Thawing Sarge

Part 3: Spring to Summer

When I thought nothing could bring me more joy, I really thought it was true.

Then, three weeks later, I wake up to him curled up against my back instead of at the end of the bed. Usually, the risk of falling off the foot of the bed for him is high. He moved to be next to me all by himself. 

I was definitely wrong. 

This makes me so much happier than just getting to pet him. He's really warming up to me. I quickly grab my phone and take a picture for Liam. He's going to be psyched the next time he calls me.

Now that I think Sarge actually likes me instead of just tolerating me, I need to get him used to more people. 

It's only practical that my first step towards accomplishing this would be car rides. Actually, it ends up feeling more like steps one through ten with how long it takes me to get him to comply with getting in the vehicle at all. 

Then, I don't even start the engine, we simply sit in the driveway, me in the driver's seat and him whining from the floor of the back. He's scared and I wish I knew why. It's not like he's never been in a car before. The helpless feeling seeping through to my bones leaves me with nothing else to do other than show my support over top my confusion. 

His mind has him somewhere else. Someplace I've never been and will never be brave enough in a million years to go. 

I work with his nerves being the biggest thing in the stationary car everyday, keeping us in there longer and longer every time. I keep crossing my fingers that he'll start feeling less trapped but every time without fail he leaps from the enclosed space at the first available opening. 

Maybe I should have tried starting with a walk around the block. I just couldn't get past the worrisome possibility that Sarge could lash out at someone passing him on the street. There's no way to tell how a scared dog may act out when they perceive someone as a threat. 

 So, with the knowledge that one bite would finish this for us banging around my conscious, we keep going. Well, I keep forcing him to sit in the car everyday but I'll attribute any progress made to the both of our efforts. 

And there is eventually progress made that is truly all his own. After two to three weeks of the same routine, his head lifting from the cars carpeted floor slows my breathes cautiously. I stay completely still as I watch him from my uncomfortably twisted spot, his head coming to rest on the center console next to me. 

Bravery reflects in the gaze he settles on my face. I reach out and pet him, his ears relaxing slightly. 

"Okay." I breathe, pausing with my hand on his head. "This next part might be a little scary." I tell him even though I'm aware of the fact that he's a dog. Grabbing hold of my keys in the ignition, I keep one eye on him as I turn it over. 

The car rumbles to life. Tension straightens Sarge's ears up to alert points as he lifts his head, eyes darting around anxiously. 

It isn't the reaction I'm expecting but then again, I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting in the first place. He watches my movements carefully, head turning swiftly when I start rolling down a window.  

We make it out of the driveway the next day and, while he isn't exactly excited over it, he does tolerate it quietly. I crack all of the windows for our short trip around the neighborhood. While I'm freezing, I figure some interesting new smells might intrigue him. 

His head making its way out the windows over the next few trips proves me right quickly. He enjoys sniffing through the cold, light breeze blowing through his fur. I even see his tongue hang out at one point.