Meet Lola. She is part Lab, part

Rottie.

Lola came to us very fearful. She took some coaxing out of her pen and, for the most part, was terrified outside of it, leaping in panic at passing cars, and hiding behind me as we walked past other people and dogs. She was no different in her pen either, and took to hiding in the far back corner as adopters passed by, though she was still curious enough to give a sniff in your direction.

By giving her the time to approach us, she would come crawling out of her corner and into our laps. Truth be told, behind her shy outer layers was a dog who just loved to be loved.

We used a Gentle Leader head halter when we took her for walks, as this gave her a sense of security and helped us ease her into life outside the bars. We always approached her without eye contact, allowing her to come to us unaided; every time she acted calm, we gave her quiet, but affectionate praise.

Her path to recovery was a rocky one, and every time we seemed to be getting further with her, she’d take a step back. However, with patience, time, and lots of love, she slowly got used to her surroundings.

It’s important to not rush things with dogs, especially with those who have serious fear or aggression. A quick jump from the pen to the outside world would have been detrimental to her recovery, whereas patience prevailed.

Lola is now in her new home.