Photo Op day!

We are having a spell of glorious weather and decided that, with Ray’s permission, we would have a photo op session in our back garden. As usual, he was very cooperative.

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I cannot help but think that there is a lot going on behind those eyes!

Knowing that he was found roaming the countryside; never reported missing; no identification of any sort; no evidence of any training; fearful about people and other dogs; no social skills, and in poor health …. It is beyond my understanding as to how this could happen. However,  those circumstances were, without any doubt whatsoever, our gain! 🙂

41 thoughts on “Photo Op day!”

  5. Ray’s eyes have such a lovely warmth and depth to them. As for seeing how far you all have come on your journey together it gives me a lot of hope for my journey with Bonnie 🙂

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    • Hi Laura – Perseverance, patience, lots of guidance, and time… time… time! I read somewhere that it can take singers/musicians up to 10 years before they become an “overnight success”! Ray has been a work in progress for just over 3 years now, and we still have things to work on. So while he has made huge progress, it certainly did not happen overnight but we wouldn’t change anything!

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      • You always seem to have such lovely pearls of wisdom to share 🙂 I’ll try to keep that in mind during any difficult times. You and Carol are a real testament to Ray and the time you have put into and are continuing to put into him, I’ve loved reading about your adventures so far in your book!

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        • Hi Laura – I think that I had a distinct advantage with Ray in that I knew nothing about dogs. I therefore had no preconceived assumptions, but leaned heavily on the Humane Society trainers, other professionals, and books by Patricia McConnell and also by Pat Miller. Training to counter fear aggression is particularly “tricky” because, unless you can “read” the dog’s body language, it would be so easy to teach totally the wrong thing. i.e. offering treat too late = dog gets reward for reacting negatively!
          I am pleased that you are enjoying the book and hope that some areas may be useful to you when working with Bonnie, but I cannot stress too much the advantages of getting professional help and/or guidance. All the best.

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