Chelsea has been adopted! She was lucky enough to be found by a lovely couple in upstate NY, and when she met her new family today she gave kisses to her new brother Charlie- and her new dad! She has a new name to go with her new life- Maggie. They understand that there will be an adjustment period as she gets used to a life as a beloved pet instead of a commodity but with the help of her brother I'm confident that she'll be just fine. I will miss her!!!!! Every moment here was a pleasure. Happy trails, Maggie!

Now that Chelsea has conquered hardwood floors and stairs, I wanted to show her on a walk- it's hard to believe that this is the same girl who would just a few days ago sit squarely on the ground trembling. You can see she's still hesitant, but does get the idea of what she needs to do- just stand up and walk. She has made so much progress.....and after her walks she has become quite a lap dog, snuggling with her friends on a comfortable chair. She doesn't jump on the furniture but happily will come sit with me if I pick her up. What a sweetie!

I had such a happy greeting when I got home from work today- Chelsea ran across the hardwood floors to greet me at the door with a happy bark! And I had to show how well she is doing on the stairs....both up AND down. The floors and stairs just confounded her a few short days ago, now neither is a problem at all. With friends like Pixie showing her the ropes, she has caught on so quickly- and did take a short walk tonight on a leash! She seems to be catching on as to what she needs to do, with only a few stops along the way.
And it does seem that no matter how many books you can read on dog training, no matter how many professionals you seek the advice of, the BEST way to rehabilitate a scared dog like Chelsea is to let her spend time with another friendly dog or two!

Wow! Again what a difference a day makes! Chelsea has made great strides just in the last 24 hours! I am using a harness exclusively, and she is walking on leash for short distances with no trouble at all....and I wanted to show how well she is navigating the scary hardwood floors. The first video shows her exploring the hot dog trail I left for her- the second shows her in the kitchen, with her friends, and the picture is what I turned around and saw as I was making dinner- she had walked into the kitchen on her own and was calmly watching me! All of this within an hour. I LOVE a dog that is food motivated because training is super easy. The downside is that she has become the same sort of incorrigible beggar that mine are, pretending she hasn't eaten for weeks and weeks, staring at me with pleading eyes every time I eat so much as a grape. She is also walking up the stairs with no trouble, and needs only a little tug or two while she's going down stairs- a HUGE difference in just a short time. She loves running in the back yard with her buddies and fits in so well with them. I know that before too long Chelsea will realize that life is very different for her now, and that the world isn't as bad and scary as it seemed before. And the best news is that it looks like Chelsea has a home! She will be meeting her new family on Saturday and if all goes well she will have the loving forever home she deserves, with a friendly BT brother, a fenced yard to play in, and parents who will spoil her and teach her what it means to be a pampered pet.

What a difference a day makes! Chelsea is already feeling much more comfortable here, with the help of a few friends like Salty Dog. She slept through the night in her crate, is running outside when the others do, and has made friends. And she has already learned to run up the stairs! She was playing with my dogs, and took off following them when they ran up the stairs- she looked a little unnerved when she got to the top, like "did I really just do that?"! Going down will take a little more time.... I've started her leash training, and she has made great progress. The hard wood floors are scary to her though- she will scamper wildly across, trying to get to a rug or carpet, but I am feeding her and giving her treats only when she's on the floor and I'm confident that she will be a quick learner. The fact that she's food motivated, loves other dogs, and is curious are strengths in training. This girl will be a wonderful pet for a lucky family.

After a long journey Chelsea arrived today in her foster home! What I know about her background is that she is a healthy girl who spent the first 5 years of her life as a prisoner in a cage in a horrible puppy mill before we saved her, and what I've seen so far of her is that she shows many of the characteristics I've seen in puppy mill survivors. She is very timid,and not at all used to living in a home. Some of the basics- walking on a leash, using stairs and playing with toys are new to her, and, although she seems curious, she's also clearly nervous. The two things that seem to scare her most are my hardwood floors and baths- I think it's going to be a 2 person job to bathe her. When I tried she jumped out of the tub!

But she's also further progressed than other puppy mill survivors I've worked with, in that she is VERY food motivated and already taking treats from my hand, she is just great with my dogs and is following them everywhere, trying to fit in and play, and she is receptive to affection. She has not shown ANY sort of aggression at all, and seems to desperately want to please. 

I am confident that Chelsea will progress very nicely! My first order of business is leash training her, and teaching her that hardwood floors are not so scary. I've found though that other dogs are often best at rehabilitating dogs like Chelsea, and the fact that she is so interested and friendly with mine tells me that Chelsea will do just fine.

Meet Chelsea- she is on her way to New England and will arrive in her foster home tomorrow to start a new life! She has spent the last 5 years as a breeding dog, in a wire cage- never touched, never loved....we rescued her about 6 weeks ago, and have begun her rehabilitation from a sad, fearful girl to a beloved pet. I'm told she is just gorgeous and very, very sweet, but still quite timid and tentative. She will be in foster care with me until we find the perfect home for her.

For more information about how to adopt Chelsea, please visit her profile-http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/23962250