It is just a FEEL good kind of day in so many ways! Gwennie Novel…again…run while you can! 😀
My heart is floating……..
Talk about a HUGE step forward with BHRR’s Black Diamond today with me.
We have gotten into this rhythm together that when she comes out of her crate – the door is left open other than eating and sleeping and she has free run of the sunroom or more, it is up to her – that as she quickly raced out, my hand would just lightly float along her back. Then, I would open up the front door and do the same thing with my hand as she would almost slink out the door.
Throughout this past week, the time of her rushing out and my hand gently gliding along her back has increased until today!
Today, she did not just pause, she stopped. She actually stopped let me gently stroke her from back of head to tail and more than once heading out the door! YAY!
AND, what is truly exciting and wonderful and melts my heart is that when she came in, she did not run to a corner or into her open crate. She stopped, looked at me with those beautiful dark eyes of hers and I mean looked at me At my face.
I took a careful step towards her and while her head lowered a bit, her body did not tremble and shake like has been her habit.
I took another careful step towards her, making sure my body was angled sideways yet what I have learned not long after she arrived to BHRR is that she needs to see people’s faces and eyes. She becomes really stressed if she cannot. She wants to see people, so I have always looked around her face area and then briefly in her eyes and then back around her face as I do not want to make her further uncomfortable by staring into her eyes.
I reached out my hand every so softly, knuckles first as she feels less intimidated than with an open palm.
I gave her a few back of neck to lower back touches and stopped….what happened next is what is truly beautiful.
She moved her heads towards me and I gently ran my hand again along her lovely black fur.
When I stopped, she moved her head again towards me and took a side step. I then quietly took a step closer to her and repeated the petting.
Soon, I was right by her side and she did the Dane lean! She did the Dane lean!! YES! YES! Right into my side!
We spent several cherished moments of leans, love and looks exchanged between us. She always made sure that she had at least a corner of an eye looking at me and I made sure my head was craned back so she could see my face.
OMG! We have made a massive break through her and I! Massive, huge, enormous and she has given me that first show of trust and man, was it a big show!
When I would go to take a small step backwards, she would lean a bit more…..her tail while not in a normal relaxed position was almost flat, the tail tip tucked under a bit. Her body did not flinch with each touch and her body was more relaxed.
When I felt that her body seemed to tense, I whispered what an amazing girl she was and let her go…..she then did not scurry into her crate, she walked, almost normal and turned sat down and the look I was given…..I will never forget….I had tears spring to my eyes.
IT is the first sign of true ‘life’ I have seen in her eyes since she arrived. She fully was registering the moment we shared….
Oh YES! So proud of you Black Diamond! So so so proud…..
All of our the time, patience, consistency, structure and being there for her, passively ignoring when needed and not leaving when needed, is finally paying off….
May her and I reach this place again soon…..may there be less steps backwards and more forwards yet as always, if there are, no worries…we have all the time in the world……..
The photo below is of this BBBBB from when Maira/Tom helped transport her closer to me.
Happy Tuesday!
