This poodle lived in constant fear. Then she met WAIF’s dog trainers.

A little love and attention goes a long way in the life of a fearful dog.

Meet Dottie. This gorgeous poodle was less than a year old when she came to WAIF as a stray. We don’t know her circumstances prior to entering our care, but she had developed severe anxiety, especially around men.

Dottie was adopted into her first home pretty quickly, but unfortunately the adoption didn’t work out. Dottie was extremely nervous around the children in the home. After three months of trying to help her feel more comfortable yielded few results, the family made the decision to bring her back to WAIF.

At the shelter for the second time, Dottie’s anxiety was still apparent. She remained extremely fearful of men and would not allow strangers to pet her. Occasionally, her anxiety even manifested as nipping at humans.

Thankfully, WAIF’s dog trainers formulated a plan to help her gain confidence and disseminated it among the animal care staff. Prioritizing Dottie’s autonomy and comfortability, our dog trainers worked with her slowly to acclimate to human interaction and touch at her own pace. In conjunction with WAIF’s vets, they started Dottie on anxiety medication that reduced her fear and allowed her smart and silly personality to shine.

Interactions with other dogs were especially helpful in increasing Dottie’s confidence. After observing that Dottie didn’t seem fearful of other dogs, our dog trainers introduced her to some of the shelter’s other canine residents. In the presence of canine friends, Dottie blossomed. Our dog trainers began facilitating regular dog play groups that allowed Dottie to express her instinctual behaviors, release her energy and engage in fun and vigorous play and exercise. 

Over five months at the shelter, Dottie overcame much of her fear of humans. Though she remains somewhat shy of strangers, our dog trainers’ specialized attention helped her make great strides in learning to trust and accept love.

In February, Dottie found her forever home at last! Our dog trainers have stayed in contact with her adopters to advise them and help Dottie adjust.

We are so grateful to our dog trainers, and to the generous donors who sponsored their certification! Thanks to them, dogs like Dottie who otherwise might have struggled to find a home have a clear path forward toward adoption.