Adopting a dog for the first time can be a little scary. But for a woman in Mississippi, it wasn't the daunting prospect of caring for a new four-legged family member, it was the appearance of the dog himself.You see the pooch in question - aptly named Tater Tot - carried the marks of a hard life. Underweight with a scarred, rough looking exterior and medical issues that included heartworm. Add in an anxious, frightened personality and this Pittbull mix was not topping the must-have list for potential adopters.But the story of Tater Tot is a reminder that first impressions rarely tell the whole truth about a dog or about the person bringing him home. In this instance, he was a stray in Mississippi, in the care of a rescue group that was working hard to find him a home. When his adoptive mom, Caitlyn, first encountered him, his size and physical features left her nervous and intimidated. But the love-starved stray made the choice for her. He walked straight up to her, leaned against her legs, and climbed into her lap. Been there, love that!And understandably, the medical challenges delivered the same concerns to Cairlyn, that all who adopt rescues, are faced with. That's why a dog who looks tough, or who comes with a stack of vet bills, gets passed over again and again, even when his temperament is gentle. This is one of the quiet tragedies of shelter life. But Tater Tot's rough exterior and health problems did not put Caitlyn off, and that willingness to look past the surface is exactly what big, scarred, medically complicated dogs need from the people walking through rescue doors.An uneasy reaction to a dog's size is not unusual, either. An overwhelming fear of dogs, known as cynophobia, is one of the most common specific phobias, and the Cleveland Clinic notes that about one in three people with an animal phobia fears dogs specifically. Caitlyn's initial nervousness around Tater Tot's size put her in common company, which makes her decision to bring him home anyway all the more striking.His behavior at home told the story of where he had been. At first he was afraid of everything and everyone, a pattern that can point to a history of abuse. Any large object Caitlyn lifted, or any loud noise, would send him flinching and bolting away. He would duck for cover whenever she cried or he picked up on her anger. None of this was aggression. It was fear, and fear in a 60-pound dog can be mistaken for a threat by people who do not know him.Tater Tot's adjustment was not quick. Feeling safe took him a long while, which is normal for a dog with his background. According to Humane World for Animals, dogs that have lived in multiple homes or shelters may take longer to acclimate to a new home, and the move alone is enough to overwhelm most dogs. The move itself is stressful for both sides, and the process of a dog and owner getting used to each other can stretch from days to months or longer.A few steps smooth that transition. A new dog should ideally arrive during a weekend or any period when someone can stay home for the first few days, and the household should stay as calm and steady as it can through that first week and beyond. Feeding and walking at the same times each day helps establish routine and trust, the two things a scared dog needs most. And toys help!Expect accidents, too. Many house-trained dogs eliminate indoors while adjusting, so the safest approach is to assume your dog still needs house-training and plan accordingly, taking him out every few hours during those early weeks.Caitlyn learned Tater Tot's preferences and reshaped her life around them. An important step in adoption because a dog who feels physically secure in his space relaxes faster everywhere else.She also leaned on the one tool that works best with a fearful dog: reward, not correction. Positive reinforcement is the approach experts recommend for fearful dogs, and the time Caitlyn gave her new fur kid is what helped the two of them build their bond.Tater Tot's size shapes his needs. At around 60 pounds, he is a larger dog, and larger dogs benefit from long runs, walks, or hikes. These days he parks himself at the front door in anticipation of his daily walk, a sign of a dog who has come to trust his routine.The plan that brought Tater Tot into Caitlyn's life fell apart. She originally adopted him for a friend who was training for the Navy, and the pair had intended to relocate to Florida together. When that move did not work out, Caitlyn decided to keep him.By then, the dog who once hid from loud noises had changed. He became more comfortable around strangers, even after early trips to dog parks where people would leave, wrongly claiming he was aggressive. He is now so attached that he will stretch out right on top of Caitlyn, and he is deeply responsive to her emotions. He also gained a sibling. His sister Sweet Pea, another dog Caitlyn adopted and was likely used for breeding before her rescue, is his constant companion. The two nap and cuddle together and dislike being separated for long.If a dog's appearance or medical history is giving you pause at a shelter, remember Tater Tot. The dog others called aggressive turned out to be gentle, loyal, and desperate for someone willing to wait him out. The dog waiting by the door for his walk was once too afraid to come out from hiding.
