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Daycare Poster Child
You've all been dying to see which dog was nominated as the Dedicated To Dogs poster child for attaining the most outstanding transformation of dog socialization. The poster child shows the importance of doggie daycare groups and the tremendous effect it can have for any dog!
AND THE WINNER IS .... (drum roll)
BRADY COONEY
“Brady” is Dedicated To Dogs’ doggie day care poster child! She is a perfect example of how important dog socialization is and how doggie daycare can do so much to turn a dog around…Even an older dog!
Brady was 5 years old when she first started daycare at Dedicated To Dogs back in 2003. Her story starts out sad and despicable but luckily has a happy ending. From what little we know about Brady she was a puppy mill breeder dog that was bred over and over again and the majority of her life was confined to a kennel with little socialization other than her puppies and maybe a few other dogs at the puppy mill. Due to her neglect and horrible living conditions she was confiscated and rescued and made her way to a Massachusetts boxer rescue organization where she was later adopted to a great home in Plymouth Mass by Shaun Cooney & Nicole Pedro.
Due to her circumstances when she first came here not only was she underweight but she literally did not know how to be a dog! She didn’t know how to play and romp with other dogs nor did she know how to chase a ball or chew a toy. Can you imagine? For a long time she just kind of stood around in daycare and would occasionally get a burst of energy and run around for a minute but for the most part she was not an active participant in the daycare group. But her owners new the importance of daycare and preferred not to leave Brady home long hours while they worked so they forged on continuing to bring Brady for daycare several times a week over the next few years. Such a process takes time! Little by little, month by month, year by year the canine in Brady began to emerge. She started to run around and give chase to some of the other dogs in small bursts of energy but nothing like a real dog should. She preferred to engage with me or Dave, licking us or climbing up on us. She was much more of a “people dog” and was more interested in hanging out with humans rather than the canines. Just when I thought Brady had made as much progress as she possible could, she took it another step forward this year. She now actually engages with other dogs and romps around with them chasing them and even lately has engaged in pawing and wrestling throughout the day instead of just in one or two small bursts.
Another amazing transformation in Brady’s socialization is that when she first arrived she was very aggressive towards cats to the point of stalking/hunting them. I have two cats (one of them is Zig-Zag who actually participates in daycare…what can I say He thinks he’s a dog!) and the Cooney’s also have a cat so this meant the cats had to be isolated whenever Brady was around in both homes. But again, little by little Brady became desensitized to her issues with cats and now she’s perfectly calm when they are in the room with her to the point where Zig-Zag rubs up against her and she has little reaction.
This is an amazing turnaround for a dog with Brady’s circumstances, background and overall lack of socialization. It’s hard to describe her transformation but it just fills my heart with joy every time I see her get into her frisky mood chasing the other dogs. Brady’s come a long way and proves the resilience and spirit that exists deep within dogs! That’s why we must never give up on dogs! Owner perseverance combined with consistent socialization pays off in the end.
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