Eating with an audience...

I was feeling froggy today, and decided to feed Chester in the bathroom with me (not) observing. He usually eats in his crate at bedtime. He was very hesitant to eat. He tried to press himself into the wall and disappear, but fortunately that did not work. He finally decided that I was not going to steal his food or hit him, as I was seemingly absorbed in my reorganization of the bathroom counter. He finally ate and then I sat in the floor next to him and he allowed me to pet him. The look he had on his face is similar to a look a little boy would get when he overly affectionate aunt or other relative gives syrupy kisses or pinches his cheeks. I did not do either to Chester, instead scratching his chest and under his chin. He did not move away--I actually ended our time by standing up and letting him out of the room. Maybe this is improvement? I think Chester has more fear than I thought at first--I firmly believe there is a difference between the absence of socialization and the scars of abuse. I am not making accusations, but I do believe that abuse is a possibility here. Whatever it is, I am sure these MO dogs can overcome it and lead happy lives.

Look, I'm Smiling....

Packing on the Pounds...

So, we are about 3 weeks post-dental with Chester. He is eating very well, and has gained a considerable amount of weight. He looks pretty normal now, versus the "skeleton" look he had a few weeks ago. He is moderately birdy--I have an insane foster GSP right now (not related to the MO dogs) and Chester likes to "hunt" with him in the backyard. Chester and MO brother Benjamin Brown both held a point the other day on a squirrel that perched itself on the fence. We are still not happy about being touched, but he will at least tolerate being in the same room with me on his own free will. He likes to climb on things--he actually lays on my coffee table and takes naps. I know that is not acceptable home behavior, but I will take it versus me having to corral him in the backyard and carry him in the house. I will take what I can get at this point. He is a good boy as far as housebreaking goes--no accidents in the crate and none in the house. I don't leave him in the house alone, but can pretty much trust him to not pee everywhere if I give him some time in the house supervised. He did eat my drivers license and checkbook a few weeks ago--I had remnants of the DL left but the checkbook was completely gone--a little corner of the plastic cover was all that remained. Fortunately I knew about how much $$$ I had in my account, so that was an inconvenience, not a disaster.

Someone call the fun police...

Someone better call the fun police, or better yet the scared police. Chester was spotted wagging his tail a few days ago. He still does not trust me, or necessarily want me to touch him, but is happy enough at the prospect of feeding time that he wags his tail. Maybe this is a tiny step in the right direction.

GSP Mountain Goat...

Chester has discovered that heights may be fun. Here he is doing his best impression of a mountain goat on top of dog crates. It has also been discovered that Chester has a mouthful of nasty teeth. This may be contributing to him not eating well. We will get this fixed ASAP. Hopefully Chester will feel better soon and will be happier.

Chester is looking for love...

Chester is looking for love in all the right places. He is one of 75 German Shorthaired Pointers rescued from a puppy mill in southern Missouri. He has a foster brother, Benjamin Brown, that came from the same place. Chester is really wanting to trust people at this point, but is being slow about doing so right now. He is learning more about how to behave in the house. He has picked up very well on leash walking. I am going to give him a little more time before I start with "sit," "come," etc. Stay tuned for updates and new pics.