DISCLAIMER: I took these with my cell phone and they suck. 
Yesterday was so pretty I took Bree to the dog park. She loves going to stores like Petsmart, loves meeting people. But the park… is different.
The only people there were a couple we’ve seen quite a few times with their two dogs, who are both perfect older gentlemen. One a huge GSD who didn’t bother with us at all and the other an elderly Golden. We humans chatted happily while Bree had a nervous breakdown. Well, the dogs made the mistake of trying to smell her butt. [gasp!]
In this picture you see a dog who is a football field away from the other two dogs in the park, but won’t even fetch a ball. She would run, pick it up and immediately drop it again. Mom fetched; the dog had too much on her mind to be playing games.
She ran all hunkered, like pterodactyls circled above, ready to swoop down and pluck her up.
Her panting gives away the unbelievable anxiety. Even after the couple left and there were no dogs, she was still in the park! Still at risk of a random drive by sniffing!!
Every time we go to the park I have high hopes. I picture her being so happy to be there, interacting with the other dogs like a real canine… but it’s all about control for her, I guess. She stays with me, beside or behind, panting like my sister in law after a round of alli, ready to flee. Fight or flight.
She’s going to doggy day care next week. It’s got to be the closest thing to a balanced pack on the east coast… because I’m not flying her to Cesar’s in L.A.
And it’s not because I think there’s something wrong with her; I’m happy with her as is… but she’s obviously not happy and I want to be able to take her places with me. She’s shown a particular affinity for kids and the disabled; I think if she can beat her fear we can do some therapy work!
In spite of her lacking some social skills, I LIKE HER! Everybody has their hangup’s, dogs too. I just got thru shampooing my dogs. One loved it, the other thought I was trying to kill it. That’s life.