12/08/2013

This week Giggles has done very well.  In the dorm she now walks around like she owns it and does her own thing!  Her best commands are sit, stairs and wait, but she knows all the basics.  She's still skittish with some of the officers and with noisy or very busy places, but other than that she is really good.  Giggles has helped her handler in so many ways.  She has inspired her to do what's right in life.  When she's away, her handler misses her dearly. The beauty about Giggles, she says, is that she will change you and make you see life for what it is, not for what you just thought you wanted it to be.  This girl has shown her to want the important things - family, friends, someone who loves you.  No more pain, no more suffering, just living life to the fullest, appreciating the little things and giving back - doing some good along the way. It's a great feeling.

12/01/2013

Giggles gets along well with the other dogs, including the Easter Seals dog in the classroom where she goes with one of her handlers.  She does her commands well.  She is such a changed dog from the scared little girl who arrived there weeks ago.  She's a lot more trusting and socializes more.  She's calmer with people, has learned to relax and she's running on her own when off leash. It's a great feeling for her handlers to watch her grow and become this loving and loveable dog.  She has done so much for them, too.  She is a dog that will steal your heart as she has stolen theirs.  She has warmed their hearts in so many ways from when they first looked in her eyes and saw all the pain and wanted to take it away - and they did!  She has become this great dog, beginning to enjoy life as she never knew she could.  Her handlers play fun games with her and she's responding really well to them.  She now knows how to trust, which is great for her and for those who love her and work with her.  They couldn't ask for a better dog.

11/24/2013

Over the weekend, Giggles went to spend socializing time in another dorm with a different handler.  It took her a little while to settle and get over her shyness.  After she got to know her new handler, they spent time together with Giggles relaxing on her blanket and her handler petting and loving on her.  She did great with her commands once she was comfortable.  She knows all the basic commands but just pauses sometimes before doing them. Their main weekend focus was on the stay command.   Giggles spent plenty of time being walked outside on the field.  She is a good heel walker.  She will stick by your side and stay close all the time.  Her weekend alternate loved having her for those three days.  Otherwise during the week she worked daily on practicing a down/stay for meals.  She continues to be peppier with each week, though still anxious in noisy situations.  Her regimen of exercise, love and training with lots of praise is bringing reward to all of them.  Giggles is such a sweet little charmer who is touching so many lives around her.  She's a blessing.

11/17/2013

Every week, Giggles never ceases to amaze her handlers with her progress and increased confidence when training. She has really come out of her shell, with waggy tail and pep in her play as well as walking fabulously to heel. She enjoys outdoors, where it's less crowded and noisy. Overly busy places still make her nervous but she's making daily improvement. Having Giggles around with her petite stature and her sweet, calm demeanor is a breath of fresh air.

11/10/13

Giggles is really starting to trust and interact socially. She gives excited tail wags and greetings. She’s extremely sweet and such a well-behaved dog. The dorm residents practice commands with her, and Giggles has really come along in her training and in her comfort in her surroundings. Large crowds and noise still make her shy but she is so much better than a few weeks ago. They have had the joy of exercising her out on the track field and practicing jumps with her on the obstacle course. She loves going through her commands with her handler out on the grassy areas, where she can smell the different scents in the air. Giggles has been working especially on her stay command this past week.  She is a good heel walker and loves to prance around cute as ever! Her handlers have a continuing goal to lessen her anxiety in certain areas. She’s made outstanding and wonderful progress even this far.  Giggles is on her way to an amazing, loving life that lies ahead of her.

11/03/13

What a reward the journey with Giggles has been this past week for her two handlers. They have seen a completely different greyhound from 4 weeks ago. For the first time, Giggles has shown excitement and has wagged her tail more than several times. She is starting to get comfortable and more trusting of her surroundings. There is still work to do, as she is still timid in noisier places, but progress is showing and they all love her. Giggles has had the pleasure of going to the education building for periods of time to socialize and she does well in the classroom setting. Training is coming along and having mastered sit, Giggles is now learning stay. She knows all the basics and is working on practicing them to respond more quickly. She does well with stairs. She is also a very good dog and behaves excellently around other dogs such as labs, poodles and the other greyhounds. The highlight of the week was Giggles going around the compound trick-or-treating on Halloween as a Bulldogs cheerleader - cute as ever! They all loved her.

10/27/13

Giggles has had an amazing week with lots of progress and excitement. For the first time she greeted both her handlers with her tail wagging, showing interest and love. Her trust is building and she's really coming out of her shell. Her handlers' focus on working her through her fears of noises and crowds is showing results. Giggles now sits and she does a down on her bed, where she relaxes for her massages. She will be learning stay next. She's a great heel walker with lots of interest in her surroundings. Everyone in the dorm and the residents across the compound adore her so much and want to love her all the time. Giggles will be such a fabulous pet to her family. She's really good and calm.

10/20/13

Giggles' two handlers say that the joy of having this precious girl in their lives has brought lots of patience, confidence and love into their world. She's learning to trust and has made quite a turnaround since week one. She's being socialized off leash in the dorm and spends quite a bit of time exploring and checking everything out. Outside, the greyhounds spend time together socializing and she's a little shy in the group, though she enjoys the time exercising out on the field. Giggles is great at taking the stairs. She also knows here, heel, bed, wait and kennel. At the moment she's slow to respond, but follows through. She's being scooped to sit for meals and is finding it easier every day. For fun, her handlers throw squeaky toys for her and she responds well, interacting with them. Giggles loves to lean on you and has a sweet, calm diposition.

 

10/13/13

Giggles is so small and cute and a blessing to her two handlers. She is still shy and not yet comfortable in busy places. However, she has started going to the education department to be in class with one handler and has settled down and relaxed there after being a little nervous to start. Light training and socializing is helping her build trust. Giggles gets plenty of exercise and is a fabulous heel walker. She's also excellent taking the stairs. After exercise, she loves to cool off in the kiddie pool. 

First Impressions - 10/06/13

On first sight, prancing into the building to meet her new mommies, Giggles (Watch Me Shine) was just beautiful and so small. Both handlers immediately fell in love with her. She's been walked outside and really enjoys it. Giggles is shy around people and her safe and comfortable place right now is her kennel. She builds a nest of her blankets to lie on. She took a couple of days before she would eat, but now eats like a champ! Though timid, she's already showing signs of building trust. Giggles is so incredibly sweet and cute and so tiny, she's amazing. Everyone loves her already.