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Merli's Diary 

When progress is slow with a Rescue dog just remember any step forward no matter how small is a step in the right direction.

Day one 12th July 2008

Merli arrived with us today as a Foster dog. She was very stressed upon her arrival and her face was soaked from continuous salivation caused by the stress of her short car journey.

We left the back door to our home open and basically let Merli find her feet a little, but she was so nervous all she wanted to do was stay in the garden and hide under bushes.  When being approached, she would hit the deck and splay out on all fours.  She looked terrified of us and did not want to come indoors at all.

Merli showed no signs of settling today, but she watched The Fluffters closely sussing out what was what and made friends with me (Lee). We took today very slowly and made very little effort to approach her, so not to make her feel even more stressed.

Merli is so fearful if you approach her she scurries away tail tightly tucked between her legs.  She can’t bear to let you simply walk past her - she has to run away and it’s almost as if she feels we are going to kick her.  It’s very sad.

Her tail did not wag at all today.  In fact, it stayed so firmly tucked between her legs you would never know she had a tail.  This made us feel quite sad as we are used to frantic tail wagging in this house.

Tea time, she was to afraid to eat.  She seemed scared of her food bowl and ran away to hide when she was offered food of any description. When bed time came around she was very confused, but did settle and was quiet all night but refused her bed and blanket. 

Day two

Got off to a good start today and she had a quiet and clean night which we were totally surprised by, because her last owner had told us she would wet in the night.

She tucked into her breakfast this morning, but was very nervous while eating and if there was any movement near her, she was off.  We made sure she ate with just one of our pack and we kept our distance.

Merli was caught digging a hole in our garden today.  We think she was trying to get away and out of here, so we had to watch her like a hawk.  Our garden is fully fenced and secure but we can't stop a dog digging out.

Today Merli started to wag her tail from time to time which was lovely and I started to groom her as her ears were so knotted.  I took my time, talked and stroked her as I brushed one ear for 20 minutes, then, later in the day, brushed her other ear and she was fine.

She ate well this evening and has got very close to me but not at all interested in Tim and Lollie my Daughter.

Day three

It has become apparent that Merli is far happier when out and about - she loves her walks and has not made any fuss or been sick while we travel in the car.  Her tail is up and happily wagging on her walks - she just loves it.

I took Merli over to my vet’s clinic today, just to get a record of her weight.  She was 13.55kg which is a tad too heavy for her, but she is carrying about a rather large and saggy belly from having pups so that should improve quite quickly with exercise and good diet.

We think Merli is about four years old.  She was rescued from a puppy farm where she had spent her life as a breeding bitch.  She was found in a stinking bed covered in faeces with 5 dead pups and one live pup which went into foster care with Merli, where they were both cared for until they were re-homed in separate homes.

Sadly, Merli did not get on with her new owner’s cats and so was returned to Rescue after two months which is when Tim and I took over with her foster care.

Today I have cried and cried for Merli.  I can't believe she is so sad and had such an awful life.  I have such an overwhelming urge to protect this little dog.  I feel for her and just simply can't stand the thought of having to pass her on to someone else and maybe never hear about her again, so I ask Tim if Merli can become a Fluffter.

She is so fearful of coming indoors and will not come in when called and will not be coaxed with titbits.  So we clip her very calmly onto a lead, say “Merli come” and walk towards the door with the lead loose until she follows then reward her greatly for coming in.  We do not apply any pressure on the lead at all.

Day Four

Merli's Gotcha Day

Ok, today was a very happy day - we decide Merli can join our family and it's almost as if she knows it as her face looks as if she has had a face lift, she looks happy and her tail is wagging.

 Day Five

Today Merli cracked being able to go in and out of the house, as and when she wanted to.  She went in and out all day as if it was a real novelty, but she is still very nervous.

Today, I applied Aloe Vera gel to her dry nose and also her very dry teats.  She was fine and relaxed with this and I also gave her a trim and took some weight off those big old lovely ears.

Day Six

Merli is so much happier today, she is like a different dog so happy and waggy - she is also very cuddly with me and nudges me for attention, which is just lovely.

She took her first off-lead walk today in the woodland, which she enjoyed very much - nose down sniff, sniff tail up wagging… a typical Spaniel.

Day Seven

Things are going well.  It's slow and we have to be very careful around Merli and she is still very skittish when you approach her and still  scurries off if our feet get to close to her… but she is getting there.

She still spends a lot of time outside, but at least she knows she can come in when she wants to now and seems happy and confident in doing so. She really enjoys dog snacks and is very gentle in taking them from us.

