My dog has a history of abuse from humans before we adopted her and was viciously attacked at a dog park since joining our family. Yet it was until a couple of weeks ago that I realized her behavior during walks wasn’t due to needing yet more walks, but from her anxiety and fear due to encounters with off leash dogs. She does not enjoy neighborhood walks, rather she is tense, body tight, ears twitching this way and that, eyes always scanning to see if a loose dog is approaching.

Upon finally (gratefully) realizing this, we made the decision to stop neighborhood walks entirely, focusing instead on indoor games and enrichment activities. And since letting go of the walks, she’s begun calming down overall. I’ll be forever grateful we finally saw her truth and were able to meet her where she’s at 🙏🏻