About a year or so after getting Ollie the rescue Chorkie (Chihuahua / Yorkshire Terrier mix), we decided he needed a friend more his size; he loves Bonnie, the mid-sized terrier, but she's big and chunky and gets a bit rough at times.
After much searching, we spotted Bea the Papillion (advertised as a Chihuahua) at the local centre. We arrived early, as these centres operate a first-come, first-served system and eventually got taken to Bea's cage. Only there was no dog to be seen. After some confusion, we discovered Bea had hidden behind the bed. The handler lifted her, and we met a terrified dog!
Terrified wasn't an understatement. She was rigid with fear. Long story short, we learned that she was one to two years old and had spent her entire life with a handful of other dogs kept outside in a small yard, with no human interaction.
We're used to rescues but realised she would need a lot of work. But by now, she was in my arms, and there was no way I was putting her back in the cage. So home she came.
So far in her short life, all she knew was outside, so she first ran into the garden, found the spot furthest away from the house, and sat there. For two hours. In the pouring rain.
We tried to get the other dogs (Ollie and Bonnie) out to see her, but hey, it's raining out there! So we just played the waiting game.
Eventually, we got her inside and into a cage, where she stayed for another few hours.
We tried to feed her something as she was painfully thin, but she was too scared to do anything.
After a few more hours, we got her out of the cage and into a bed on the sofa.
She was still scared of everything, especially me, but we decided to introduce her to the other dogs. With Ollie, she wasn't too sure. He wanted to play, but she wasn't having it.
Then it was time to meet Bonnie. And what a change! Bea immediately livened up. She started jumping around, going completely nuts. Bonnie, as always, was rather indifferent to her. But that was it. Bonnie was now Bea's surrogate mum, and she still is!
A year on, and Bea is still incredibly timid. If you met her on a walk, you would think so as she's VERY vocal, but if you tried to get near her, she'd run.
At home, she's settled and loves the company of the other dogs, and although she's still very jumpy, she's OK(ish) with the females in the house, but she is still very wary of me. I can sit next to her and occasionally pet her, but no more. And only if she is in the mood. More often, she runs away when she sees me.
When we got her, we figured three to six months to settle her, but a year on, and we still have a long way to go. But we'll get there.
Our ace in the hole, though, is Bonnie. Without her, she would not have settled at all. She loves Bonnie and gets insanely excited when she sees her. And she plays with Ollie occasionally, although she still doesn't know how to play yet. She tries and often loses herself in play, then snaps back to her usual "scared of everything" ways. But time will fix that.
Bea is a dogs dog. She loves other dogs; thankfully, the home she found had two. Human though... Suitable for food and walks, and that's about it.
Oh, and the psycho bit at the top? While Bea is still very timid, she is not afraid to shout at you, which she does a lot. She has a very accurate body clock; she knows when it's time for food and walks and will follow you around, barking at you until she gets it.