A goofy game-changer?

Wyatt

Weeks in, it became clear that Myrtle didn’t like us, or any people who came to visit. We weren’t even sure if she had a tail, since nothing back there had ever wagged. I thought it might be matted down, but getting Myrtle into the car to the groomer seemed like a traumatic, impossible task.

Anyway, we thought- maybe… she’d like a dog?

Our friend has a lovable, simple, energetic chocolate lab, so we had him bring Wyatt over to meet Myrtle.

We setup a fence on the patio to separate them, and allow them to sniff each other through the barrier.

Their first fenced sniff & greet

Turns out: Myrtle does, indeed have a tail… and she loves other dogs.
At first sight, she started wagging at Wyatt, and let out a few friendly “hello” barks.

We lifted the fence, and they sniffed and played, and ran around. It was such a relief to see her experience some joy!

Wyatt, a typical lab, was more than happy to eat all of the treats, and play with all of the toys, which Myrtle had never touched. She actually looked confused when he grabbed her stuffed animals to carry around the yard and bring to us to be thrown.

Wyatt visited several times, and we considered him Myrtle’s ‘therapy dog’ during the month of December.

She considered him to be the greatest Christmas gift of all.

We even had him run in and out of the door threshold repeatedly to show how easy and non-terrifying it was. It had no impact on Myrtle’s fear of the door.

We brought other dogs over, too, and she loved all of their visits. Clearly, she’d like them all to move in, and for us to move out.

But even during their visits, while they’d be wagging at us, getting scratched, and taking treats from our hands, Myrtle refused to participate. She’d keep a distance while they were up next to us, and hope that her four-legged friends would return to play in her safe-zone.

We hoped Wyatt’s visits would continue to bring Myrtle out of her shell, but her behavior only changed when he was present. As soon as he’d leave, Myrtle would become sad and anxious and scared again.

If you are interested in my travel adventures, check out my travel blog Jared’s Detours.