Help put my dog through rehabilitation
Donation protected
Please help put my dog, Maya, through behavioural rehabilitative training.
**TLDR:
**context:
- Maya is an affectionate 6-year-old Bully breed dog.
- She has maladaptive guarding behaviours due to being mistreated, poorly socialised and overprotective of me.
- I have reached my training limit with Maya’s behaviour and I need to get her into serious rehabilitative care before we reach a point of no return.
- She lunges and aggresses on strangers getting into her space.
- I have decided to send her to board and training to give us some space and so I can build myself back up from the relentless anxiety and exhaustion of the situation.
**Outcome:
- Maya can learn to feel safe and secure and that the world is something she can trust
- Maya can learn to better tolerate uncomfortable situations and unlearn anti-social responses.
- I can unlearn my maladaptive behaviours and not respond to every uncertain situation with anxiety and panic.
- We can enjoy frolicking and meeting new people again.
MORE info about Maya:
Maya is an affectionate and loyal 6yr old bully mix dog. I ended up becoming her guardian after saying yes to a request for me to foster her ‘till a forever home was found.
It became apparent within the first weeks that Maya has behavioural issues which made her unsuitable for the many sweet but inexperienced humans offering to take her on.
Since coming to understand her behaviour I've ended up being her sole guardian - something that has been both beautifully rewarding and extremely exhausting.
MORE ABOUT BAD BEHAVIOURS:
Maya has guarding behaviours and triggers around strangers. Often, when a person she does not know greets her or gets in her space Maya becomes nervous and unsure and defaults to aggressive and intimidating behaviours. I believe it is likely that these behaviours were trained into her in her previous life which, sadly, is very common for bully dogs like Maya. She is also poorly socialised with dogs and often doesn't know how to greet them or play respectfully, this is made worse due to her lack of freedom and frustration.
Often you can see that she is trying to make the right decision but she simply does not have the tools or the skills to approach difficult situations well. Neither do I.
It's worth noting here that Maya reacts badly to people, especially men not respecting her boundaries - generally people in public are terrible with this. Whilst people need to be better, She is too big and strong to have aggressive, intimidating, and defensive behaviours
MORE ABOUT GOOD BEHAVIOURS:
Once Maya recognises the person to be a friend or part of the pack she reverts back to being the very gentle and sweet baby she is with me and our closest friends.
She is one of the funniest, weirdest and loving dogs I have ever met, she is a major entertaining distraction in my life and the lives of those who love her. It breaks my heart that her problems drive a wedge between her and the friends she hasn't met yet.
- She always holds a toy in her mouth when super excited to see someone she loves.
- She LOVES woodland rambles.
- She loves spooning.
- She knows many tricks and commands (her favourite being ‘ON’ meaning.. climb up that big wall).
- She is very patient and attuned to people's emotions.
- She loves kids!
WHY REHAB:
- Maya needs to be put through training where she can learn how to behave in the situations she finds challenging.
- I am too nervous and inexperienced to do this and we both need a reset.
- I am now experiencing burnout I am no longer improving or managing her behaviours and have resigned to giving her less and less freedom.
- Due to her behaviours, I have become hyper-vigilant and stressed in public and no longer greet people when with Maya. We are spiralling and becoming more and more isolated.
About training and insurance:
I have seen three trainers with Maya, however, these trainers, like many trainers out there, were not experienced or qualified enough to help Maya or myself with our difficulties. I now have to go for a bigger and better trainer - however, these cost a lot more money, but they are highly esteemed and vouched for.
Why am I asking for money:
I have a habit of taking on duties that others would perhaps avoid. Even though I love Maya, she is a lot of work for me and I've had to make many, many compromises to ensure she is happy and healthy. One of these compromises is taking on less work.
I am asking for money to support her rehabilitation because I do believe the successful care of dogs such as Maya can only be possible with community and collective action not only so it doesn't land on the shoulders of one person, but so we can ensure dogs like Maya are not subjected to cruelty and mistreatment.
I am overworked, have Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI), and being Maya’s sole carer further limits my money-making options.
Hopeful outcomes of training (again):
- Maya can learn to feel safe and secure and that the world is something she can trust
- Maya can learn to better tolerate uncomfortable situations and unlearn anti-social responses.
- That I can unlearn my maladaptive behaviours and not respond to every uncertain situation with anxiety and panic.
- That we can enjoy frolicking and meeting new people again!
Training details and cost:
I am sending Maya to a board and training for one month to reset and correct her poor behaviour. Then, I will have one-on-one trainer support to train both myself and Maya together.
This will cost roughly £2000
I am interested in both loans and donations. If you’d wish to offer me a loan, please get in touch at: sortmydogout at gmail dot com.
One day I may rehome her somewhere with more available resources but I need to ensure that I've done everything possible to correct her behavioural issues before exploring this option.
I'm all too aware that there are things in much greater need of funding, which is why I've taken so long to ask for financial support. If you have well-resourced/financially secure friends or relatives who love dogs and would like to see Maya happier and experience more freedom then please send this crowdfunder their way.
More icky sentiments for you:
Dogs often become the symbols and signifiers of our personal and individual value systems, whether those values are centred on care, family, holding a relationship with nature and the outdoors… or to express power, strength, and dominance to protect ourselves from the world.
Dogs like Maya are often used to express our dominance, and thus become adjusted to a world that does not recognise softness, trust and love. I come from a place where dogs like Maya were used to fight, and were abused and treated like objects often by people who were abused and treated like objects themselves.
Teaching Dogs like Maya to trust that softness and love are readily available in the wider world is an honour for me and I believe is central to forging the communities of care we wish to see.
Thank you!
Answers to FAQs
Maya has pre-existing health issues which means finding insurance to cover training would cause me to lose insurance for this.
Maya is a bully mix - not insurable for training
Dog insurance is really poorly adapted to the demands and needs of dogs like Maya and is a total scam.
Organizer
Hannah Pearce
Organizer