Day Eight

We took Merli to the DBARC fun Day today.  It’s a wonderful event which we attended last year and were very much looking forward to again this year so off we went for the day.

Merli did so well - she met some new people and was quite confident as long as she could be close to me. She took 3rd place in Best Rescue dog and I was just so proud of her I felt my eyes well up and my heart swell for her.

Today was a long day for her, but she seemed just fine and slept very well once we got home.

Day Eleven

Today I took Merli to meet our Vet just to say hello - she was very fearful but gentle and our Vet thinks she is lovely.  She had also lost some weight and is now 13.05kg

I am going to move onto a Week by Week Diary now

Week starting 26^th July 2008 

Merli has a very strong bond with me - she likes to know where I am all the time and will cry when I leave a room and go upstairs, but I have ignored this behaviour and hope she will stop crying once she knows I will come back to her.

We have seen many subtle changes in Merli. Her confidence is growing and she has now fully settled in The Fluffters routine. She is happy in the presence of The Fluffters but does not interact with any of them at all at this stage - she is happy just to be.

We took Merli to the beach this weekend and she seemed to have enjoyed herself.  It was the first time she had ever seen the sea and was not keen on getting her feet wet, but did enjoy snuffling about in the sand and stones.

She now gets so excited for her meals, she squeals with delight at the thought of getting her food (not sure this is a good thing but it's nice to see her excited about a bowl of food)

Week starting 3rd Aug 2008

Merli attended the Dog and Bone show in Windsor Great Park.  She was very good and quite happy to spend the day with her family and is building her trust in strangers now - still no tail wags for them, but she is getting there and the more people she meets the easier it will become for her.

Merli spends practically no time at all in the garden now, unless I am out there.  Even if any of the other Fluffters are out there, the little dog that only wanted to be outside all day and fear us when we wanted to bring her in, has left.  She now sees indoors as a safe and happy place to be and we are very happy with that.

We do not have to use to lead to fetch her in now, as she comes in on the “Merli come” command now, which is just great.

Week starting 9th Aug 2008

This is a good week for Merli as she has started to bond with Tim and Lollie at last - they both get a welcome in the morning now. Mornings are getting ever more excitable as the days go by and mum now gets kissed and pawed for cuddles.

Merli has had a few ‘Day's out’ this week with all The Fluffters including trips to Lydiard Park in Swindon to meet up with a friend of ours, Virginia Water for walks around the lake and walks at some new places we have found fairly close to home. She has also been shopping to Pets at Home with Tim and I on her own as special treat.

She has been to town and had a walk about, which she enjoyed as her tail was up and wagging.  She also visited a local charity shop to meet a lady that works there who used to own a Cocker and very much wanted to meet Merli after hearing all about her.

She is getting far better in the presence of strangers, but still seems to almost freeze on the spot when they touch her.  She really needs to build her confidence and trust in people, but she is fine with other dogs.

She has also gained in confidence around our feet and is beginning to realise that she can be near our feet with no need to run from them.  She is also crying less when I leave a room.

Merli also attended a fun dog show this weekend with Tim, myself, Alfie and Nova.  The local news paper, The Star, printed a photo of us all together at the show, which was really nice

Week starting 16th Aug 2008

Merli is greeting Tim very excitedly in the morning now and even asks for a fuss - she really has come on but is still taking a fair time to get used to our daughter Lollie  (but Merli does greet her.)

She now leaps onto my lap for a cuddle and has also realised she can lay on the sofa at any time she wants to.  She even chewed a nylon bone and stashed a few in her place by the side of my chair.

Sadly, for some reason, Merli’s confidence has lessened on her walks.  She will be fine until she puts a small distance between us and her and then she lay’s down and cowers - we try hard to keep her with us so she feels happy.

That said she is starting to lay down a lot less on walks this Week and managed a walk with just 3 lay downs - so she is improving.

She is also a lot better when we walk towards her.  She is totally calm around me and almost there with Tim, but still runs from Lollie.  We are letting her do things in her own time as the last thing she needs to feel is stress or pressure.

Merli has been busy - she has attended another fun dog show, this time for the PDSA in Shoreham.  We meet with a friend and went back to her house with her two dogs and also a friend of hers and her Cocker.  Merli was perfectly happy.

Merli’s need for the garden has up and left - she no longer wants to go into the garden at all apart from to pee and poop.   Even if I am outside she would rather stay in… at last she has realised that being indoors is far nicer than a life outside - our Girl is loving her home comforts and so she should.

She seems to pick and choose who she will let approach and touch her.  I go by her body language to see if she is happy with the situation or not.

