It’s been a big few months guys!!! I’ve been doing more handling work than normal with Savvy because I felt like she was finally ready, and she needs to start getting used to it. One day an idea came to me to bring her best friend Gus into the grooming groom with her while I gave her a little brush and a face trim, in the hopes that she would be a bit calmer and more allowing. She is obsessed with Gus and really looks to him for reassurance, so it worked! She was still scared and unsure of course, but for the first time ever I was able to place her on the grooming table and take my hands off her. In the past, I’ve either had to hold her in my arms or get someone else to hold her as she was too scared and would panic and try to jump off the table. Not this time! She stayed with Gus and allowed me to do what I needed to do. I still put her muzzle on her, to protect herself more than anything, as I was worried about her trying to nip the scissors. 

Last week I pushed the boat out even further and again took her into the grooming room with Gus to trim her fringe (it grows very fast!!!) and give her a gentle brush, but this time I also put a harness on her to wear for the day for the first time. She was a little unsure at first and did try to bite it off, but after around 2 minutes she stopped and then wore it all day with no bother!!! I was so proud of her because this is actually a really big deal for a dog as scared of touch as Savvy. Having something on her body that she’s not used to would definitely have been scary for her, she honestly she exceeded my expectations. To take the harness off her, I got her into the back of the kennel and gave her some gentle strokes like I normally do, and she allowed me to unclip the harness and pull it over her head with no dramas. Again, another wow moment as I was expecting a freak out!!

I’m going to keep putting the harness on her every day and taking it off at night, and then eventually I’ll attach a lead and start proper harness training with her. Her friend Gus walks really well on a lead so I’m hoping he will be her guide. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Savvy has had a busy few weeks at the rescue making me cry happy tears in the process!!!! For the first time ever she felt comfortable and safe enough to rest her head on my arm and my lap. It was a rainy day so I bundled in the back of the kennel with everyone to eat my lunch. I was in there for about 15 minutes or so and Savvy was sat right next to me as she always does, waiting for a little share of my food. After I had finished I stayed in there for a little while, and then eventually she did it. The biggest wave of emotion came over me and I just started crying, but silently because I didn’t want to move or disturb her in any way!!!! She stayed for a good 30 seconds, and then did it again, and again … so it wasn’t even a one off thing. I know it probably sounds so small to a lot of people, but for Savvy it is absolutely HUGE. It’s given me hope that maybe she’ll want to cuddle next to her new mummy on the sofa one day … maybe. 
The second thing we conquered was getting her a hair cut. She’s been shaved twice since she’s been with us (both under anaesthetic of course), so we did the same again. Last time she was extremely stressed and she fought the sedation SO hard, it took a long time to actually get her down. I was expecting the same this time around, so I had prepared myself and the vet. However to our surprise, she started to get very sleepy after the first injection and ended up totally relaxing on my lap. This was such a huge improvement and I was shocked, but also really happy because it meant that she didn’t feel as stressed as she did the last time. Again this may seem like just a small thing, but we celebrate EVERY little win with dogs like Savvy because all hills are mountains to her.
I’ve started giving her strokes in the back of the kennel every day now to get her more and more used to my hands touching her. Her latest accomplishment is letting me stroke near her belly and chest area. These are the most sensitive places for her so she’s never really allowed it before, so yet again another achievement. I’m so proud of her!!

My special girl Savvy is still with us and even though I understand why, it still makes me sad. I’ve looked after her for the whole time she’s been at the rescue so I’ve got the biggest soft spot for her and I absolutely love working with her and spending time with her. Even though her progress has been slow over the months, she is a very different dog to the one she was when she first arrived and I’m so proud of all the milestones she’s reached, no matter how small. She still doesn’t like being picked up or handled but I do have to sometimes, like when she needs her fringe trimmed. I’ve managed to do this a few times and she really does not like it and I do have to put a muzzle on her for it, but each time she does get slightly better. Having a full groom is definitely still far away and I think I will have to take her into the vets to sedate her the next time she needs to be shaved, but I am trying my best to work my way up to it with her.
My favourite thing about Savvy is how much she likes to be involved in everything I’m doing. She follows me around wherever I go and always sits close to me whenever I get time to stop and have a break. This shows that she’s more than happy and content to spend time with me and be near me, and I just love that so much. She has so much love to give, but in her own way, and that’s okay. Just because she doesn’t like to be touched and fussed yet, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t have the desire to want to be loved by us, it just means she’s too scared to be.
If anyone has a quiet home, a kind resident dog, a solid routine and a minimal amount of visitors, please consider saving this super special girl.

Savvy arrived at the rescue back in April 2024 from a breeder. She was as terrified as they come and had absolutely no idea about us humans or our intentions. She didn’t want to be anywhere near us for a while so we’ve had to do a lot of work and spend a lot of time with her to prove to her that she doesn’t need to be afraid of us. Eight months on, she is very content being in the presence of the staff members that she knows, and will even put her paws on their lap to take treats, and give them kisses on their faces. However, she is still absolutely terrified of being picked up and handled. Her kennel mum has worked really hard to get her to the point where she will now accept a gentle fuss in the back of her kennel, but being picked up is still a huge ordeal for her. She will bite out of fear, so we always use a blanket as a precaution. We have done some crate training with her so she is now more than happy to go into one by herself, so this could be useful for transporting her to different places if needed. Savvy will need a very experienced, adult only home with adopters who have had traumatised dogs before. She’ll also need at least one kind and confident resident dog to be her guide and her best friend. She absolutely loves other dogs and completely dotes on them when she’s been with them for a while. It may be a long and slow road with Savvy and we can’t promise that she’ll ever be anywhere near “normal”, but her adopters will need to accept this and love her regardless.