Day 4

So we are ending our fourth full day with Finn home and this dog truly amazes me. He has already learned to sit on command, that the couch in the den is his to sleep on, how to walk nicely on the leash (though this was done i must say, at the humane society - just reinforced by my training techniques which i will have to post some other time) and he has already worked out his relationship with my mom's cats. He is just so sweet and loving it amazes me that a dog coming from his situation can be that trusting and adapt that quickly to his new home and family. I was just saying today that it feels like Finn has been with us a lot longer than 4.5 days. He has fitted himself in relatively seamlessly. Since we have to keep his activity strictly monitored, i'm turning out to be the strict, over protective owner, while my mom is proving to be the softy taken in by Finn's big brown eyes and expressive eyebrows. I was worried about him enjoying his lack of cage confinement too much and running around and being playful - all for not. He calmly just sleeps until his pee breaks, or else follows us around as we get dinner ready. As for teh cats, he is still very curious, but his calm and relatively quite nature has instill trust with them and he can walk around them and sleep beside them no problem. Piper has started expressing her familiar "dog" routine that she used to have with woody. She starts by sweetly meowing, then comes the nose sniffing and finally the leg/belly rubbing. She has done up to step 2 but before you know it she will be sleeping and playing with him :)
Finn started grooming us today. I was bent over getting him ready for his afternoon break and she started grooming my arm and licking my fingers. He is very different from woody, that fact is clear in very painful ways. Finn thinks nothing of hopping up on the couch with us, he doesn't shy away our faces when we kiss him and he does not flinch in you make sudden movements. With woody, we just accepted these features as part of him. I mean we tried to reassure him and show him that he wasn't going to ever be hurt again, but it really underscores the level of abuse he had suffered before we got him. Unfortunately, Woody's life before us was just as tragic as Finn's. He was severally beaten and left to die in a backyard with a shattered leg when he was only 2 months old. He was going to be euthanized, but a kind woman stepped forward and agreed to foster him until he was fit to be adopted. Unfortunately again, she was unable to handle the level of separation anxiety and was afraid he would be put down as he was practically un-adoptable. And thats how we ended up with him. He never out grew this, and quite a few friends and acquaintances told us we should put him down due to all the damage he did. We never listened. Woody lived until he was 13.5 when was humanely euthanized after losing his battle with cancer.
Sad stories, i know! I'm just glad we were able to provide a good home for woody and now a good home for finn!