We didn't get home until almost 10:00pm the first night we got Buffy. As we got out of the car I volunteered to take Buffy downstairs to relieve herself.I carefully slipped on her harness and carried her into the elevator of our condo. I placed her down on the ground right outside of the front door and she sat there trembling in the warm summer night. Buffy took a couple steps, relieved herself and as I crouched down to praise her she walked over to me and curled up in the den created by my legs.
She looked out into the darkness and while she trembled with fear in that moment I realized how much there was for her to be afraid of. It wasn't just the cars or the commuter trains, but it was being away from her siblings, not knowing these two people who have just adopted her and not having a place to call home.
Diana and I spent a lot of time bonding with Buffy and helping her get to know her surroundings. She made great progress and before we knew it she was walking around, running up to people on the street and didn't seem to mind the sounds of the city. There were moments of fear like when she first met a neighborhood dog and started to pee as she ran away in (and continued to urinate all over me when I picker her up. However, in general she was a brave little puppy. Sometimes she would take a moment to observe before going to explore but she never ceased to be curious and adventurous.
One morning about a week ago, when I took her out for her 6am walk, instead of walking around at her normal pace she sat in the sidewalk trembling with fear. She had heard the same commuter train, garbage trucks and cars every morning but for some reason this morning, they petrified her. I couldn't coax her to move with treats or her favorite toy. Nothing seemed to work and as I carried her back upstairs I realized that she had entered a new stage in her life.
There’s a time in puppy’s development when there is an active “fear imprint.” During this time traumatic situations are more likely to have lasting effects and the puppy becomes more fearful in general. This transformed Buffy's walks from trying to keep her from eating everything that was on the ground to patiently coaxing her down the street as she tries to run away, afraid of the world around her. When she tries to bolt off, we wait for her to come back to us, reward her for her attention and help her calm down until she's ready to walk again. Buffy is getting a lot better and even though she’s not exactly a fearless puppy, she’s doing a lot better.
When people told Diana and I that raising a puppy takes a lot of patience they must have been talking about this. Sometimes I understand why Buffy is afraid of things like when ambulances come by but other times she baffles me like when we discovered that she is petrified of the American flag waving on a flag poll.Fear is a difficult thing to witness is the ones we care about. I hate watching Buffy tremble in fear and look up at me with her sad eyes. Part of me wants to just pick her up and help her escape her fear but I know that the only way that she will get over her fears is by facing them.
Even if it means that walks take longer, or that we have to listen to audio recordings of city sounds in our condominium to help desensitize you, Diana and I are committed to working through this stage with our little girl.
Buffy, I know that the world is scary but it’s also a place of endless possibilities. It’s okay to afraid of things, fear is one of those things in life that protects us, but we can’t let fear overrides our sense of adventure. We can't let fear prevent us from experiencing the wonders of the world.
I know sometimes it’s difficult but don't forget, we’ll be right there with you every step of the way.
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