Poor little Belle.
She actually was better today. I think that given enough time -- probably a long time -- she will be able to trust people and be able to be adopted. But it's just going to take time.
I took her out in the back yard on the leash and she actually walked quite well with me, so I decided to try her on a walk around the block.
Well, I don't know if that was a good idea or not. The first 2/3 was fine. She walked next to me just like a normal dog and as long as I didn't look at her or look like I might touch her, she was fine, but the last 1/3 she fought the leash, tried to bite it, and tried to twist out of it. I had horrible visions of her getting loose and my never finding her again (which definitely would have been the case had she gotten loose).
She was as relieved to be back in her cage as I was to have her there, but then something must have spooked her and she got loose. When I had fed her that morning I apparently hadn't locked the door tightly and when I looked out of my office, the cage was empty and Belle nowhere to be found.
She soon turned up at the back door, sans leash. This meant that she was uncatchable. I left the back door open and just left her alone to come and go, figuring that it would be Megan's problem to catch her when it was time for the dog to leave.
But with her running loose, I began to notice that she was becoming more bold. Oh a looooonnnng way from being able to be touched, but instead of hugging the wall and slinking around the room, she actually poked her head into the kitchen when I was there and didn't immediately jump away until I actually moved. She didn't do that 2 days ago.
Also, I've been very conscientious about being loving with Sheila and Lizzie around Belle and I had noticed she watched closely.
So Lizzie and I were in the front hall. Lizzie jumped up to rest her paws against me and I was giving her a lot of loving and I noticed that Belle, who had been standing back about three feet, actually started moving toward us. It was the closest she had ever come voluntarily. I didn't move, but just continued to pet Lizzie.
There was no wonderful breakthrough here, but I could see from just that willingness to be close and not jump away immediately, that, given enough time, gentleness and love she will come around and hopefully be able to find herself a forever family.
I wasn't here when Belle left. Megan came and, with Walt's help, was able to catch her and transport her to her next home. At least I was able to get a snippet of film before she left.
I was gone most of the afternoon, about which I'll probably write tomorrow. When I came home, I left a message on Megan's phone and within a couple of hours, she arrived with a new project for me.
"X" marks the body of little Daisy (she didn't seem to have a name when she arrived, so I named her), who is about 4 weeks old and who has been at Megan's for the last week or so. She looks like she's part lab, part pit bull and is the first brown puppy we've had in a long time.
She's already on solids, so I don't have to worry about bottle feeding her. I expect that we will start the bonding work tomorrow, though she has already spent a long time asleep in my lap.
One final note, a personal note to the actor who called me this evening and lectured me for more than 20 minutes on how wonderful he was and how he didn't understand how I could possibly have given him less than a glowing review.
It amazes me that people who rely on critics to say good things about them to bring people to their shows turn around and essentially bite the hand that feeds them. I've dealt with a lot of reviews of groups and/or individuals for which I was working over the past 30 years, reviews which I felt were decidedly undeserved, but would never, ever risk alienating a critic, especially after she has warned you not once but twice that she was finding your attitude annoying.
I doubt that the actor will check this blog, but what the heck...I'm still fuming, so I might as well get it off my chest.
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