Thawing Sarge

Part 2: Winter to Spring

As it turns out, Sarge thinks he can stay under there forever. Days pass with me checking on him every chance I get. He doesn't make much noise or move around a whole lot. It's pretty much as if he's trying to be invisible. 

At first I try to lure him out with treats but I eventually come to the conclusion that he'll come out when he's ready. My goal at the moment is to let him get used to my presence.

It isn't until I'm lying on the floor near him on Christmas Eve that he gives me any indication my plan is working. He slowly wriggles himself a little closer to me and eats one of the abandoned treats that I'd tossed towards him a couple of days ago. I wait for him to finish and look at me before reaching my hand out towards him slowly. The tips of my fingers rest on the carpeted floor a little less than a foot away from him by the time I'm done extending my arm.

He eyes my hand skeptically for a few moments before lowering his head gradually to smell me. His nose twitches a few times as he sniffs me but, otherwise, he shows no signs of aggression. He seems more cautious than truly scared right now. This might be working.

I eventually have to get up and go downstairs for family dinner. When I come back, Sarge is still under the bed and now he's pushed himself back further again.

"Hi, Sarge." I greet him anyway when I enter the room, bending over to peek at him so he can see me and I can make sure he's doing alright under there. 

My biggest concern is how he's gone so long without going to the bathroom. At first, I figured my carpet would need to be replaced but there still isn't any smell when I walk into my room.

I'm still awake at midnight that night, curled up in blankets on my bed to research PTSD in war dogs. A shuffling sound comes from under the bed. My hands freeze on my keyboard. I look over and wait. A moment later, Sarge's head pops up over the edge of my bed.

A Christmas miracle.

"Hi." I say. He looks at me before sitting by the edge of my bed. A minute passes with him looking at me before I get an idea. "Outside?" I ask. His ears immediately perk up and he stands. I get off my bed slowly to avoid startling him but all he does is move out of my way.

I throw on my snow boots and a coat before opening my bedroom door and standing in the doorway. Sarge looks at me from his standing spot across the room. "Come on, it's okay." I say softly as I pat the side of my leg with my hand. He steps forward and follows me all the way to the backyard, stopping to stand next to me on the back patio.

"Go on." I tell him and gesture out to the yard. He doesn't budge from my side.

"Okay." I try another release word. This time he takes off into the backyard, flinging snow up behind him as he goes.

The backyard is a half acre of fenced in space so I sit down on a cold metal patio chair and wait for him to come back. I can't keep track of him in the dark anyway. The only way I know his general location is by listening for the sound of crunching snow.

He eventually jogs back up to me, out of breath with his tongue hanging out, and we go back inside. This time he walks in front of me on the way back to my room, going straight over to his food and water dishes by his cage. He has to sniff them skeptically first but then he eats and drinks his fill while I settle myself back on my bed.

I expect him to go back under my bed once he's done but, instead he sits at the edge of my bed and looks at me again. He's just full of surprises today. We look at each other for a couple of minutes until he rests his head on my bed. 

Oh, he wants to get up here too.

"Okay, up." I tell him, gesturing to the foot of the bed. He quickly but gracefully jumps up onto my bed and curls into a ball at the very end of it. I almost can't believe it. He could have gone into his cage but instead he wanted to sleep up here.