it's these stories that makes my veterinarian laugh and surprised. He thought perhaps the corgis were herding the cats, as that's their nature. I just laugh and say it's the other way round. And then show him pictures like the one above and he gets it, smiling and amazed that they're all such best friends.
Don't get me wrong, both dogs still have fears of things that make them anxious, for example any sharp report/sound that sounds like a gun will send them both, especially Brody into a panic and he will get very clingy. Unhappy people or upset folks make them anxious and Abby does her best at redirection by distraction by talking at them, and being silly and dancing around. She's trying to get the person to let go of the anger and laugh at her. Bless her lil' heart.
Yeah, I am very amazed at the resilience of these two little dogs, who are learning to love, play and be happy as they should have been all their lives. And watching them learn to forgive humans and trust us again. Yeah love, patience and compassion goes a long ways. They're so sunny and make my heart complete.
If you've never adopted a rescued dog, do so, it's so very worth it, and you'll be surprised at who rescued who. We humans have a lot to learn from animals, and it's time to help stop acts of cruelty and neglect. Do what you can, adopt, volunteer, foster, educate.... Doesn't matter the breed to species, they all deserve our respect and we can learn a lot from them. Please never buy, always adopt. Get involved, learn yourself to care about something other than yourself, it's so very worth it, I promise.
