Jasper joined our family a scared little dog.
A new addition to the Dew Claw family, Mr. Jasper joined us June 28 and we could not be happier. He is still not sure about it all, but when you consider where he came from you really can not blame him.
He came to us through Alaska Animal Friends Rescue (AARF), they do excellent work in the Anchorage area. I do not know much about his past, but prior to that he had been found running wild with his siblings, young dogs who, as far as anyone could tell, had never been in human contact. This was in the lower 48, and the chances for them at a shelter were not good, so as fortune and fate would have it they ended up at AARF in Anchorage.
I had been looking for a small dog for awhile and had seen Jaspers brother Merlin on the petfinder website for AARF. So when Dan and I heard there was a AARF event the same weekend as the Iditarod sign up picnic I was excited to go and meet the dogs. The day of the event Merlin was there looking nervous, but as I went to meet him I noticed in a corner hidden behind a kennel and looking like he was expecting to be trampled by the four horseman of the apocalypse his brother. He shrank when I went to try and meet him, and begrudgingly let me somewhat near him. When I went to pick him up to show him to Dan he was so scared he pooped. And yes, call me crazy but that was how I knew I wanted to adopt this stressed-out adorable little dog and give him a home. Come on, the poor guy was beside himself with fear. And who is going to rescue a dog that looks at you like you are the devil and hides in the corner. While we were there Dan reminded me that when he went it to adopt the dog he had when we met, BB it was the same thing. A litter of happy friendly puppies with one crouching in the corner. He took her, and BB was a great dog. So it was decided, I filled out an adoption application, Jasper went in to be neutered, and a sacred dog who never had a human of his own came to live at Dew Claw.
finding safety in his new home
He has been settling into his new home slowly. Again, not surprising. When you look at puppy development, there are stages not unlike other mammals, where specific things are learned, skills developed. *Here is a puppy development chart that shows the normal stages and shows suggestions for the humans socializing and raising the pups. Now just imagine what the effect of not having a human influence during this development. The puppy still grows, and the physiological development is the same. But dogs like Jasper never had the chance to learn about humans. I could also guess that in his life, up till the point he got to AARF he had never been able to form trust, did not live in a world where there was enough stability that expectations could be formed and met. So with all this I totally knew that building trust with Jasper could be a long process.
In addition to a questionable past Jasper has a questionable lineage as well. He is a total cutie, although of a quirky sort. We will never know what breeds went into his production, but possible suggestions have been – corgi, min pin, terrier, dachshund, dingo, chihuahua, healer, and my personal favorite Mexican street dog.
Belly Rub
There have been baby steps daily, and watching him come into his own is part of the fun. The photo shows one of those times. I was petting him in his kennel and as I got to his belly he lifted up his leg to let me give him a proper belly rub. Not sure who was more surprised, me that he let me or him that he liked it.
Watching Jasper make the transition to house dog has been full of baby steps like that. When he got here he spent a majority of his time hiding in his kennel, a week before he would come out and explore the cabin on his own. He had a fear reaction similar to skunks, pooping any time he stressed. Thankfully he is past that, and even lets us know when he needs to go outside. Pretty sure he does not know his name yet, but he is starting to respond to my voice. And just now, as I took a break from writing to take the dogs out, the teams started howling and Jasper actually showed interest and howled along; really cute!
At Guppy’s side
When we got him he had zero interest in toys. But he stuck to Guppy for comfort. She is such a good calm influence, and very tolerant while he snuggled into her kennel. And just recently he has been playing with Guppy and other dogs who have come to the house. And he has started to get excited when we come back to the house after our walks, he does a little wiggle dance waiting for me to open the door. You can just see it in him, there is a happy playful little dog in there.
enjoying some time outside
I made him a promise when he came home with me, “give me a chance and I will give you a great life”. Baby steps is how I will keep that promise.
“Little by little does the trick.” Aesop
In addition to welcoming Jasper I want to take a minute to thanks Dr. Carson’s who are once again working with Dew Claw to make sure our dogs are getting the very best, Dr. Carson’s All Natural Supplements. All our dogs. Including Jasper, who benefited immensely right away with improved digestion and a beautiful shinny coat.
If you want to learn more about the supplements and other excellent products, or just show them some love, you can ‘like’ them on Facebook.
Thank you Dr. Carson’s
