Pansy

Pansy is an 8-year-old black female born in 2015. She came to GALT as part of the population from the blood bank facility located in Cherokee, TX that closed in November 2017. Sadly, after finally finding her adoptive home, Pansy’s owner passed away. Pansy is now seeking her next and final soft-landing spot.

Darling Pansy is such a beautiful girl yet remains troubled by her past. We don’t know how long she was at the Cherokee Blood Bank, though we know that trauma lingers several years later.

Pansy would say she’s an introverted, stay at home kinda gal. She typically keeps to herself inside and occasionally will engage with other dogs in the back yard. When we go to give her some love, she can cower even though she wants to trust. Pansy has gathered the courage to take a mid-afternoon treat from her foster mom’s hand, although, it has to be given in a way that she feels is non-threatening. Pansy seems to enjoy this daily event and even wanders into the living
room at 3PM looking for her treat.

Pansy is very observant and processes her surroundings. She is a creature of habit and when that routine is disrupted, she gets unsettled. Pansy’s foster mom has provided her with multiple safe
zones’ to retreat to when she needs her space, her dog bed in the living room and dog bed in the master bedroom. Her foster mom is so proud of Pansy who, more and more, chooses to go to her bed in the living room, sharing space with her human and dog pals.

Pansy is not crated and at night she sleeps on her bed in the bedroom with the family. She has access to the living room during the night but now chooses to sleep with her pack. Pansy has shown no interest in getting up on the furniture even though she is allowed.

Pansy knows the word “outside” and will jump off her bed and race to the back door to go out. She is a bolter, so the door needs to be wide open to her fenced in backyard! There was no dog door at Pansy’s previous home and she isn’t using the one available at her current foster home.

Pansy does well with multiple turn outs a day on a consistent schedule and has not had an accident in the house since her first day here. Sometimes noises outside can frighten her and she’ll run inside, while at other times, we sit and wait with the door open for her to decide it is okay to come inside. Pansy has gradually become more confident about coming back into the house, which is HUGE for her.

Corralling Pansy to put a leash on her can be a challenge, likely due to unpleasant events from her previous life. Her foster mom makes it less stressful by restricting access to space when leashing her. Pansy accepts her foster mom getting down to her level and slowly approaching her with the leash. It’s a Pansy world and whatever it takes to make her feel comfortable we do it. Once on lead she is submissive and will go with you. Outside the home she is uncomfortable with all the sensory things going on and will pull, so you must make sure she is securely leashed. Surprisingly though, she rides beautifully in the car and loads in and out just fine.
Pansy must be in a home with other dogs – small or large, she takes her lead from canine companions more so than humans. She currently shares a foster home with a small dog and a male greyhound. Pansy has bonded with the greyhound in her own way and would do best in a home with other greyhounds. A house with a yard is best; apartment life with unfamiliar noises would make her too nervous.

Pansy is not one to actively engage her people; she needs a peaceful and quiet home where she can be safe and loved, even from a distance. We’ve seen a lot of progress over the last few years
and every move she’s made has seen some baby steps forward. Pansy will continue to transform and have pleasant memories to replace her past. This beautiful girl needs all the patience, time and love the right family can give her.

Sometimes we adopt greyhounds to gain a silly affectionate companion to enrich our lives . . .and other times, we step up to give more with different expectations – the hope for the rewards that come from small, everyday kind of victories that only come from helping a special hound.