When Tara began her medical retirement, she knew she wanted to fill her days volunteering for a meaningful cause. After deciding she wanted to become a foster parent of dogs, a friend of a friend who volunteers for Coveted Canines Rescue got her in touch with the organization.
Tara began the application process in November after a fall left her bed ridden with a broken collar bone, so that once the plate was removed and she gained back some mobility, she would be ready to welcome a dog into her home. About two weeks after her plate came out, she felt ready, and once Tara saw Dot’s bio, she knew that she had to act fast. She feels that when some dogs are left in a shelter for too long, they can end up being unadoptable because they become terrified beyond repair. Tara is a huge fan of American bulldogs, so Dot’s breed was a bonus for her. The love of Tara’s life was her bulldog, Daisy, who passed away suddenly about 5 years ago, and she knew once her heart healed that she would welcome another dog into her home.
Tara didn’t initially plan on adopting Dot. In fact, she signed a contract with Coveted Canines stating that she wouldn’t adopt any of the first three dogs she fostered. As time passed and the coronavirus showed no signs of slowing, Tara knew Dot thought she was in her forever home, and that they would both be heartbroken if they were to part. “Dot and I fell madly in love with each other,” said Tara. “She’s a mama’s girl, no doubt.” So after about a month and a half of fostering Dot, Tara reached out to the Coveted Canines team and asked for permission to adopt her.
Tara believes that Dot was bred to breed. When her previous owner brought Dot into a shelter, she claimed that Dot was a stray while calling her by name. Despite being a young dog, about two years old, she had no fur left on her elbows, so Tara believes that she spent most of her life laying on concrete. Tara said, “She was so broken… Whatever happened in her life was awful and we had our doubts that she would ever be able to trust anybody. I don’t think she even knew how to love.” As soon as Dot stopped nursing her litter of puppies, Dot’s owner gave her up to the shelter.
When Tara and her partner, Patrick, first met her, Dot was terrified. She was shaking to the point where Tara thought she would give herself a heart attack, she wouldn’t look at anyone, and she wedged herself in the furthest corner of the backseat of their car on their drive home. Tara said she started doubting herself and whether this arrangement would work. It was about a 15-minute drive back to their house, and Tara reached her hand towards the back seat as a comforting gesture. Despite her fear, Dot licked her arm a few times before they arrived home. She was terrified when Tara took her on a walk, and very unsure of everything once she was brought inside. She wouldn’t eat treats, and when Tara tried to urge Dot up onto her designated spot on the couch, she acted like she had never been in a home before. After a few hours, she began to slowly explore her new home and reluctantly began accepting treats.
One day when Tara went downstairs to do some laundry, she heard a yelp from Dot and remembered she had never been left alone before. Tara provided Dot with a crate so she would have a safe, comfortable space to go when she was left alone, but Dot refused to enter it. Tara never forced her, but placed treats in the back of the crate to try and lure her in. Tara said she had never seen a dog crane its neck so far, trying to grab the treats without stepping a foot inside the crate. Tara realized they would have to train her to be okay at home alone without the help of a crate, so they slowly began to leave her on her own for short, 20-minute intervals. Now, a couple months later, Tara says Dot has been left home for about 4 hours on her own, and comfortably naps on her spot on the couch. They haven’t left her alone for a full 8-hour day yet, but she has made a tremendous amount of progress in a short amount of time.
After being with Tara and Patrick for a few months, Dot has improved drastically in many ways but still has her quirks and fears. She is scared of loud noises and sudden movements and will sometimes startle herself awake when she farts. If Dot is caught off guard and sees another person she will bark, and when she encountered other dogs while on her leash, she would lunge and try to scare them. Tara has been communicating with CCR’s trainer, Dan, and he has encouraged her to reward Dot for good behaviour. Now, Dot is given treats for acknowledging other dogs she sees without getting stressed or showing aggression. Eventually Dan will bring his own dog for a visit so that Dot can continue to improve her social skills with other dogs.
Dot is now allowed off her leash to chase her ball, and she stays near Tara and Patrick. For a while Dot was anxious about car rides so Tara would sit in the back seat with her, but now Dot leaps into the car on her own. Because of their frequent drives to fun destinations, Dot knows most car rides have an amazing outcome.
Tara, Patrick and Dot have been social distancing so they anticipate socializing Dot with people will be a challenge. They visit Tara’s family for social distancing walks, and after the fourth occasion, Dot was tugging on her leash, wanting to greet and get close to Tara’s family members. Tara feels reassured that Dot is gradually coming around to face her challenges and fears.
They are patient with Dot and take their time teaching her without expecting immediate results. “We’ve seen so much change in her already,” says Tara. Initially, Tara doubted herself and thought “who am I to make this dog feel comfortable.” Patrick believes that all the dogs that Tara cares for end up well behaved because of how well she teaches them. She spends a lot of time at home, so she tries to include Dot in everything she does. “She let’s me do anything to her,” says Tara. “Even when she feels compromised, she goes with the flow and is 100% trusting of me.” Tara still wants to foster, but not until Dot is fully comfortable in her new home and around other dogs.
The most rewarding part for Tara is beginning and ending each day with a genuinely happy, loving and caring dog after doubting whether Dot would ever be able to trust anyone. They have seen so many improvements in the few months that they have been together, and Dot now has a proper home where she is shown unconditional love and affection. “We forgot what our lives looked like without her.”