Myrt marks one year!

It’s hard to believe it’s been a full year since we spotted Myrtle (who resembled “Cousin It” more than a dog) at the Arizona Animal Welfare League.

She spends her days mixing naps… with panic attacks …with mischief …with endless hope that her one favorite person (my mother-in-law) will stop by for a visit.

She’s currently outside, staring at me through a window. The door is open, but she’s afraid to walk through it on her own right now.

And as a side note, it generally takes my friend, Matt Ehnes, half-an-hour of sitting calmly with his camera for her to relax enough for a few photos. The one below is my favorite :)

So clearly, the odd quirks continue.

Her issues don’t bother us, and they’re not an inconvenience (aside from the random indoor ‘accident’). The problem is: they’re signs that she’s still struggling.

Each morning, she panics in her house when I go to open the door to her den area. She scampers out at full-speed, circles the living room table once, and then makes a mad dash for the door. It’s not because her bladder is busting. She really is in a panic each morning until she gets outside.

It’s so hard to believe that the dog that passes out with her head on me on the couch at night is the same one who wakes up hours later, terrified.

She naps each day on the couch with Ty, but still jumps and heads for the hills if he sneezes or reaches too quickly for the TV remote.

She still won’t eat in front of us, which her Dog Whisperer says is a sign that she’s still not totally comfortable enough to let her guard down.

She won’t “do her business” with us anywhere near the vicinity. She won’t do it on a walk either. (Maybe she just needs privacy!)

She won’t cross through the doorway without a full meltdown. That’s the saddest quirk to witness, and we cannot figure it out.

Plus, the circling continues, though it’s not as bad. After a year, it’s a wonder the living room rug doesn’t look like a well-worn track.

But! We’re always happy to see improvements.

Remember, it took two months of her living here like a feral animal for me to get close enough to trap her in a cage and bring her to get sedated for a “mercy shave.”

I’ve chronicled the early stages of her year with us on this blog, starting here: Myrtle Comes Home. It contains all of the “before” photos!

These days, she’ll go wherever in the car, go (cautiously) on a walk, and allow me to pick her up anytime. She doesn’t enjoy any of those things, but she deals. Progress, Myrt.

Plus, just within the last month, she started showing more “normal” dog behavior.

She’ll randomly jump up on the couch now to take a nap. It’s an odd thing to celebrate, but we do.

Friends will joke that my old labs (Gabby and Bree) are rolling in their graves, since they were never allowed near the couches. In my defense, they were dirty, outdoorsy, shedding big dogs. Myrtle is… a different breed.

A couple times recently, she decided to sleep on her side, with her legs out. Again, all dogs do this all the time, but not Myrtle. The Dog Whisperer says side-sleeping is a sign of vulnerability. She must feel comfortable or safe enough to try it out. I hope she thinks to herself, “Well they didn’t kill me, so maybe I’ll give it another shot.” Who knows?

In the months ahead, we’re supposed to be working on her confidence with a few drills from the Whisperer.

On that note, Myrtle just gathered enough courage to walk through the door on her own and hop up on the couch. We’re calling that a win for the night :)

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