From Puppy Mill to Home Life – Cocoa’s Story
My husband and I searched for a puppy through the various windows of our computer not unlike “window shopping.” When we saw Cocoa’s picture we instantly fell in love. We got in the car and crossed state lines to meet this little guy. We brought “Cocoa Beanie Baby” home the same day. Little did we know Cocoa came with baggage- the mental kind! Cocoa was soon going to give us and education about the aftermath of the puppy mill industry. Not only was Cocoa going to cost us financially, but would also demand the sacrificial cost of love.
Cocoa’s story starts out like any other puppy that is born except he was not held enough, loved enough, and did not receive the initial stimulus he needed to adapt to home life. He was kept in a cage outside and was subject to the elements and wild things. He was unable to control his environment or change his surroundings such as needing shelter during storms. The first year of his life he missed out on the proper human imprinting so critically needed during initial developmental periods.
We came to learn that Cocoa was sold early in his life and shipped off to a pet store. Understand that being stuffed in a crate like merchandise and shoved in various vehicles is an extremely stressful process for puppies. The store that bought Cocoa returned him to the puppy mill due to minor physical defect which was resolved by neutering. Once again he was shipped back to the mill where he remained caged for eight months. I can’t even imagine how disappointed he must have been to be given hope of a new life just to be rejected and put back into captivity. He was treated like livestock and drank from a bunny bottle. Dogs are not livestock; they are not like cows, sheep, or even bunnies. Dogs are unique companionship animals that have similar needs to human babies.
When we got Cocoa home I noticed aggression, anxiety, and overall mental craziness for fear of shadows, blankets, and flies. Unlike normal puppies, he didn’t know how to jump up or down. When he ran, he ran in short straight lines which coincidently were the measurements of the “puppy run” he occasionally enjoyed while at the mill. Cocoa had difficulty with mouth orientation because he was not familiar to drinking from a bowl. He also missed crucial play time in the early stages of development where puppies learn to distinguish between a nibble and a bite. Initially Cocoa would only play with rocks and leaves which he picked out. I soon realized that I had a big problem on my hands. I knew how to train dogs and give them purpose, but how was I going to give psychotherapy to a dog? Our peaceful loving home was now in major disruption due to his behaviors.
Early on, when I approached three different canine professionals, they all said that I should give up on Cocoa and that he was unable to be rehabilitated. I was appalled by the thought. Love knows no boundaries and I loved him- I wasn’t about to give up on him. I understood what it was like to go through trauma in my own life so I thought of various creative ways to communicate healing to my dog. Cocoa is a very intelligent canine and there was no reason why he couldn’t overcome his issues. So I went to work and left those three “professionals” to mind their own business. Here are a five examples of things I put into place for Cocoa’s rehabilitation.
- Have A Plan: The plan of action was to establish consistency, trust, and training in the home. Having a structured disciplined home life was essential to my success. Cocoa could predict by my words and actions and know what to expect. Over time this gave him the confidence to not be fearful and to trust me. I never broke his trust by being inconsistent in my behavior or rules. Never give up on the plan. It took me three years of focused planning to rehabilitate Cocoa, but in the end it was worth the effort. To this day I remember the moment Cocoa realized he could run in any direction his little heart desired. That moment was a victory all its own and had I not continued the journey with him I never would have seen such amazing progress. That moment alone was a powerful display of freedom which I will always cherish.
- Have Consistent Procedures of Discipline: In keeping with the policy of building bonds of trust, I was very careful to not do anything that he personally interpreted as threatening. At the same time I was firm about obedience training rituals and rules of living in the house. I never struck him to punish. Instead I used the “time out” method which worked because he did not like being separated from me. Separation is a natural punishment procedure which dogs use to show displeasure with another dog in the pack.
