FERGIE
Location: Parkland Humane Society Inc.
Sex: Female
Breed: Medium Breed Mix
Colour: Tri Colour
Age: 9 Months
Fergie currently has one major opinion about shelter life: Absolutely not! This girl is having a hard time adjusting. She has only just begun experiencing outside world, and right now she has approximately zero trust in the entire operation. She hasn't had much opportunity to experience the world, so many of the things other dogs consider completely normal are brand-new to her... and brand-new currently means scary! Fergie also very much prefers to remain independent. Getting close to her isn't always easy. Her first reaction when a human approaches is often: BOLT. She doesn't necessarily want to be caught, touched, or convinced that you have wonderful intentions. Fergie has not reviewed the evidence. So while you're slowly trying to get close, Fergie maybe several feet away conducting full background checks. When she gets anxious, she barks...ALOT. She also does anxious circles, keeping tabs on everything happening around her while trying to figure out exactly what she's supposed to do with all these new experiences. Shelter life has not been an easy transition. There are unfamiliar people, barking dogs, strange sounds, new smells and activity everywhere. For a dog who came from a hoarding situation, she barely has begun to see the world. It's a lot. So Fergie watches, she hesitates, she questions everyone's intentions. and then she probably will bark about it "Who are you?" & then came something that genuinely surprised us. Once we got Fergie inside and into her kennel... she settled right down. Apparently the dog who spent her time outside acting like she was prepared to disappear into the wilderness looked around her kennel and thought: Oh this is acceptable. She relaxed, the anxious circling stopped and suddenly we got a glimpse of a completely different Fergie. That's important because we really don't think the Fergie we are seeing at the shelter is necessarily the Fergie we would see in a home. A quieter home, a predictable routine and one or two people she can slowly learn to trust could bring out an entirely different dog. Fergie will need a patient owner - someone willing to put expectations aside and give her the opportunity to discover the world at her own pace. No rushing, no forcing, no expecting her to become a confident dog over night. Her person needs to celebrate the little victories. Today she stayed instead of bolting. Tomorrow she came a little closer. Next week she decided that weird household object actually wasn't plotting against her. Those are BIG wins for Fergie. Right now, she isn't the dog who is going to run across the room and immediately climb into a stranger's lap. She's more likely to stand at safe distance thinking: I don't know you, and frankly, your credentials are questionable"
But underneath all that suspicion is a dog who simply hasn't learned yet that the world - and the people in it - can be safe. Fergie is essentially starting from the beginning. And there's something of watching a dog like her experience all those firsts. Her first comfortable walk. Her first favorite spot in the house. Her first time choosing to approach instead of run away. Her first realization that this is home and these are my people. Getting Fergie out of the shelter environment may reveal a totally different dog. We can't promise exactly who that dog will be yet. That's part of Fergie's story that hasn't been written. She just needs someone patient enough to give her the chance to write it.
Sex: Female
Breed: Medium Breed Mix
Colour: Tri Colour
Age: 9 Months
Fergie currently has one major opinion about shelter life: Absolutely not! This girl is having a hard time adjusting. She has only just begun experiencing outside world, and right now she has approximately zero trust in the entire operation. She hasn't had much opportunity to experience the world, so many of the things other dogs consider completely normal are brand-new to her... and brand-new currently means scary! Fergie also very much prefers to remain independent. Getting close to her isn't always easy. Her first reaction when a human approaches is often: BOLT. She doesn't necessarily want to be caught, touched, or convinced that you have wonderful intentions. Fergie has not reviewed the evidence. So while you're slowly trying to get close, Fergie maybe several feet away conducting full background checks. When she gets anxious, she barks...ALOT. She also does anxious circles, keeping tabs on everything happening around her while trying to figure out exactly what she's supposed to do with all these new experiences. Shelter life has not been an easy transition. There are unfamiliar people, barking dogs, strange sounds, new smells and activity everywhere. For a dog who came from a hoarding situation, she barely has begun to see the world. It's a lot. So Fergie watches, she hesitates, she questions everyone's intentions. and then she probably will bark about it "Who are you?" & then came something that genuinely surprised us. Once we got Fergie inside and into her kennel... she settled right down. Apparently the dog who spent her time outside acting like she was prepared to disappear into the wilderness looked around her kennel and thought: Oh this is acceptable. She relaxed, the anxious circling stopped and suddenly we got a glimpse of a completely different Fergie. That's important because we really don't think the Fergie we are seeing at the shelter is necessarily the Fergie we would see in a home. A quieter home, a predictable routine and one or two people she can slowly learn to trust could bring out an entirely different dog. Fergie will need a patient owner - someone willing to put expectations aside and give her the opportunity to discover the world at her own pace. No rushing, no forcing, no expecting her to become a confident dog over night. Her person needs to celebrate the little victories. Today she stayed instead of bolting. Tomorrow she came a little closer. Next week she decided that weird household object actually wasn't plotting against her. Those are BIG wins for Fergie. Right now, she isn't the dog who is going to run across the room and immediately climb into a stranger's lap. She's more likely to stand at safe distance thinking: I don't know you, and frankly, your credentials are questionable"
But underneath all that suspicion is a dog who simply hasn't learned yet that the world - and the people in it - can be safe. Fergie is essentially starting from the beginning. And there's something of watching a dog like her experience all those firsts. Her first comfortable walk. Her first favorite spot in the house. Her first time choosing to approach instead of run away. Her first realization that this is home and these are my people. Getting Fergie out of the shelter environment may reveal a totally different dog. We can't promise exactly who that dog will be yet. That's part of Fergie's story that hasn't been written. She just needs someone patient enough to give her the chance to write it.
