Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Starbucks therapy

It's been one whole month since Olive arrived and she's been getting more grounded every day, so it was time to up the ante a bit with a visit to the outside world. At Starbucks, she would encounter the usual urban chaos: street traffic, rumbling trucks, strangers, metal chair feet scraping across the cement. It would be a telling exercise.

When she first came to us after her 18 months-long stint in isolation, she was a walking stress machine: fearful, flinchy and tail-tucked, not unlike some of our more sensitive Vick dogs who needed months and even years to learn how to handle daily life and recoup their confidence. (Olive's back story) This exercise would give us a good view into what kind of work we'd have ahead to get her ready for adoption.

Well, if you heard a big sigh of relief yesterday coming from Oakland, that would be us.


The visit was perfectly uneventful - perfectly normal. Olive was fine during the car ride, delighted to be out, happy to beg our sandwiches - and finally, she got a little bored. Bored!

My latte never tasted so good.



There's more work ahead, but Olive is telling us that she's ready for it. Yahoo!

17 comments:

  1. She may have the cutest face I've ever seen! Kudos to you guys for being her saviors. Sarah, fan in NYC. (:

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  2. So glad! Thank you for all you do!

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  3. Amazing what some decompression time, sensible training and enrichment activities can do - seems Olive's a regular DOG after all, doggone it :) Yay Olive!

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  4. I am so rooting for her! Way to go Olive. You do realize that Clive and Olive are the same name only off by one. They are a matched set kinda like a salt and pepper shaker set.

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  5. She looks so happy, so calm, so... just like a dog! And here I thought that sound I heard was the wind in the trees here in NH - must have been your sigh! Yay for Olive - and for Bad Rap, Tim and you!

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  6. I luv her lil black pants :)

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  7. Yay! Excellent news. A little TLC has gone a very, very long way. Go, Miss Olive!

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  8. Wonderful. Great pictures and story once again. Hope you have a great turnout at your open house. Keep up the great work.

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  9. Oh Olive, how I wish I could have shared this experience with you. You are an amazing dog....and your spirit is shining through...as I knew it always would. XOXOXOXOXO

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  10. How wonderful!!!!

    Love and kindness are healing! Bless you all for your great work to rehabilitate these wonderful dogs that probably would not have had a 2nd. chance had you not stepped up.

    Sandra
    S.willis@sympatico.ca

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  11. I love how happy and relaxed she looks in these photos! I'm so glad she's progressing so well!

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  12. congrats to Olive!!!! That is great news, she'll make a great puppy for somebody I know it :D

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  13. that is so great! your work is wonderful! thank you all!!!
    go Olive!

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  14. Josie, Pablo, and James' MomFebruary 10, 2012 at 11:40 AM

    Absolutely made my day to hear this! Thanks for the update Donna!

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Thanks for your comments, questions and feedback!