Now you can very quickly find their vice, be it treats, or toys, or squeakers and noises, and all of these help a lot, but the one thing that really brings them out of their shell is simply time. I try and give every dog, be it someone’s beloved pet or a rescue, time to relax, get to know me, and realize this is a safe and fun space. With just a little bit of patience, their personalities start to emerge and you are treated to meeting their true personality.

Unfortunately, some dogs I meet are currently in a rescue because their previous parents… weren’t the best humans and mistreated them. These dogs can have understandable trust issues, some may flinch if you raise your hand while others may try and take a chunk out of your leg if you get up from the floor too quickly. These types of dogs just need a little extra space and patience to develop a level of trust with me. I don’t fault dogs who snap at me, they sadly just don’t have many positive experiences with humans to draw from. All I ever ask of a dog is to be a dog and whatever they want to give me is completely determined by them.