Day 1, meeting Aurora

Sunday, Jan 26, 2020  @ 4pm

I arrived at PAWS medical center in Little Village to meet Aurora.  She looks so sad and afraid.  She has sores on her front legs and worn spots on her rear legs, with healed scars on her sweet face. There are deep brown eyes in what looks like a distinctive Staffie face but her body is smaller, the size and coloring of a Lemon Beagle.  After a brief orientation with instructions on how to feed her and care for her sores, Aurora (with great encouragement) walked down the stairs with me and out to the street to my car.  I cannot stress enough how frightened she seemed.  Before we traveled more than 20 feet she squatted and peed on the concrete sidewalk.  She followed me to my car but wouldn't jump in (and the cone around her head didn't help).  She did allow me to pick her up and I placed her in the back seat for the ride home.  The ride home was uneventful, but I decided to take side streets and drive home with the windows open so she could feel the fresh air.

Sunday, Jan 26, 2020 @ 4:30 pm

We arrived home and I lifted Aurora out of the car and let her down in the garage.  She made her way to the door and into the yard only with a tug on her leash.  I removed the leash and she walked into the grass and peed again, and then turned around a few times and squatted to poop, if you could call it that.  It was pretty much liquid.  That may be a particularly green patch of grass next summer.  On we go into the house to meet the resident dog, Molly.  They sniff each other and Aurora takes her time exploring the house.  I show her the crate where she will sleep, and the water dish.  My children, in turn, introduce themselves to her and everything seems fine... until she put her paws on my lap and I pulled her up onto the couch. Molly wasn't happy with this development and she whined a bit.  I encouraged her to approach, thinking she could join us on the couch and I could have one dog on either side.  As Molly came closer, she was nose to nose with Aurora and Aurora growled and snapped.  Molly fled to the basement and I let her go.  I went about my evening, preparing dinner and let the dogs stay separated for the time being.

Sunday, Jan 26, 2020 @ 6:30 pm

After dinner, I prepare the dogs' food bowls.  I place Aurora's bowl in her crate but she's having difficulty eating because of the cone collar. She sniffs it but doesn't eat. Meanwhile, I am trying to get Molly to come upstairs so she can eat and go outside while I plan a controlled re-introduction.  Aurora, of course, is still following me like a shadow and she is behind me when Molly reaches the top of the stairs.  This was a disaster.  She snapped at Molly's nose again and this time drew blood.  Molly fled downstairs, now terrified, and I yelled "NO!" at Aurora and pulled her into her crate.  Molly is absolutely inconsolable and is shaking in fear. She has retreated to her safe place where she goes to hide from thunder. Her nose is bleeding.  I treat her injuries and bring her bowl downstairs, hoping she will at least eat in her safe place.  I go back upstairs to deal with Aurora.  I release her from the crate and attempt to soothe her, thinking that she is also afraid in this new place.  She still hasn't eaten or attempted to drink from the water dish. I decide that this the best time to apply the medicated ointment to her sores. As I stood up to retrieve the ointment, that's when she peed on the carpet.

Sunday, Jan 26, 2020 @ 8 pm

Carpet is cleaned, and Aurora does eventually eat and drink.  We take another trip outside where I praise her for doing her business outside.  I'm attributing the carpet incident to fear. With one of the kids holding Aurora in the living room on her leash, I coax Molly outside through the side door.  She does her business and I let her take her time but it's clear she doesn't want to go back inside.  I do eventually manage to get her inside and she eats her kibble but resists our efforts to bring her into the living room.  She escapes upstairs and hides in my daughter's bedroom, eventually climbing into her bed at night.  By 9 pm, I was ready to call it a night.  I put Aurora in her crate, but she didn't go willingly. In fact, she whined and pawed at the opening, attempting to open the crate door.  When I turned off the house lights she calmed down and presumably went to sleep.