Dolly's Story

We had a couple of folks who asked us to tell Dolly's story after seeing her in the photo of Wobs yesterday.  Well, here goes! 

When Alayne and I got married in Seattle, she had her own dog, Spats -- a beautiful, sweet older Lab mix with a white chest and white feet (hence his name).  Although I was a 'cat guy' -- with six cats I had brought back to the U.S. from my last diplomatic assignment in Sri Lanka --  I wanted a dog of my own.  But first I had to convince my new wife that Spats really, really wouldn't mind a companion.  (If any of you are married to attorneys, you know what I had to go through to win this -- or any -- argument.)

In those days -- mid-90s -- most shelters didn't have Web sites yet, and in Puget Sound they used a little monthly newspaper called the Muttmatchers Messenger to post their animals.   I saw a photo of a black-and-tan dog named Dolly who was in a small, private shelter called Adopt-A-Pet in Shelton, Washington.  What caught my attention was her name, because I had grown up with a dog named Dolly.  But there was something else that struck me about her photo ... she seemed fearful.

I called the shelter and an elderly lady named Elsie Skipworth answered the phone.  Elsie and her husband ran the shelter and lived across the road from the kennels.  She told me Dolly had first come to Adopt-A-Pet in a litter of puppies, and the shelter had adopted her out to someone locally.  At the time Dolly was a bright, outgoing, happy, perfectly normal puppy.  Several months later, they heard a ruckus early one morning in the kennels.  The dogs were all barking and going crazy.  They went out to investigate ... and discovered Dolly was back.  She had been thrown over the fence. 

The dog they found was not the same one they had adopted out.  This Dolly was traumatized.  She was scared to death of the Skipworths and anyone else.  She trembled when people approached.  She would slink on her belly and try to disappear into the ground.  It took months for Dolly to come to trust the Skipworths again.   So when I called, Elsie explained all this and told me point-blank that Dolly's fear of people probably made her unadoptable.

I said, "She sounds perfect.  I'll take her!"

Because she looks like a Doberman, we suspect whoever had adopted her tried to turn her into a guard dog.  They wanted to make her tough and mean by beating her.  When they finally realized they had created not a guard dog but a wreck of a dog, they drove back to the shelter and threw her over the fence.

We made the two-hour trip to Shelton the next weekend.  Sure enough, Dolly was a frightened wreck.  She quivered with fear when I clipped a leash on her collar.  Then she tried to crawl away from me, her nails digging into the dirt as she clawed at the ground.  It was heartbreaking.  I finally had to pick her up and carry her to the car.  When we got home, I had to carry her into the house and down the stairs to the family room.  I laid her down on a dog bed in the corner.  She didn't move.  She just stared at me with this terrified look.  For two weeks she didn't leave that spot except to go out the door to go potty. 

Then one day she quietly made it up the stairs and stuck her head around the corner.  We'll never forget that moment when we saw her head appear at the top of the stairs.  She was coming out of her shell.

Dolly decided that she could trust us but not others.  And she adored us.  But everyone else got a growl.  When Alayne's parents came to visit and dog-sit while Alayne and I went on a trip, Dolly would growl menacingly at them.  Uh oh.  I tried everything to get Dolly to accept Alayne's parents, but she wasn't having anything of it.  Finally, I told her parents to take Dolly for a walk.  They looked at me as if I was trying to get the inheritance early.  Alayne shot me a death look that said, "You're out of your mind."  I said, "No, really, let's try this.  Take her for a walk.  I'll start out with you and then you take over." 

We were no more than 10 yards from the house when I handed them the leash and sent them on their way.  Twenty minutes later they returned, all smiles and Dolly wagging her tail.  From that point on, Dolly loved them and they loved Dolly.  We'd call in every day during our trip and all we'd hear about was how wonderful Dolly was.  Alayne would have to ask them, "Say, how is SPATS, by the way?"

Dolly continues to be suspicious of everyone else, and always ... I mean always ... growls at members of MY family.  That's why my nieces and nephews refer to her as "Evil Aunt Dolly."  I've sent them photos of Dolly licking Alayne's parents in the face, and they think I've doctored the photos.  They don't buy it.

Now that Dolly is 12 and has had two knee operations, she's starting to mellow out and become a little more accepting of new people.  But she did become my girl, and to this day she will listen only to me ... unless I'm not around, in which case she will begrudgingly listen to Alayne.  Which, as I recall, was exactly how it was with Spats!

Comments

[Nina]

Steve, thanks so much for sharing Dolly's story. What a beautiful girl she is! She is soooo blessed to have been adopted by you. I am glad that she was returned to the shelter for she got a second chance to go your forever home to be loved.

