So proud of Homer!

JES72

JES72

Location
SW London UK
Homer slept though a flurry of fireworks on Saturday night!! There was a wedding at one of the rowing clubs nearby and I'm sure the fireworks came from there, fortunately they were intermittent loud bangs and whistles but smaller ones in quick succession. But enough that I'm sure Homer would have reacted before.

Theres also a lot, A LOT, of banging and crashing on our river walk along the towpath as the Fulham Football stadium is being taken down for a new one to be built. At the moment there's a lot of clanging metal as they are dismantling with the help of a bulldozer all the seating in the stands. Homer on many occasions now has just trotted past with no care. We stop and play ball and he goes for a swim right opposite the stadium. Our path to the common has construction works for the Thames Tunnel which Homer trots past happily now too without a blink or a worry.

If all of this had been going on two years ago... I think we would have had to move away.
 
JES72

JES72

Location
SW London UK
We also had a street walk going across the busy noisy road. We were meant to be visiting a friend but I wasn't sure of the address, there are two roads that have similar names so we just walked up and along but in the end I had the wrong time anyway so we went along different roads to the common. I had Homer on his harness and he walked like a dream without any fuss and stopped at every crossing.

I still panic when I think of the days he wouldn't even leave the front door.
 
Cupcase

Cupcase

I've just read this and I'm so happy to read all of this. It's lovely to read about dogs who are scared from life and with the help of caring owners and a lot of work, can overcome these fears.
The fireworks stuff is another major achievement. I am so pleased for you.
 
JES72

JES72

Location
SW London UK
He is still unsure about rain, especially a heavy burst of rain. But he’s getting better. I’m taking the fireworks incident or non incident as a one off and still take full precautions come the end of October. Just thinking, best I get extra medication ordered now or I’ll be dropping Homer off with Boris Johnson to deal with. I’m sure no10 will need it’s carpets shredded and furniture rearranged along with everything else.
 
snowbunny

snowbunny

Location
Andorra and Spain
Wonderful to hear he was settled during the fireworks. Yes, it might not be repeatable next time, because this is not a linear journey, but it's a great indication that you're headed in the right direction with him :)
The relaxation around the other crashes and bangs is, I think, even more impressive. Fireworks are something you can understand aversion to and, whilst they might be distressing at the time, they're thankfully rare enough that they don't impact too heavily on general quality of life. Being able to cope with ordinary life sounds is a huge deal, though. Well done!
 
Charlie

Charlie

Location
Argyll & Bute, Scotland
@JES72 That is just brilliant news you must be so thrilled. I love these posts because they are far more important than walking at heel, retrieving etc. as it's about everyday life. Making sure Homer can cope and enjoy his walks and environment. A massive well done to you for doing everything for him to grow in confidence. xxx
 
JES72

JES72

Location
SW London UK
The builders next-door have just had a skip changed over. As the lorry arrived Homer went to the corner to start scratching so I went down stairs to have a look and to show Homer it wasn't scary. I left the front door open and stood with my back to the gate explaining everything to Homer and letting him know that the big lorry wasn't going to eat me. Homer sat just inside listening to me calmly although quite attentively. On a few occasions he came out the front door just to have a look then went back in a gain. No scratching, no climbing up on top of his cage!
 
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