[Maria M]

HI Steve,
Was wondering how things are going with your “fearful” greyhound. I also adopted through a greyhound only rescue agency and have what is considered a “spooky” greyhound as well. This is sometimes a greyhound trait and the reason some greyhounds end up in rescue. Obviously they are not going to be big winners on the track with fear issues. I did a ton of research myself and have gone to different veterinarians about this issue, as well as the group I adopted her from. I have had her 3 years now and she is still a spooky girl. She is MUCH better since I first brought her home, with ME and one other person. As far as the rest of the world she is still almost as fearful as when I first adopted her. I do keep in mind that when you are with a dog every day, you sometimes do not notice you are making progress. Having said that, these are a few things that have helped my gal a lot and I wanted to share them with you. The best thing I think I did was to dump the traditional or allopathic veterinarians and instead use a holistic vet who uses homeopathy as well as supplements and herbs, along with traditional medicine but, only as a last resort. I give her a product called Bach Flower remedy almost daily. I buy it online vs the health food store as it is way cheaper online. (Make sure you buy the one labeled for pets or children vs humans. One is made with glycerin and the human formula is made with alcohol) It is an amazing product for anyone with animals of any kind. I have been using it for years and have had fantastic results which are immediate. I always give her an extra dose if I have to leave her – I am disabled and home with her all the time. She is literally like velcro! ( I would have named her that had I known what I was getting into) She is still terrified of people, other animals, anything that moves, has wheels, makes noise,etc, etc. I would say she definitely suffers anxiety disorder and maybe PTSD. She does have an area which looks as if she might have been in a dog fight as there are deep scars on her left side which look to be bite marks. This area still bothers her at times. She licks it and is constantly messing about with it. I have similar scarring from a pit bull attack years ago that still bothers me a times. It’s just a guess but I think that could be one thing that happened and one reason she is terrified of other animals especially dogs. I walk her at 11:00 or 12:00 pm due to her fear of everything. She loves her walk as long as it is quiet and private. During the day is out of the question and I might as well just torture her. I am not going to push this poor dog into socializing when she absolutely hates everything to do with it. Honestly, I can’t say I blame her. Maybe dogs are more like us than we will ever know. I have no problem believing some animals are introverts and some extroverts. My holistic vet has put her on a couple different homeopathic remedies that also have helped her a bit and my best advice, especially with a rescue greyhound is to be super patient. I know a women who adopted six years ago and her gal is also “spooky” and she has just finally decided she feels safe jumping up on the couch to sit with her human family. I have learned to accept my gal the way she is and work WITH her fears rather than try to force her to be more the way I WANT her to be. I do not think she is ever going to be social and that is fine with me. I work around it – I enjoy our midnight walks. Seeing her happily trotting on her leash under the night sky rather than terrified of every car that goes by during the day just makes more sense to me. People tend to be pushed into controlling or changing things about their animals too often. It’s just my opinion, but , I’d rather see her happy and calm, letting HER show me the way rather than force her into what “animal behaviorists believe to be best for her. (Ie: bring her to a dog park, social her slowly with other friends dogs etc etc.) To put it bluntly, I think that is idiotic! Not only do you make your own dog a miserable mess while doing these things, but, ruin it for everyone else who are there to enjoy their time with their dogs. I think humans have a bizarre need to control everything. These “experts” do not live with my best friend. She now sleeps on my bed ( which is fine with me) spends less time in her crate and more time actually relaxing. She has accepted one of my friends and even knows his ring tone and the sound of his steps on the stairs vs anyone else’s. She lets him pat and even play with her. She recently has started being goofy! She likes me to pretend I am going to chase her. She jumps up on the bed and even barked a couple times! These seem like such little things but, for her they are huge! She lets me wash her feet, brush her teeth, and has no fear of thunder anymore. On the other hand she hates anything to be changed. Almost Obsessive/Compulsive. She needs a very stable structured day. Meals always at the same time. The same food! The same dishes, blankets, and even the same walking route. She still fears 80% of the outside world. She can handle the noise of the smaller vacuum but not a knock on the door from the Fedex man – She is finally enjoying a couple toys! It took 3 years for her to understand what a toy is for and that the squeaky thing isn’t going to harm her. Patience, Patience and more patience is what I believe to be the key. She will do her business now outside or inside on pee pads if the weather will not permit going down the 3 flights of killer stairs I have to deal with in Maine. I put up a dog gate as she still prefers using any one of my rugs vs going out or the pee pads. She’s no fool! The rugs don’t splash back on her, they don’t slip or slide like the pads do and she is not happy about bad weather or the icy stairs. She knows where to go but the gate has certainly saved my scatter rugs. Sometimes, she is lazy and also a connoisseur of comfort. The gate just makes things easier for me as she will go to the gate if she needs to “go” but she still never tells me by going to the door and will use a rug instead. So, I hope this (novel, ha ha) helps and though it requires a huge amount of patience and understanding, eventually your greyhound will come a around to many things…in his/her own good time. Peace to all.

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