DUNCAN

Duncan was a very timid frightened dog when my husband Joe started to work with him as a volunteer.  Joe, who has primary Progressive Progressive Aphasia, would sit in Duncan’s kennel and talk softly to him. The first visit with Duncan lasted almost 2 hours. By the end of the session, Duncan quit shaking and touched his nose to Joe’s foot. Joe visited Duncan twice a week. After the third week, Joe wanted to take Duncan home. So we applied to adopt or foster Duncan and we were approved. We went on a Saturday with our other dog Missy to see if the two dogs had a chance of bonding. The visit went well and we took Duncan home. It took 45 minutes to get him to get out of the car when we got home! When we got him into the house he kind of slithered up on the sofa and didn’t move a muscle until the next morning. He wouldn’t eat for two days. We found out that he was house trained and knew how to walk on a leash. We took our time showing him his new home and yard. After three weeks we let him off leash outside under supervision. We learned that he would come running to us when we called.  We learned that Duncan responds to love and treats, and that he is afraid of loud noises and people he doesn’t know. But he is gentle and not ever aggressive. We have watched him learn to play with our Missy and tease the cats. Duncan has come a long way and there are things he needs to learn, but he is an excellent student.