Mimi Takes a Big Step

I was off to a cat-sitting visit and as I went out the door to the carport, Mimi strode right out past me.  This was shocking, for two reasons.  One, my dogs are very polite.  They know not to go out the door without permission and they are pretty good about it.  Two, it was Mimi.   Mimi came to us from a supposedly legitimate breeder, but I take leave to doubt it. 

Mimi has several of the classic “puppy-mill” dog characteristics, in fact, they define her.  She doesn’t speak “dog” and seemed to have no concept of how to interact with other dogs when she came home to us  a couple of years ago.  She didn’t mind the other dogs, she just didn’t notice them, or understand what they were trying to say to her.   It was like they didn’t exist in her universe.  She would just walk right over them on the sofa, and their annoyed growls were totally ignored by her.  No reaction to a snarl or snap at all.  Like she was from another planet.  She doesn’t understand dog play, and I don’t think she ever will.  When our little nurse-dog Pepper would inevitably insist on grooming Mimi you could tell she couldn’t stand it and would immediately get up and move out of reach.  I’ve watched her first learn to tolerate a good licking and now her eyes positively glaze over with pleasure as she goes into the “zone”.  Don’t bother calling her if she’s getting a bath from her big sister Pepper. 

Among other things she’s absolutely terrified of strangers.  Some people think that’s an Italian Greyhound thing, but I believe it’s all in how they’re raised.  A dog who was well socialized as a puppy has a much better chance at a good and long life.  It’s hard work to overcome ingrained shyness (just ask me, I know).  Mimi quickly adopted us, but it was well over a year before she would look us in the eye, even for a fraction of a second.  She wanted to be as close to us as possible, but would always keep her head screwed away, like we smelled bad or something.  But she’s one smart little Iggie.  We’ve seen her get up and run to the door, inciting all other couch occupants to do the same, only to meet them on the way, as she doubles back to take the prime spot that she really wanted.  Tell me that’s not smart, creative thinking.  She’s got so much to offer that I’ve tried repeatedly to stretch her comfort zone with the long range goal of being able to travel with her and share her with others without her being a shivering, petrified mess. 

Before I could successfully take Mimi out to meet people I had to get her where car rides weren’t terrifying in themselves.  To that end, Scott and I have been taking her with us to run errands lately as much as possible.  I keep a bag of the very tastiest dog treats (jerky, her special favorite) in the glove box and as soon as we get in the car she gets one.  Scott stays in the car with her while I run the errands, and she gets another treat whenever I return to the car.   Inititally, she was too tense to eat them but we’ve passed that now.  And the last stop of the day is usually McDonald’s or Bojangles or Wendy’s, where she gets her own little lunch.  I know, we spoil them, but sometimes desperate measures are called for, and I’ve found that for me sometimes the best way to short-circuit a dog’s or horse’s habitual panic is through treats.   A plain junior cheeseburger or the meat from a Cajun Filet biscuit are powerful things in a dog’s world.   And today proved it’s working!  I knew she was getting more okay about these little outings because she quit hiding from us when it was time to go out.  She actually wagged her tail and moved forward on the couch a little, the last time.  For Mimi, that was progress.  Now, Scott had his wisdom teeth out last week and has been laying low ever since, with completely no interest in fast food.  Mimi had become accustomed to going out for lunch at least once a week and I guess today she decided the drought had gone on long enough.   Seeing her trot happily out ahead of me, I called back to Scott, “I’ll take her with me”, since I just had one very quick stop to make to feed some cats nearby.  I opened the door to the car, called her and she jumped in!  On her own!  A victory in itself.  I immediately gave her a piece of jerky as her happy feet danced on the seat with anticipation.  On the way out the quarter mile long drive I rolled the window halfway down like usual, and for the very first time, Mimi’s nose was poked slightly over the edge of the glass.  She’s been too nervous to join all the other dogs in the joy of sniffing  the driveway scents, but today she did, both going and coming back.  It was a thoroughly uneventful trip, she was calm, but trembling (that’s an IG thing), and never tried to hide her head under my arm as she usually has before.  It’s such a small but wonderful step she took today, and I’m in a happy, hopeful glow about it.  Her progress had been so slow as to be minute, but she turned it on its head today.  Our little girl is going to grow up into a wonderful adult dog, I see that now.  It just takes time, patience and repetition.