Old dog, new friend
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FOR MOST OF HER LIFE, Kenya couldn’t stand other dogs. While this senior Lab was sweet with her favorite people and responsive to treats and training, she’d lunge and bark if she even saw another dog. Dogtown staff worked with Kenya, teaching her that looking quietly at another dog would mean a delicious snack for her and there was nothing to fear.
Over time, Kenya started to be able to handle walking at a distance from another dog. Once she decided that was OK, trainers tried having her actually meet a friendly dog. Kenya handled it beautifully and got lots of treats and praise. Eventually, she was going on play dates, and then she took the biggest step of all: Kenya moved in with her first canine roommate.
Kenya and her new roomie were getting along swimmingly when Lindy, a dog who was terribly afraid of people, arrived at the Sanctuary. Lindy needed a role model to help her see that people aren’t so bad. Enter Kenya. Much to everyone’s surprise, Kenya was completely enamored with the newcomer. She followed Lindy around, wanting to be near her always.
At first, Lindy was too scared to leash up for walks, but Kenya helped her gain the confidence she needed to start going on walks. Now, they enjoy long (read: long, long) strolls, meeting new people and accepting treats along the way. Lindy not only learned to like people, she confirmed for Kenya, once and for all, that other dogs are pretty great, too.
BEST FRIENDS MAGAZINE May/June 2020