Trust

I adopted Groucho a little over five years ago. I had found his photo on petfinder.com and took a friend with me when I went to see him the same week. I had her go with me to make sure I didn't get myself into something I was unsure of. When we got to Fur Keeps in Barrington Hills, the assistant asked us how she could help us and my friend told her that I was there to see Groucho. As soon as she said that two paws landed on my chest and the assistant laughed and said that he was right there! He looked different than the photo, and I realized that he was part German Shorthaired Pointer (I grew up with GSPs). I knew I was sunk. He was so cute! We took him for a walk around the farm (he pulled like a tank!), and went in to speak with the vet. After we sat down he placed his head in my lap and wouldn't leave even though the assistant was trying to get him to come to her to do tricks. He eventually did do some tricks for her. I didn't need to see them as my friend had already said that her being there was pointless as I was not going home without adopting him. He made it very clear. The vet told me she'd never seen him bond with people before and thought we were perfectly matched. She brought him to his new home the next day, but was late because of a flood and because he had taken off after I had left and had to be caught. I think he was trying to find me! I wish I could say that everything was terrific from the beginning, but the fact is that he did not trust me for quite some time. It turns out that he had been neglected and abused and it had taken the vet and team almost three months before they could get near him. He had literally chewed off his tail. He definitely had trust issues and was dog aggressive for a long time. The one salvation was that his friend Zoey was adopted by my neighbors and we met as the dogs literally dragged us together on the street. They have since become good friends and Zoey comes with us on walks at times. It took six months of work to to earn Groucho's complete trust. It took many walks on a leash, teaching him basic obedience, tricks etc. and making it very clear to him that I was the pack leader. It has been worth every minute as he has turned out to be a wonderful companion. He follows me everywhere at home or wherever we are. Lesson: It takes time, patience and hard work to build trust in a relationship.