I picked up 10-month-old Kenya almost two weeks ago and she was as skittish as could be. At one point, I had to tell her "No!" when she tried to eat food off the coffee table. She ran away and hid, whimpering in her crate until I could coax her out. (My "no's" have been much more gentle since then.)
Kenya was especially afraid of hardwood floors. Around the house, she ran from rug to rug, with a wild look in her eye when she wasn't on her carpet "island." Worse, she was very afraid of my 16 year-old son. She barked at him every time he came in the room and, despite treats, it took her a long time to warm up to him. On the other hand, she liked my husband and daughter.
The background is that Kenya was adopted at an early age, and then just chained up in her owner's back yard for most of her young life. She wasn't used to being inside, and she wasn't used to having a lot of people around. When she was returned to the dog shelter, in Tennessee, she was mixed in with lots of dogs, so she still wasn't very people oriented.
The good news is that two weeks have passed, and Kenya is a new dog. She gets happy and excited when my son, or any of us, come home. She loves to be petted, and she has even learned a few tricks. In fact, Kenya is a great house guest. She doesn't get on furniture, she's not destructive, she's totally house trained, and she sleeps through the night. Of course, she barks a little more than I'm used to, but she is part German Shepherd and they love to guard the house!
Kenya will make a great addition to any family as an only dog or an additional dog. She's very affectionate and well-mannered. If you know of anyone who would like a sweet guard pup, please put them in touch with me at 781-631-9552. Also, I think maybe we should change her name from Kenya to Tenya - because she is, after all, from Tennessee!
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