Juliette – From Shy to Savvy
Some of the most rewarding shelter stories may not look dramatic to the outside world, but are powerfully emotional journeys for the pets involved. Not all dogs are ready to make new friends right away, and Juliette is a perfect example.
Animal Control Officer and Juliette
Sweet Juliette was found loose and alone in December 2019. After a few attempts to leash her and drive her to the shelter, our rescue staff quickly discovered that she’d need some extra coaxing and love in order to bring her in. (See photo above). Either this girl had never seen a leash before, or she hadn’t had happy walks in the past.
Safely at the shelter, we hoped a warm bed and full food bowl would help our new friend feel more comfortable! Little by little, Behavior staff and dedicated volunteers got to work on Juliette’s leash fears.
Patience is a virtue! Often, shelter animals need patience (and love) more than anything else. Many treats, lots of kind words, loose leashes, and collars later, Juliette’s body language started to change.
For many long days, Juliette’s tail had been tucked under – her back arched when she saw the leash coming, her ears fell back in nervousness, and she shied away from every collar. Weeks of patience and love had made a real difference in this girl’s outlook on life! Juliette began to look forward to seeing her favorite people and going with them to the play yard, and eventually her tucked tail wagged with happiness when she knew a walk was coming.
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Staff knew Juliette was ready to find her own people when she was no longer shying away from a collar and leash, but instead going towards them in anticipation – she could hardly wait to go on adventures with her friends!
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This young dog had finally found joy, and it was contagious (in the best way!). Leashes, which had been so scary that Juliette would drop to the ground when she saw them, meant so many good things now – new friends, new places, new smells, and best of all… a new family.
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A nice man spotted Juliette’s blue eyes and shiny coat and couldn’t resist meeting our sweet friend.
Juliette spent a total of 67 days at PHS/SPCA before finding her forever home. She benefitted hugely from being a part of our Hope Program, which gave her extra training and TLC with our behavior staff and volunteers.
The Hope Program is fully donor funded. To help more animals like Juliette become the best and happiest versions of themselves, donate below.
Update: January 8, 2021
Juliette is no longer alone on her adventures, she has a family including a doggie sister, Ahri! Juliette has continued to come out of her shell and has been going on some amazing adventures with her family and is getting all the love she deserves.