Welcome, Mya!

Happy Friday Everyone!

I talk about my dogs with some frequency on this blog, more so the past year given we've lost both boxers and gained two pit bulls in that time, and today I just wanted to do one more post to welcome our newest addition!

Mya is two years old (best guess), and had the great misfortune of being sold as a puppy to a dog fighter. As a result of being beaten nearly to death, she's wary of new people in general and absolutely terrified of men in particular. When we met her at her foster's home, she was a little cautious but warmed up to both me and my husband in no time, so we figured we were in relatively good shape. That was definitely a bit naive of us because we're new to rescue (Gracie was our first and she's quite possibly the most unflappable, well-adjusted dog ever), but the dog we met at the foster is not the same dog we brought home, as her new environment has triggered all the fear behaviors I'm sure she had when she was first rescued. She has a lot of trouble with sudden movements and skitters away in fear if either of us happens to have something in our hands, and it breaks my heart every time she does it.

Mya is proving to be a bigger challenge than we were honestly prepared for, but I know it's going to be an enormously rewarding experience to watch her come out of her shell and start to feel comfortable with us. We're going to have a bumpy road at times I'm sure, and I know Kevin and I will make mistakes (we already have) because she's the first abused dog we've welcomed into our home, but she's such a sweet girl and wants so desperately to please us. Sometimes her fear just gets the better of her, so "be patient" is our new mantra. We both know she's worth waiting for!

While she's still unsure about the two of us (but I think doing amazingly well considering everything she's been through), she and Gracie are becoming the best of friends which makes me absurdly happy. I know Gracie was content on her own, but she's a social butterfly for sure, and seeing the two of them doing zoomies and playing tug of war in the backyard all day has basically had me in ugly tears the past week and a half since Mya's been here. Mya also takes a lot of her cues from Gracie, which I think will go a long way in helping her settle in and feel safe.

Below are a few pictures! They're basically twins, but Mya is the one on the left below with less white on her face and floppy ears:)