Author: vibeke

Fireworks…….the celebratory tradition for the 4th of July that, though fun for most people, is horrifyingly scary to pets. In our neighborhood, knuckleheads like to shoot off fireworks every couple of hours at night both weeks before and after the 4th – which has turned Nora’s life into pure hell. She is TERRIFIED of the sound, and will hide in her crate or in a corner, shaking like a leaf. She also refuses to leave the house for walks, or even to relieve herself. It’s heartbreaking to watch, but all we can do is act normal as to not give her any additional confirmation that this is something to fear.

She has been taking both L-Theanine and Melatonin as supplements for her anxiety for a while now, but even that can’t take the edge off when the fireworks go off.

Enter George…..one of our cats, and Nora’s best buddy. Last night after nothing had worked to calm her anxiety, we saw George walk into her crate and lay down with her. A little while later her hyperventilating and fear seemed to have subsided a little. Still scary, but less so with friends there looking out for you….

Hoppy 4th of July to all of you….

make sure your pets stay indoors, safe and sheltered from the worst of the fireworks noise.

In 17 days it’ll be a year since Nora came into our lives. It’s been a year full of ups and downs and challenges to overcome, but most of all a year full of love and joy.

The amputation of what was left of her leg was the ‘easy’ part…..helping her overcome her anxieties was the main challenge. Last weekend she finally allowed not only one, but TWO visitors in our house with absolutely no barking or growling!!! She followed every command we gave her, and gently took treats from our guests hands when offered. We couldn’t be more proud of our girl!

She’s also overcome her fear of children and her reluctance to be pet by anyone other than us. Watching her lean into our neighbor’s hand while being pet, or obediently sitting down when a little boy on our block told her ‘sit’ before petting her head are moments that are hard to fully explain in words how much they mean to us.

You did it, Nora! You learned how to be a carefree dog!!!

Of course this could be a coincidence, but if it is it’s a strange one for sure!

This past week, Nora has ‘amputated’ the right front leg on 2 of her favorite toys…..incidentally, the same limb she lost…

It’s been a while since the last Nora update. Physically she’s doing great, so we figured we’d update you all on the psychological/behavioral part of her healing process. Even though Nora’s story differs from most of the other tripawd members, who have lost a limb to cancer – I’m sure that also involves some psychological healing.

Nora lost her leg to cruelty…..her leg was sawed off below the elbow, and she lived with that leg stump/exposed bone for many months, only getting very basic medical care with antibiotics and a crude attempt to cover the bone with skin. When she arrived in the US, the actual full amputation was a breeze for her – as she had already adjusted to life as a tripawd. Psychologically though, she’s had a long road to healing.

We were amazed at how friendly she was to humans from the very beginning. She trusted us from day one, and never ever showed any signs of aggression. We did of course have to teach her basic things like how to walk nicely on a leash. In the beginning she was VERY reactive to things on our walks. Bikes, shopping carts, skateboards and strollers would really set her off. It took time, but now she has perfect manners on leash and isn’t shaken by anything anymore. Another issue was hyper vigilance  – she would bark her little head off all day long at any sounds from outside the house. With time and patience, that was also overcome. She’s a smart girl – and just needed help working through her anxieties.

The very last hurdle we’re dealing with is her over protectiveness of our house. She loves EVERYONE she meets outside, but soon as anyone steps foot inside our house her anxiety kicks in and her only focus is getting the ‘intruder’ out. Barking, lunging and hair standing up on her back. We’ve been working with a trainer for months, and we’ve made great progress. Last time the trainer was here, we could finally let Nora off leash during the session!!! She followed every command she was given, and very gently took treats from the trainers hand when rewarded. We will continue to desensitize her to visitors, as it seems every new person coming into our home has to go through their own individual process with her before she settles down. We have learned so much during this process, and we’re so very proud of Nora. She’s come a long way since her days as a stray dog in Iran.

Happy holidays!

Nora REALLY enjoyed her Christmas! We never do anything extravagant over the holidays – but this was still special for all of us, having Nora celebrate with us. With 2 cats in the house, a Christmas tree is out of the question – though honestly, our own laziness is just as much to blame 😉

We wanted to share Nora opening up her very first present. She had SO much fun opening up her presents and playing with all her new toys!

The boys also wanted to spread some holiday cheer on Nora’s page. Kai (white) and George (tabby) wish everyone continued happy holidays