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After Uschi died, I wasn't going to get another little dog. But the empty place at the foot of my bed was occupied by a little weenie ghost. So I started visiting a local adoption clinic, hoping to find a suitable place holder. Penny was alone, didn't play like the other dogs, was shy and frightened. I started petting her and gently picked her up. The foster-mom was surprised that Penny allowed herself to be held. I went a couple of weeks and really couldn't find any dog I felt would fit my lifestyle. Then I had a dream about Penny. I went the next weekend and brought her home. The foster-mom was so happy that Penny had found someone, she waived the home visit. Penny had been sent up from someplace in CA where she had been rescued after her family was forced to evacuate and abandon her. She's still very fearful and had recently had puppies when I got her. My buddy, who trains dogs, observed that she might have been held in a cage or kennel and handled very seldom, certainly not given a lot of human affection. Penny's slowly coming out of her shell. The cats remain an enigma, but at least she's not growling and snapping at them in fear, like she did initially.
I'm looking forward to good weather because both of us will benefit from "walkies".
My aunt's Shih tzu was like that. She was actually my cousin's rescue dog before my cousin suddenly died with meningitis long before her time. She was my aunt's only child so Aunt Betty was totally devastated. But she did want to take and care for Sally the Shih tzu. When Sally was first adopted she was of uncertain age but had apparently been kept caged in a puppy mill and her sole experience was pretty much confinement and having puppies. She was terrified of everything, shook all the time, and would hardly move from where she was put down.
But with a little love and attention, she came totally out of her shell and you couldn't find a happier, more playful, gregarious little dog anywhere. She'll be coming to live with Carly and us for a couple of weeks next month while my aunt vacations in Texas. She and Carly know each other very well though as they live next door to each other when Dana is home.