10/14/2026
🐾Making good decisions is exhausting 🐾
Our boy Dash is starting to show us that he can make good decisions all on his own 🥹
For those who don’t know Dash’s story, this boy has struggled tremendously with overstimulation and reactivity. Even interactions with people he knows have been difficult for him. In fact, one neighbor who has known Dash for months told us she doesn’t even look at him when he’s around because something as simple as eye contact (even after months of knowing him) could cause him to become overstimulated and reactive.
But today something pretty amazing happened!
Dash was out on a walk with his foster mom when a stranger approached looking for votes.
And guess what Dash did?
He sat down, turned his back to the stranger, and looked up at his foster mom for direction 🥹
No reactivity. No overstimulation. He simply chose not to engage with the stranger and instead looked to his foster mom to handle the situation.
And here’s the BEST part!
Nobody told him to do that!
His foster mom didn’t give him a command or ask him to focus on her. Dash made that decision completely on his own! For a dog who has struggled so much with regulating his emotions and reactions, this is HUGE! It’s one thing to teach a dog to follow a command. It’s another thing entirely to see that dog begin making better decisions independently.
And that’s exactly what we’re starting to see with Dash!
And we have to give some BIG props to his foster mom too! She’s been working so hard with Dash, embracing his training, putting in the work, and doing everything she can to help this boy succeed. Her dedication to him is truly something special ❤️
They’re both learning, growing, and building confidence together, and we absolutely LOVE seeing it🥹
Dash still has a journey ahead of him, but moments like this show us just how far he’s coming.
🐾💙We’re so proud of you Dash!!
Keep going, buddy 💙🐾
