Thawing Sarge

Part 4: Summer to Fall

I spend the first week of August brainstorming on how to desensitize Sarge to other dogs. He doesn't have to love them, I'm perfectly fine with not cultivating any close doggy relationships, but I would like for him to be more comfortable with the presence of other living things. 

"What am I gonna do with you?" I ask him as we lay on my bed. I'm staring at my ceiling but I can feel his head resting on my stomach. He could be asleep for all I know. 

Now, if I could just get him to be this comfortable with other dogs and people. He's been doing better with people since we started going on walks but he doesn't let anyone or anything get too close to us.

I just can't think of a good way to desensitize him to other dogs. I could take him to a dog park but I'm worried that the unpredictable environment would pose too many risks. We need dependable control on variables such as leashes and proximity. 

"That's it!" I sit up slightly in bed, startling Sarge awake. 

He looks around the room before settling his disappointed gaze on me. 

"I'm sorry, buddy." I apologize and scratch his ear. "How would you like to go to work with me?" I ask him.

The next day at the vet clinic, I spend an hour telling my boss all about Sarge. By the time I'm done she thinks I'm a saint and he's a hero. We had never talked much before today because as a receptionist I mostly deal with patients' parents and vet techs. Her first big impression of me is that I took in a canine veteran in need of help. 

She ends up telling me to bring him to work with me whenever I'd like, as long as he stays behind the desk, and offers to give him a check up and update his vaccinations for free.

So, on the day of my next scheduled shift, I wake up and get dressed before calling Sarge over to me. He habitually heads for his cage at first but I don't meet him over there. His eyes meet mine from inside his cage.

"Come on." I gesture out the bedroom door with my head. He follows me to the car, slightly confused at the change in his schedule but otherwise unbothered.

He's nervous about getting out of the car once we arrive but trusts me when I tell him to come with me. We walk into the clinic where he spends ten minutes sniffing around the waiting room and visually inspecting my coworkers before following me behind the desk.

 Another receptionist brings out a bed for him from the back and situates it under my computer next to my feet. He sits next to my chair at first, watching us get ready for the day and getting accustomed to the new space.

My coworkers struggle with not being able to cuddle him but make up for it by telling me how handsome he is every five minutes. He has identified them as friends and settled under the desk by the time we open. 

We get the first few patients in without him reacting much. He raises his head everytime the door opens but doesn't make any other moves. It's not until a dog comes in the door barking that he gets up.

 I let him put his front paws on the desk next to my computer to get a look over the counter at the dog causing all the ruckus. He doesn't start growling until the other dog's owner walks them up to the desk. His eyes are wide and his ears are back.

"Shhh, it's okay." I soothe his anxiety the best I can. Someone else checks in the newcomer while I pet Sarge, his growls quieting when he realizes that I am not alarmed in any way. He seems to understand that unless I think something is a big deal, he doesn't usually need to worry about it.

I keep taking him to work with me for the rest of August and through September. He eventually gets to where he can go hours without even standing up and walking around behind the desk to scope things out. He spends a lot of his time asleep next to my feet.