Adoption Event

I took Addison to an adoption event in Arlington today. There were no adopters scheduled to meet with her but I thought it would be good to use it as an exercise for her to be around people and dogs.

I started the day by taking her for a 4 mile run because I wanted to take her to the event drained of some energy. This is because I figured it would be better that she didn't have as much energy to become nervous or shy. She did a great job on the run and when we were finished she still had a good bit of energy so maybe I should have taken her on a 10K!

When we arrived at the event we were walking up to the group with her tail wagging while meeting dogs and people. Several people commented on how she seemed like a different dog and I was happy that she was coming out of her shell. She kept this up for about 15-20 minutes and then she started regressing. I tried to take her for a walk to loosen her up again but realized I would not get her into the state of mind she was in when we first arrived.

I was happy she came out of her shell but she still needs support and encouragement. I'll keep challenging by meeting new people and dogs to help her get through these phobias.