She is far better being approached and touched by a confident person, but feels and acts worried and concerned if people stand close by her and do nothing and wait for a reaction from her.

We have seen some really positive changes this week.  Merli has finally got to grips with the fact that if I leave a room I will come back and she is almost quiet each time I do leave a room now.

She now takes herself onto the sofa for naps and has played a few times on the sofa with me and chewing a nylon bone.

She has nearly stopped lying down on her walks now as her confidence increases and is back off-lead for the whole walk in the heathland where we walk daily.

She is totally at ease on road walks - cars and traffic of any description do not faze her at all.  I think at last she is on her way…

Week starting 23^rdAug 2008

Yet another busy weekend for Merli as the whole family prepares to attend The Samoyed Association Rescue Rally where we have run a stall for the past 5 years.

The day is always busy and hectic but Merli behaved impeccably - we were very proud of her especially as both Tim and myself where not able to give her that much attention.

Week starting 31^st Aug 2008

Merli has been much improved this week around Tim - she even ran to him while we were out walking in the woods for support when a dog upset her with un-wanted advances!

She is far more relaxed on her walks now and her recall is almost 100% even when her nose is to the ground and she has found a good scent.

We have been placing Merli on a loose lead for a few minutes at a time and Lollie sits and very calmly talks and strokes her and as soon as she has relaxed, Lollie loosens the lead. We have waited about 7 Weeks before trying the above as we wanted Merli to take her time.  It seems to be working well and Merli is beginning to realise Lollie will not hurt her.

Week starting 7th Sep 2008

Merli has taken a step back wards this weekend she has decided after becoming fully housetrained to start peeing in doors to avoid a trip to the garden. So we are back to taking her out at regular intervals and waiting until she decides to pee. She does not follow the other dogs at all and gets very worried about taking a pee and I have no idea why. I am sure she will get back on track very soon.

Today is Tuesday 9th of Sep 2008 and Merli had her first play with Nova on the sofa it was all very sweet and I hope it's the start of a great and happy freindship. She also got on the sofa beside Tim this morning and put her head on Tim's lap while Tim stroked her (Tim was VERY chuffed)

Finally Merli has welcomed Loren in the Mornings and even let Loren give her a little fuss. She has also cudled up with Nova and shared a bed with Kirby..Bless.

Week starting 14th Sep 2008

At last the start of this week saw something Tim and I have been waiting for and that was that Merli felt confident enough on her walks to leave our sides and go off with The other Fluffters and have a good old sniff about and do dog stuff. She is also runing while out on her walks with those big old ears flapping what a wonderful sight that is.

 I think Merli really enjoyed the class she is so relaxed and lots of people are passing comment on how well she is doing which is really lovely to hear. She still lacks in confidence when strangers touch her she still freezes and I think trusting people again is going to be the hardest for Merli. She did a 2 minute down stay while I left her lead on the floor which I was so proud of because she sees her lead as contact with me and does not like to not have me on the end of it unless she is totally off lead.

She is sitting on command and her down is getting far better while her walking to heal on a lose lead is just wonderful. We really need to work on her stay which she finds difficult as again she does not like me to leave her but it will come in time as her confidence grows.

She is mixing rather well with the other dogs at class but is not keen to put up with to much from the very young pups.

Sep 30th 2008 Training Class

Merli knew just where she was going when we got out of our car this evening and was very keen to get into the hall where the classes are held. She did amazingly well I was very proud of her she managed a 3 minute down stay and was very relaxed about it in fact so much so our Trainer told us it really was something to have a dog as nervous as Merli do the exercise in such a relaxed happy manner. She walked beautifully to heal on a loose lead and basically did every thing that was asked of her.

She is still very cautious of people and finds it very hard to sit on my left side while in the class as she has to sit beside another person so she tends to float out in front of me which we need to work on. Her confidence is picking up on her stays she just needs to realise now that I will not disappear on her.

I was a little concerned classes for Merli at this stage were a bit to soon but I am so glad I took her along it's all good positive stuff for her. Other class members comment on Merli every week and are totally horified when I tell them of Merli's past and are stunned she is doing so well so soon but her past is in the past now and we just need to take her forward.

Merli has developed much more of a bond this week with Tim and her trust in him has increased even further she is now allowing hugs and kisses but only on her terms Tim say's how nice it is to see and feel her relax a little more.

Bonding with Lollie is not going so well and Lollie try's so hard. I am starting to think that Merli can only cope with bonding with one person at a time and it's all happening in her own time.

Oct 7th 2008 Training Class