Hi, Paul; "Dad" talking this time ~

Although Smokey's only about 15 months old and probably did not come from a labratory, he certainly came from a male-abusive environment. After 3 months of love with Cinder and me, he's a different dog; but I'm sure he'll always bear the scars of his previous encounters with the abusive side of our human species. With people he knows he's a happy, playful pup. But put him in a new or strange setting, and the fear of the unknown and rememberances of what he must have been subjected to in his prior "home" (?) life are painfully obvious. Even I have to be cautious with disipline - a too angry reprimand or overly threatening gesture will send him running off in terror. The same scolding or clenched fist given to Cinder gets me a gently wagging tail, lowered ears, and the expression of "Chill, Dad, I've done worse..."

Just last night we came home with me carrying an armfull of "stuff" and I dropped a Time Magazine that brushed down Smokey's shoulder before hitting on my foot ~ the blood curdling *scream* he let out, as he dashed for cover in the basement, again reminded me that life has not been kind to the little guy. Will he ever forget what he experienced in his first year of life? Probably not .

What's the solution? Tons of love, cautious exposure to new situations, and very careful and loving corrections to his mistakes. Your friend's lab beagle was exposed to 5 years of "bad things" at he hands of humans - it will take time to learn that his new family is different and will not do things that remind him of his past.

Keep us posted about his progress.

And if anybody doesn't know Smokey; get comfortable and click on this link to read ALL about the "Rescue of the SmokeMutt...": http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/Forum7/HTML/000036.html

/s/ Phred

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/s/ Cinder & Smokey
the Rescued & Adopted
FurKids of *Phred*