Delta

Although we have not had a litter of puppies lately, we have been quietly working on a special project for the Champaign County Humane Society. Today I’d like to introduce you to Delta, a five-month old puppy who was relinquished to CCHS about a month ago.

Delta spent the first four months of her life living loose in someone’s yard with very little, if any, human contact. In order for dogs to be properly socialized, the experiences they have in the first 12 weeks of life are critical.

The puppy’s experiences during this critical period strongly influence what kind of companion they will be and how well they will get along with humans, dogs, and other animals and how they will react to unfamiliar situations. As hard as it may be to believe, once this tiny window of opportunity closes it it extremely difficult to repair the damage a lack of socialization causes. (This is one reason why puppies from puppy mills often have very bad temperaments.)

Although Delta is very shy and does not trust people, she showed a glimmer of hope. She was sent here to see how well she could adapt to living in a home environment. We’re happy to say that we have been able to make progress with her.

With the assistance of a few of our dog-savvy friends and our Labrador, Sidney, we’ve gotten to the point that she will take treats from our hands and is slowly beginning to accept being touched and pet. We’ve been able to take advantage of the fact that Delta grew up around other dogs and is very comfortable with our Base Pack. She’s not protective of food or toys. She’ll sit in line with them to get treats and has no problems eating her food with them nearby.

Our goal is to make enough progress with Delta that she can be placed in a permanent home. Even though she’s only five months old, it’s going to take a long time to make up for the lack of socialization she had in her very early days.