For most dogs, going into a shelter is an overwhelming experience. There’s noise, strange smells and a lot of uncertainty. And these feelings were magnified exponentially for little Tarsier, a mini-Aussie/retriever mix.
After being found on the streets of Capitol Hill and brought to Seattle Animal Shelter, Tarsier was immediately identified as a pup in need of additional support. She was placed in Shelter Behaviorist Tina Hope’s office to get one-on-one attention as well as a little peace. Tina spent the day with Tarsier trying to socialize her a bit, but she still wasn’t eating well or engaging with toys.
An urgent call for foster ended up with Tarsier going home with shelter staff member Jeff. Once there, Tarsier was still showing a lot of fear, specifically hesitancy around going outside. Tina worked diligently with Jeff to manage this behavior with a specific plan suited for his environment, with clear goals and steps on what to do.
“Bringing home Tarsier was an invaluable experience in demonstrating how we can help facilitate the space for agency in fearful dogs,” Jeff said. “With the help of Tina’s multi-step plan, we were able to have Tarsier be able to choose to go outside on her terms rather than carrying her outside, which could increase long lasting anxiety or stress by removing her agency.”
Tarsier wasn’t in foster for long. This darling girl with soulful eyes caught the attention of Kim Bryan of Edmonds, who was visiting the shelter with her 13-year-old son to see if they could find a good companion for their current shepherd mix, Finn.
“We just had this feeling, because we had Finn and we knew his temperament, that she might do better having a dog friend,” Kim said. “We knew any adopted dog who has gone through trauma would have challenges, but we were OK with that.”
For Tarsier (now Olive), it was bonding at first sight.
“Finn was so relaxed when he first met Olive that when she first spotted him she immediately perked up. She was still scared, but immediately started watching him and following him. The first ‘puppyness’ we saw was when she met our dog.”
It was an obvious decision that Olive would go home with them. Kim got a lot of support from shelter staff around Olive’s needs.
“They were great, Jeff in particular. He let us know what he’d been working on with her, which was promoting puppy behaviors. Oftentimes people are trying to get their puppies to mature, but if she jumped for joy or spun around, he would praise her for that. That was good for us to know. In our two meetings with Olive before adoption, shelter staff allowed us as much time as Olive needed. They sat on the floor with us, helped us introduce our dog Finn to Olive in a safe, drama-free way, and let us know how to best interact with Olive, who was very, very cautious at first. It feels like the shelter staff get to the core of what’s going on with each dog quite quickly: Olive was only there five or six days and they already understood her really well.”
“On that very first day she would go up to the door and stop, but she kept watching Finn go in and out. I swear he told her, ‘It’s fine.’ By the end of the day she was going out on her own, following along behind Finn.”
And now, two months later, Olive is living her best life. She loves playing with water, and especially playing with Finn.
When Kim brought Olive home she had a gradual introduction planned, but Olive had other ideas.
“They wrestle, play tug of war, they race. She’s very confident in saying, ‘You’re going to play with me now.’ They are very bonded.”
When the family visits their Anderson Island cabin, now Olive comes along, too. Her earlier caution has given way to a huge curiosity. Her current fascination is standing for long moments in the yard, watching the island deer.
“It’s quite remarkable,” Kim says, “because she was literally afraid of the outdoors, and now she’s the first one out the door.”
The Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation funds many shelter programs, including the Behavior Program. To learn more about the Behavior Program click here, or follow this link for information on how to donate.