This is the 13th post in LBA (Life Before Adoption). By now you must be pretty tired of the whole saga of how I treated my foster parents, and believe me, when I spit out all these memories I’m pretty embarassed. I shouldn’t have been so nasty to them, but you’ve got to understand I didn’t mean to do it. And in particular, I didn’t mean to do what I did to their two dogs.
Foster Mom: It was a juggling game for me by this time. My husband wanted to throw Charlie out (aka Chucky) and I wanted to give him more time. The trainer said it would take three months to a year to rehabilitate him. He stressed creating a secure routine and minimizing stress.
Not every day was a bad day for me. I guess that was why my foster mom kept me. When she gave me a piece of kibble, I’d throw it in the air, chase it, pounce on it, then throw it in the air again. She’d laugh and toss me another one. She often called me cute so I let her snuggle me close a couple of times. When she did it, it reminded me of the love I’d once had from my original mommy. But that felt like so very long ago and those memories were fading fast.
Foster Mom: I called in Paul Owens a second time to help us deal with Charlie Bear’s resource guarding of his food and toys. We graduated from using long kitchen tongs when we had to get something away from him (he’d nail them in rapid succession), to being able to trade him a treat for what we wanted. I could always tell when Charlie was getting better by the way Tanner and Rowdy interacted with him. When those two dogs were okay with him, David was okay with him.
I had nothing against those two dog dudes, they were pretty cool, except something built up inside of me and the only way to get the attention I needed was to act out. That was a scary day for all of us.
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Want more to chew on? Click on the Category to the right called Charlie Chat. All my posts are there starting back from #1. And they’ll be there forever, just like I hope to be in this new home forever.
And P.S. Don’t tell my female peep, but if you want a secret sneak peek at the end of LBA and the beginning of LAA, check out the Charlie Here box above.
Oooh, the suspense, BJ, it’s maddening to have to wait a week for the next intallment–like those old movie serials, Bill says. Charlie Bear is sweet and sad and needy–no wonder you just had to have him! I’m glad you’re the one who’s teaching him how to trust and love. No one better!
Hi Jean,
Charlie Bear likes to draaaaaaagggg his chewies out a bit. Kind of like gnawing on a rawhide bone and then hiding it for a while before digging it up and gnawing on it again.
Stick with it. We’re coming to LAA (Life After Adoption) real soon.
Woof to you and Crosby, your Grand-Doggie,
Charlie Bear & B.J.
Charlie Bear, you’re a hero. You’re going to bring hope to so many others–both dogs and people.
Julie,
Thanks for the kind comments. The best thing that happened to me was that I was adopted and even though it hasn’t been roses and steak, we’re getting along well. More of that to come soon in LAA (Life After Adoption).
Hugs to you,
Charlie Bear