Days are improving; she is beginning to allow me to pick her up from the floor without fussing. When she sees me walking towards her as she lays in her spot in the window, she instinctively rubs her nose on the window trying to escape. to rub thru the glass, but she isn’t darting about like she used to. She has taken food from my hand a few times, and seemed to enjoy being fed.
I can now release her at the bathroom door and she walks across the floor to the shower and goes in by herself. She goes potty and waits for me. I praise her and make an abundant hoop-la-la.
This extreme enthusiasm must be played out again and again anytime she does something right. This positive vibration of energy feeds her spirit. Happiness abounds inside as she begins to see an avenue of communication. This understanding is the beginning of respect.
With Angel bedtime is the hardest thing ever. About 4 pm she insists on finding a place to sleep. I set up a nice warm, comfomfy cozy place and she wants no part of it. She prefers to squeeze and nudge into some cold corner of the room. It is unacceptable to me because I want her temperature to be constant. I set up a drawer that is private and warm and secure. I put her in, she gets out. I put her in, she gets out. Over and over again. It is so frustrating. Eventually she accepts her bed and falls asleep.
Another big issue is night terrors, She jumps out of the drawer in the middle of night and runs aimlessly in the dark, hitting the wall, simply dazed and confused. I turn on the light; pick her up gently with the upmost care. I hold her and comfort her. Her heart is pounding. I can hear her breath as she breaths heavily. She has had a bad nightmare and it shows she’s had trauma in her life. This girl has had a rough time. Whether it was at the hands of a human or an attack by another animal, her scars show it and her night terrors prove it.
It is important that I keep this in mind. At the same times, lines have to be drawn and she needs to know that I am the Alpha. This will come in time, but for now I need to restrain from anger and if I become frustrated and hit a road block I do one thing.. I put on the harness and allow her some outdoor time in the yard.