- Communicate Love: Trying to find ways to communicate love and comfort to a puppy that has no concept of such things was the most difficult process for me. I wanted to cuddle with him and kiss him on his forehead and he simply did not comprehend these endearments. He had similar behavioral issues with other dogs such as not being able to submit properly or play without feeling threatened. I was able to resolve this issue through what I called “loving exercises” consisting of verbal cues and a kind of sign language. For example, rubbing a dogs belly is a common sign of submission and reception of loving communication. To rub Cocoa’s tummy I had to use verbal cues so that he understood what I was going to do first. Then I showed him my open hand as a sign that went along with my verbal cue. I gave him the command, “lay down,” which he learned first. From the lay down position I was able to gently place my hand on his belly and reward him with a treat for letting me do so. I continued these loving exercises until one day (I will remember that day for the rest of my life) he let love into his heart and responded to the therapy with his whole heart.
- Reorient The Mouth: One of the biggest problems Cocoa had was going from a calm dog to a biting dog. He gave no warnings and no visual clues as to his dislike or fear of something. I had to find a way to teach him that there should be a progression of various clues given before biting. Such as, a dog usually will growl or show teeth as warning signs to back off before lunging in for the bite. I struggled to find a way to teach him these signs of progression. The idea came to me to teach him a game in which he would learn these progressions. The game was called keep away and consisted of a small ball which he hid in his paws. He had something that he did not want to give up and I had to get it from him. This exercise is completely different from trading a treat for something a dog has in his mouth. In this game I used hand placement to example to him my own varying degrees and attempts to get the ball. By my own examples of variation he began to learn some of his own variations. When he was over stimulated and considered biting I disrupted his thought process with the command, “calm down,” which he previously learned. It wasn’t long before he connected the dots and stopped biting suddenly.
- Safeguard from Further Trauma: It was during a very busy Passover that I had sent Cocoa for the second time to the groomer. There was no time for me to groom him because I was preparing the meal and home for guests. Later in the day my husband picked up Cocoa from the groomer and brought him home. I was in the bedroom when I heard this little whimper outside my door and when I opened it I saw my pup had a swollen bloody eye and had reverted back into his old shell. I examined him immediately and found pop marks on his head. We rushed Cocoa to the vet. The vet said that Cocoa had either been hit or strangled or both. The story the groomer told us was not comforting as they had left him on the table noose and he had nearly strangled himself. Groomers should NEVER leave a dog unattended while noosed to the grooming table! The physical wounds healed, but I lost months of rehab due to that traumatic incident. Know that trauma can come at any time and from any one and to do everything humanly possible to avert situations where your dog would be subject to further trauma.
Cocoa’s story is not unlike many of us who have gone through extremely difficult times in our lives. We may have been captive to our circumstances and surroundings so much so that it became familiar to us. If we are familiar with living from crisis to crisis, for example, when peace comes along we feel like something is wrong. If we have become familiar with being a victim of neglect or abuse we may not recognize then true love comes along. As a minister I have had to opportunity to counsel people. I tell them that they must come to a point where they recognize that familiar spirit of crisis and desire to embrace a spirit of peace instead. Furthermore, healing is a process and a journey which requires effort. One does not suddenly wake up one day healed from emotional scaring. One must become purposeful in utilizing the proper skills to defeat unproductive ways of dealing with hardship and adopt productive habits. There are times when the abused or neglected want to revert, like Cocoa, into little shells. Others respond to fear by lashing out and harming others. No matter what the issue is I am a firm believer that sacrificial love is the starting point and the result of all healing.
In conclusion, Cocoa is a loving companion to us and our other dog, Princess. He learned everything he needed to learn about living with humans and other dogs despite the antagonistic curses of three professional trainers. All though he will never be as loving and a free as Princess, who did not come from a puppy mill, Cocoa is fully rehabilitated. The past is long gone in comparison to his new life. I never regret getting Cocoa or going through the challenges of the journey with him- in fact, it is an honor. Being in a loving, peaceful, healthy environment is the best therapy for any trauma victim. So if anyone asks me, “How much is that doggie in the window?” I will say without any hesitation, “priceless.”
© 2014 Wendy Campbell – All Rights Reserved.
Helpful Articles
http://www.doglistener.co.uk/puppies/criticalperiods.shtml
http://www.thebalancedcanine.com/how-handle-fear-fear-aggression-dogs
http://www.nowisconsinpuppymills.com/victoria-stilwell-article.html