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.