Tilly Rehab Fundraiser

Two years ago many friends, family, and pet lovers donated money and love towards our sweet foster fail Tilly. Many people played a part in rehabilitating her and supporting us. It is with great sadness I report that this past week, our best friend Tilly crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

We will always treasure the two short years we got to have her in our lives. She was a special girl, and she loved us in her own special way, as we did her.

We learned how to be her cheerleader in the ways she needed, rather than the ways we did. We watched her blossom into her most “doggy” self. All she wanted was to be close to her moms. In the end, it became clear that no amount of love and trust would heal the hurts that kept her from being a relaxed, happy dog.

Life with her was sometimes scary, and often difficult - but the struggles were absolutely worth the immense sweetness she brought to our lives. We could not have done it without the support of friends, family, the staff at VCA Country Oaks Animal Hospital, and the trainers at Tug Dogs, particularly Julie, who understood more than anyone what we were going through, and taught us an immense amount about being good dog owners.

We don’t regret adopting Tilly. We also don’t regret the horrible choice we had to make. We no longer feel anxious and sad, or fearful and sad, or trapped and sad - we are simply, sad. We will continue to love, miss, and remember her silly self. She was worth knowing, and she is worth missing.

Hi Cheerleaders of Tilly!

We have been working hard at training for the past couple of months. While Tilly has been getting more comfortable in her skin, overall progress with stranger danger has plateaued. Our trainer recommended that it may be time to try her on anti-anxiety medication in order to get her to a place where training will be effective. We don't look at this as giving up on her, but as getting her the help she needs to feel safe in the world. We will also be getting her thyroid levels checked, as this can be a source of inconsistent behavior.

So this week Tilly will be heading to her very first checkup with a vet! We chose a vet hospital that is certified in Fear Free handling, which means they deal with a lot of behaviorally sensitive animals. Wish us luck.

Tilly is not an overnight case, so we thank everyone who has supported us through the last few months.

Love,
Tilly, Aviel, and Molly

We had our first training session this week! We practiced walking along a fence-line with a person and/or a dog on the other side of it. She did awesome for her first try, very excited but for the most part checking in with her handler throughout!

As Tilly is getting more comfortable, she’s also less shy about her “desires”

We are more than 1/3 way to our goal! We can't thank everyone enough!! Our fundraiser has already been so helpful in getting her the help the shelter didn't, including advice and morale. If anyone else is able to help out, no amount is too little!

Last weekend, Tilly had her evaluation with a Trainer who spent 5.5 hours observing Tilly's limits (see: chickens) and answering our questions. We love how positive the training style is and have learned so much already, so we made a plan to get Tilly ready for training.

Tilly's behavioral diagnosis is as follows:
" - Confidence: low
- Impulse control: low
- Anxiety: medium but could get worse with overstimulation
- Separation anxiety: low but definitely something to be proactive about"

In a few weeks we will begin a three-month training program to help boost Tilly's confidence and learn how best to help her! In the meantime we will do our homework and limit interactions with strange dogs and people in order to make them as positive as possible.

20% raised to getting Tilly to the behavior dogtor! We want to make sure she has the chance to be happy and well-adjusted around others. Follow this link to read her story and lend a paw

We hit 10% of our goal! Thanks to all who have donated so far! If you are able, please help us fund life-changing behavioral therapy for our sweet little SPCA reject (after this nap).