Up in the chair.

Greetings from the sunny U.P.!

Foster mom wanted me to add a short note to my blog today about how well I'm doing. Carol S. had suggested, sometime back, that the foster parents put my collar and lead on so I can be stopped from running away from them. They don't pull me back or anything, they just hold it so I'll stop and maybe reconsider what I'm running away from. That seems to help alot. Maybe I'm in a rut of "I've got to run people coming too close" but in reality I'm not really scared. I just need to be reminded that I'm not scared. This helps because I will come back to the pillow and sit with the people then.

Yesterday I jumped up on the chair next to foster mom. Yes it took some coaxing but that's a big step for me. Now I do it all the time. I would jump up on the chair or couch on command but never, never with a person on it. This is a huge thing for me!!

Foster mom gives me treats now on the chair. This is so the other dogs won't snatch it away before I can get. I think it helps to build trust as well.

Hand shyness is emerging as my biggest issue. I will lay by you and let you kiss my head and nuzzle my neck but if you reach for my head or to pet me - I'm outta there!!! I will, however, let you scratch under my chin without running away. And, for heaven's sake, DON'T REACH FOR ME WHEN YOU ARE STANDING UP/!! I hate that!!! It really scares me.

The practice of fostering is the practice of patience. We don't get better in huge leaps and bounds, we get better in little tiny pieces. To all of you out there who have fosters or have fostered - you are all patient people.

Love,
Violet