Peter and Mary here got a bad start in life. Luckily for them, they landed at the Humane Society of Tuolumne County when they were 12 weeks old. "It was apparent right from the first meeting they had not been socialized with people," says shelter operations manager Doryene Rapini, "They seemed almost feral—but once we said we would take them, we kept our word."
So HSOTC got to work. "We worked with them daily," says Rapini, "and very slowly they began to trust us…just a little. They began to be comfortable with the staff who fed them and cleaned their kennels, but any sudden movement would frighten them. When we started seeing more improvement and they had been vaccinated (after 10 days) we moved them into our general population, where they could see other dogs and different people. We would walk them around the shelter and they were fearful of new people, noises, or quick movements."
Now six months old, Mary (Peter was adopted and is doing well) is working with a trainer to learn her manners and see more of the world. "It takes a while before she warms up to someone new, but eventually she does," says Rapini.
HSOTC is looking for the perfect home for Mary, with people who will continue to give her a lot of one-on-one attention, work on her socialization, and be her confident leader. Mary needs a quiet home with no kids (she's still a bit head shy and hates loud noises) and a calm, orderly routine as she builds her confidence and blossoms into the great dog she was meant to be.
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Photo Credit: Humane Society of Tuolumne County
