Aniken

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Today makes it a month (and a day) since I’ve had this precious boy. His expression in his adoption picture posting says it all, the poor baby was scared out of his mind. When I said I wanted to walk him, people at the shelter were happy I said his name, but also seemed concerned. I was repeatedly seeing a look that said “Oh no… this might not go well.” Before I could even see Aniken, they warned me several times that he was unsocialized and that I would have to carry him outside because he was scared of (literally) everything. As expected, his fear had him pee on me the first time I held him. When I got him right outside the shelter doors, he wouldn’t budge. He wouldn’t walk. He wouldn’t make eye contact and sat there shaking like a leaf and whimpering. Sometimes he was even trying to go back inside. The sight of him in his kettle was heartbreaking – I couldn’t let him go back to cowering in the corner of his kettle and facing the wall. So instead of giving up, my roommate and I sat there for a good 15 minutes talking to him and spoiling him with Pupperoni that he was too afraid to eat, and after that amount of time Aniken was still whimpering and shaking. So I took a different approach – rather than speak ‘human’, I started to whimper back at him. His ears went up and though still scared you could see him thinking “What the heck is this lady doing?” and we actually got him to take a few steps! He started eating treats, and he started to take a few more steps, and eventually with the help of treats we managed to have him walk a small side of the side walk!
Now? As you can see he likes to walk, he likes to play, and he loves to cuddle. He loves people, kids, cats, and other dogs and his fear is replaced with curiosity and playfulness. It’s only been a month, and sure we’ve had rough moments (RIP to my curtains and carpet) but seeing the growth so far in Aniken makes it worth it. I’m so grateful to the Humane Society of Wicomico County for introducing me to this loving boy.
If you’re on the fence about adoption, I 1000% encourage you to do it. You’re not just adopting a pet, you’re helping the life of a new family member.