Ella had an extreme fear of dogs, but her mom and dad were determined to help her overcome that fear. After seeing me post on social media about whelping my first litter, Ella’s mom, Laura, reached out to me to see if she could bring Ella to meet the puppies. Her hope was that allowing Ella to interact with small puppies would help her see that not all dogs are scary.
Starting when the puppies were 3 weeks, Ella and her family came to my house every Sunday to visit the puppies. At 3 weeks, they were just learning to walk and were very snuggly. Ella sat in the puppy pen, letting the pups crawl on her, and held some in her lap. Every week, Ella was able to interact with the puppies and see how they grew and changed. Her parents continued to work with Ella on her fear, especially on camping trips where she was exposed to many dogs.
Thanks to the time that Ella was able to spend with Peak Lab puppies, I am happy to report that Ella is no longer afraid of dogs. In fact, during their visits to my house, Ella and her family fell in love with one of the puppies, Gold, now Orion, and adopted him. Ella and Orion are now best buddies and Ella helps take Orion to his puppy classes.
Never underestimate the power of puppies and the positive change they can inspire in the world!