While snowstorms have inconvenienced much of Europe, through January, the weather around the Estepona hills, on Spain’s Costa del Sol, has been kind, providing perfect walking conditions at the ADANA Dog Rescue Centre. This encourages extra volunteers so that all of the dogs are regularly walked, allowing a few of us to pay special attention to the timider and less well socialized, among the recent arrivals.

Two such cases are Pablo and Batty, a pair of Labrador-cross brothers, who seem to have had a difficult start to life. No more than large puppies, they arrived only a few weeks ago, emaciated and fearful, with scarred faces, the result of having been attacked by other dogs.

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Pablo & Batty: Learning to trust

Quickly housed in a pen, along with Angelo, an energetic and playful Podenco-cross, who immediately become the pack leader, their instinct towards friendliness rapidly surfaced, and they were soon nervously approaching any volunteer who went to their pen.

They had clearly never been introduced to leads but, with Angelo providing a fine example, it was possible to get them out at the first attempt, although Batty was reluctant, to the point of having to be dragged along the corridor between pens, on his bottom. Once out, they quickly began to enjoy themselves, hugely encouraged by the discovery that people sometimes have sausages.

The simple sausage is one of our most effective aids to developing trust among newly arrived dogs and long-term residents, alike, and their impact upon the two pups was immediate. A week later, nobody’s bottom needed dragging anywhere, as they trotted happily from their pen, eager for their walk and the possibility of more sausages.

While still rather timid, they already walk very well, although they remain insecure with other dogs. This we can address. All we need is time and sausages.

Many of the dogs that arrive at ADANA exhibit timidity, anxiety, and insecurity, and there is great satisfaction in seeing the confidence grow, in such dogs. That satisfaction increases according to the severity of the case and the most extreme case is that of Joplin and Ochre.

Two Pointer-cross sisters, Joplin and Ochre arrived as puppies, in terrible health, over three years ago. So ill were they, that they could barely be handled, at all, and they became extremely timid, hiding in the bushes at the top of their run, and barking, frantically, at anyone who tried to approach them.

One volunteer never gave up on them, waging a war of attrition against their anxiety until, finally, after some two and a half years, Joplin allowed herself to be led out of the shelter, for the very first time. Within days, Ochre had followed Joplin’s example.

Some eight months on, Joplin and Ochre share a pen with Pegasus, a super-high energy Husky-cross, and love their walks. They had always been comfortable among other dogs but now they become increasingly interested in people. Who knows? Those people might have a sausage about them.

Very often, it is the (very large) Mastins that arrive, the timidest of people. The Mastin is the Spanish Mastiff, bred to live outside, among livestock, on Spanish hill farms, to drive off wolves that might threaten the herd. Those who have grown up around people often consider themselves to be twelve stone lapdogs but those who have lived around farms, in the traditional manner, are frequently very shy of people, having had almost no experience with them. Such a one is Alicent.

Alicent was brought in four months ago, and discovered in a park, surrounded by her litter of six puppies. Initially, she was placed in a foster home while she gained strength, and her puppies were weaned; a period during which all six puppies were found permanent homes.

On returning to the shelter, Alicent was housed in the pen already containing Wolfy and Janell (see previous story) and quickly settled in with her new friends. In the time spent at her foster home, she had become very affectionate but was not keen to take walks. While she would happily allow a lead to be attached, and to be walked out of the pen, she would refuse to leave the area of the shelter, flopping down on her belly, not even halfway across the car park.

This is not uncommon, among rescued dogs. ADANA represents security, shelter, sustenance, and love, and might be the first place in which they have felt safe. The idea that you are taking them away from that place can often provoke such a reaction, and not even a sausage would persuade Alicent to take a risk.

The answer turned out to be Wolfy and Janell. While too anxious to go out alone, she was sufficiently emboldened by her two new friends, to go for a proper walk, with some persuasion from a particularly insistent volunteer. In time, she’ll gain the confidence to fly solo but, until then, we’ll walk them as a pack. She’s a soft, affectionate, and beautiful, young girl, well socialized with other dogs, so establishing good lead manners will make her that much more attractive to potential adopters – the ultimate aim of everything we do.

Of course, not every ADANA dog exhibits anxiety or timidity. There is a spectrum, and occupying the shades at the extreme, opposite end, is Lucky.

I still remember my first meeting with Lucky. Striding confidently into his pen, I demanded he sits, for a treat. He hit me, around chest height, knocking the treat from my hand and gleefully gobbling it up, before getting back to the important task of jumping on me.

Lucky presents a very different set of issues, to those of Pablo, Batty, Joplin, Ochre, and Alicent, but we manage to address them. Different dogs require different approaches, be they sausages, pack mentality, and/or endless patience.

For Lucky, my current recommendations are exorcism and a court of law.

Angelo: More energy than sense

Joplin: Back at the shelter, following her first walk

Pegasus, Joplin & Ochre: Gaining confidence, day by day

Alicent: Anxious but affectionate

Rocco: One of Alicent’s adopted puppies. Family likeness much?

Janell & Wolfy: Emotional support oafs

Lucky: Demanding cuddles with menaces

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