Part 5: The Dog We Were Waiting to Meet
Behaviour spotlight: Trust Takes Time
Building confidence isn’t about rushing a dog towards the finish line. It’s about creating enough safety and trust that they feel ready to take the next step themselves. Every dog moves at their own pace, and that's okay.
Little by little, we began to see glimpses of the dog we'd hoped was there all along.
Over the following weeks something unexpected happened. Lily began walking into the crate by herself. Sometimes she'd curl up inside with the door wide open. Other times she'd simply lie beside it. The crate hadn't changed.
Our approach had.
Over time, Lily became comfortable choosing to walk into the crate and rest there with the door open. The crate was no longer something she feared.
As her confidence grew, though, we noticed she naturally preferred curling up on the dog beds alongside Loki. Rather than insisting she sleep in the crate, we followed Lily's lead. Eventually, we packed the crate away because she no longer needed it to feel safe.
These days our evenings look very different.
Lily sleeps in the lounge peacefully at night, curled up on one of the dog beds. We listened to what she was telling us, adapted our expectations, and discovered that her feeling safe mattered more than whether she slept in the crate.
The timid dog who clung to the rescue staff now greets us with play bows, helicopter spins and a personality we had to earn the privilege of seeing.
She now heads out for her walks with confidence and even joins me on client walks, happily exploring new places and stopping to sniff all the exciting smells along the way.
Watching her enjoy the world around her is something we never take for granted.
She still pauses to watch the occasional passing car, but now it's curiosity rather than fear.
Lily still finds strangers difficult.
She still needs introductions on her own terms.
She still has moments where she feels unsure.
And that's okay.
Lily may have arrived as our foster dog, but she'll always be the dog who taught us to listen.
Lily's journey isn't over yet.
She's now ready to begin the next chapter of her life with a family of her own. While she still needs patient introductions to new people and an understanding home that will continue to let her grow at her own pace, the progress she's made has been incredible. We've been lucky enough to watch her confidence blossom, and now we hope someone else gets to experience the joy of seeing the wonderful dog she has become.
If you think you could offer Lily the loving home she deserves, or you'd simply like to learn more about her, please get in touch with the team at Earth Dragons International Sanctuary, who know her story inside and out.
We can't wait for the family who adopts Lily to discover the wonderful little dog we've been so lucky to watch blossom.