Ellie was a stray who ended up at a local animal control facility.  We were notified by a concerned member of the public that her holding period was up and she was slated for euthanasia due to aggression.  Upon hearing this news, one of our volunteers immediately made arrangements to go and meet her.  Ellie was fearful of strangers, but she allowed our volunteer to handle her and touch her all over.  We felt that she deserved a second chance, so we took her into our care for further assessment.  Ellie was placed in a loving foster home so that we could get to know her better and start working with her.  Ellie's first foster home wasn't a good fit because she couldn't learn to get along with one of the resident dogs, who was much larger than her.  She was moved to a new foster home for her own safety.  Ellie's second foster home was a better match and her new foster mom quickly got started on her training---the focus was on establishing trust, building confidence and improving socialization.  Meanwhile, Ellie was spayed, tattooed, micro-chipped, updated on her vaccinations and provided with some much needed dental care.

It took weeks of working with Ellie for her foster parents to finally win her trust, but once they did, she became a loyal and affectionate companion.  Along with Ellie's fear and trust issues, she also had some unusual behaviors.  She would chase her tail and this would often escalate into dramatic violent attacks on her own tail.  At first we thought this was simply a behavioral issue and we sought the advice of a trainer.  However, when the behavior continued, we began to suspect that there might be a medical reason for these episodes.  X-rays revealed an old traumatic spinal injury; Ellie had likely been hit by a car in the past.  Acupuncture treatments helped to decrease the severity and frequency of the tail "attacks". 

Ellie's foster parents continued to work on building her confidence and introducing her to new people and new situations.   There were several enquiries from potential adopters, but none of them were a perfect match.  Ellie remained in foster care for almost a year.  She was then adopted and returned several weeks later.  Although we had involved a trainer right away to help Ellie get off to a good start in her new home, her behavior proved to be too much of a challenge.  Ellie's foster parents welcomed her back with open arms and continued to work with her.

After spending over sixteen months with her foster family, Ellie has happily settled into the household routines.  She loves and trusts her foster parents, but she remains wary of strangers.  Ellie is a senior and we feel it would be unfair to re-home her again after all this time.  Ellie's foster parents adore her and she will remain with them permanently in our foster care program. 

***A note from Ellie's foster mom:

"When I first met Ellie, I admittedly felt a little rattled.  She had been found alone on the streets and, weighing in at only about 12 lbs, she had to use her own devices to defend her life.  No wonder she was in such a state.  Her roar HAD to be bigger than her bite, there was no choice.  And roar she did!   The shelter decided she was too aggressive and not adoptable – they scheduled her to be euthanized.   But Ellie’s guardian angel had other plans. 

Following up on an e-mail, one of our volunteers was dispatched to see if Furever After could help.  YES, we could!  Ellie was released and went into foster care.  Unfortunately, Ellie and the resident dog did not see eye to eye.  For Ellie’s safety, it was decided that she be placed in another foster home.  Ellie tried to cling to her foster mom as she exited my home.

During those first days I sat and quietly observed.  Ellie vied for the top dog spot.  She stood between me and my own dog Tessa, blocking me from being able to pat or give Tessa an ear rub. I would gently move Ellie out of the way and explain that in this house, Tessa was already bestowed with the top dog spot.  Ellie had to accept her place at the back of the line.  She did so reluctantly.

Ellie played strange games.  She rolled on her back, fully exposing her tummy for a rub.  The instant she felt my touch, her body stiffened and she growled.  It seemed Ellie desperately wanted human touch, but fear pushed her senses into protective overdrive.  For weeks we went back and forth in our “game”.  I would touch, she would growl, I would touch a little more, she started to growl a little less. 

The other questionable activity Ellie participated in was chasing her tail.  She would launch into full dramatic attacks.  X-rays revealed that at sometime in her past, Ellie’s back had been broken at the tailbone.   A half inch higher on her spine and she would have been paralyzed.  Ellie’s a good sport about her acupuncture treatments and they have lessened her attacks considerably.

I’m not sure exactly when Ellie allowed me into her circle of trust.  I have always believed in the power of love when it comes to animals.  It made perfect sense (to me) that if I could earn Ellie’s love, she would do everything in her power to be a good dog and knock off her crazy antics.

Ellie was adopted and then returned.  Her behavior was too much for some people to deal with.

Weeks turned into months.  Ellie’s one year anniversary with us came and went.  Finding that special person for her was like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack.  Someone with the patience of a saint, a solid understanding of dog behavior and who also knows how to successfully and equally balance the alpha role with love & affection.  That is one tall order. 

It is cold and raining tonight.  We’ve had our evening walk much to Ellie’s dismay.  She is not a fan of the cold, wet weather, but then neither am I.  We have settled in together to watch some evening TV.  Ellie is snuggled up to me as close as she can get, stretching herself out lengthwise down my side.  Her paws are curled under and her chin is resting on my arm.  Ellie is gazing up at me, I kiss her, tell her she’s a good girl and that I love her.

Ellie has taught me that first impressions can be deceiving.  She inspires me to believe that in order to experience life’s good times, we must yield to the bad.  She is a wonderful gift that just took longer to open."