[Priscilla Smith]

What a heartwarming story. I am so happy that Dolly has found a loving family and a good home. How I wished there are always good endings to such sad stories such as Dolly's.

God Bless you both and your wonderful animals.

Priscilla.

[Shirley & James]

Ditto on Melissa comments!!!

[Lahna Zandi, Coral Springs, FL.]

My Mom took in a Blonde Lab named Chelsie, that was abused and it was heart breaking. Chelsie,also went through Hurricane Andrew, so that did not help. She lived the rest of her life with My Mom and finally came out of her shell as well! Thank God, they dropped Dolly back off and she was saved. She is one of the Lucky ones....

[Bruce Small]

Four years ago a feral cat made friends with our cat, Buttercup, and the two of them would hang out on the patio. That was fine with our dogs; they were all friends. We put out food for the feral, and a warm cat house, but it would have nothing to do with the house or us. I couldn’t get within ten feet of it. When we went on vacation, the feral moved in through the doggy door, and we named him K-Kat. He was now living inside, coming and going as he pleased, but would still stay well clear of us.

Every night at 8 pm Buttercup would announce with a loud MEOW that it was time for her snuggle. This was the only time we were allowed to hold her. She would get up on the bed, snuggle up on my lap, and we were friends for 15 minutes. K-Kat would sit in the hallway and watch. One night he came into the bedroom, got up on the bed behind me, reached out his paw as far as he could, and touched my hand. I about cried.

He is still generally leery of contact, but we now have certain times during the day when he asks for a belly rub, and obviously enjoys it.

[Sue H]

I love Dolly! What a beautiful dog and your story brought tears to my eyes. What she must have been through...it was meant to be that you adopted her. You & Alayne have such huge hearts. Does Dolly always sit with her front legs so far apart? What an adorable picture. Thanks for sharing her story.

[Margaret]

Wow, Dolly's smileis priceless. I suspect that your experience with Dolly helped reinforce how truly "gifted" you and Alayne are and was a building block in the path to the Rolling Dog Ranch! What a great debt we ALL owe Dolly. Beyond the gift of her treasured companionship every day, she helped point you to your true calling. As we tell our Annie & Katie every day, there is no greater gift than their love and earned trust.

[Helen Rietz]

It's hard to find the words for all the emotions Dolly's story calls up. Animals are at the mercy not only of their genes, like all of us, but of cruelty undeserved and beyond endurance. I'll just say that, even if you two had never started Rolling Dog Ranch, you'd be special people in my book for having given a second chance to a wonderful girl like Dolly.

[Gabby]

Good Morning, Steve & Alayne and fellow bloggers!

I just had to comment on the similarity between Dolly and my dog,Sandy. Sandy was the most frightened dog I had ever met when she came to live with me. I liked to call her my "Butte Survivor", not because it's hard to survive living in Butte but because like the people of Butte who are survivors--even through the worst of times--so was Sandy!

Sandy's story goes that she had a litter of pups under a lady's porch and she and her babies were taken to the local animal shelter. The puppies were put to sleep and that just when Sandy's time was up, a lady from Boulder adopted her. This lady then put an add in the Helena Independent Record which I answered and as they say, "the rest is history".

Sandy (or "Ishboo" as my son calls her to distinguish her dark side from her friendly side) is a mixed terrier breed. (Very mixed!) She is now about 13, having lived with us about 9 years. Her behavior sounds a lot like that of Dolly, although she lets visitors pet her, after first barking at them.

For some reason, I seem to adopt animals that have been traumatized. It's amazing how a calm, accepting environment turns them around!

Blessings!

Gabby

[Katy]

Well Hello Dolly! She really had a rough start, it just breaks my heart when I hear people treat dogs like that. Thank God you saved her and taught her she could be safe and happy - she's a real lucky dog!

[Boundforglory]

Thanks for sharing Dolly's story; a very painful beginning but those pained days are long gone. She's a beautiful dog!

You know, the Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan, would have suggested a walk with Alayne's parents as an ice breaker as well. You were ahead of the pack even then! :-)

[Janet]

Thanks so much for Dolly's story. It's truly amazing how animals can, after a traumatizing experience, still come to trust again, if only selectively, but trust it is. Give her kiss from me.

[Melissa]

I check your blog everyday. Thanks for sharing all your neat stories. You continue to touch my heart and make me smile(often I shed a tear too!). What a lucky girl Dolly is as are all the animals on your ranch!!!

[Debbie B]

Thank you for taking home an "unadoptable dog" and giving her a chance at a normanl life! I am so glad she found you and a loving home (at last!)