# Was Jett abused?



## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

Jett is my rescue. He came to me when he was a year old. I don't really know his history. It's very vague. I was told he was an owner surrender and that he came from a very reputable breeder. His personality and temperament are out of this world fantastic. He has shown no signs of fear except that he doesn't like big dogs and has a tendency to not be too trusting of black dogs in general. He is curious and inquisitive and totally fine in new surroundings and situations. As long as his mommy is with him. lol Sometime ago I got one of those bamboo back scratcher things and I just put it in my nightstand. I totally forgot about it but had a spot between my shoulder blades a few weeks ago that I just couldn't reach. So I sat on the bed, and of course my little shadow immediately climbed up onto the bed with me. The minute I got the back scratcher out his tail went down, his ears went down, and he jumped off the bed and hid. He wouldn't come out for quite awhile and trembled. So I've experimented with the back scratcher several times to see if I could get him over his fear of it. And I can't. The other day I was using Christmas wrapping paper for some of my displays and I was talking to my mom and lightly tapping the empty cardboard roll against my leg. Again Jett was terrified and tried to find a place to hide. He ended up behind one of the beds in the corner trembling. Can a dog be afraid of something like that without having been abused or hit? I guess it really doesn't matter but the thought of someone hitting him just has me....I really don't have words. He is so tiny and so sweet I have no idea why anyone would want to hit him.


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## princessre (Dec 23, 2008)

I'm so sorry Jett is trembling at the sight of the back scratcher and the wrapping paper. I understand how you feel wondering about his past. He is such a precious baby to you and all of us that when something you can't explain happens, you wonder if something bad happened in the past. Jett sounds so well-socialized in every other regard that I can see why you might wonder. I hope not....good thing he is with you and Zoe now...being pampered and spoiled, as he should be! 

p.s.: I wonder too why my cat was left abandoned, hungry, and sick. It's definitely a Mommy thing to worry about things that happened without us. Because I even wonder why Casanova doesn't like big dogs, and I got him when he was 6 months...


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

Well I have to say my heart jumped a beat when I saw your post title...

YoYo is the same background, they "say" he was surrendered at 2 1/2 yrs old (when we got him) but he could be older (I'll be inquiring with my vet at some point on that. anyway). He was abused and neglected and I can tell you that it is SUPER obvious ALLLL the time in just about everything he does. Although I can tell you he's come a LONG way in the several months he's been with us. Everything about him is insecure and unstable (poor guy). That's not to say that Jett didn't experience anything traumatic--he very well could have. I don't think you'll ever know for sure. I'm guessing that because they can have varying temperments that some dogs are more resiliant to bad treatment than others, etc. In a sense you're lucky that it was those isolated incidents that made him afraid and hopefully there is a way to overcome it with some desensitizing (which I know little about). I think what YoYo has been through has literally altered his brain and has made him who he is now and I doubt he'll ever be 100% "normal." But as long as his anxiety is well enough to the point where we do not have to have him on medication and he is not regressing in anyway, I think he's doing well. I think you have to keep an eye out for if it gets worse, etc.

Makes me soooo sad to think of ANYONE even as much as intimidating an animal, never mind laying a hand on one.... :grouphug: :grouphug:


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## cleooscar (May 28, 2008)

Poor Jett! I truly hope he wasn't abused as a pup. Sometimes it's hard to say what trauma they experienced (real or perceived). I had our second Malt, Oscar, since he was 8 weeks old. He was fine during his first year. Then one day, when I reached towards him, he shrunk back like he was afraid I was going to hit him. We never laid a hand on him and couldn't figure out why he was acting that way. This went on for almost a year. I had to rehabilitate him so whenever I reached over and he shrunk back, I would reached until I touched his forehead and then gave him a gentle pet then said "good boy" excitedly a few times. It took a long time before he was okay for us to reach for him without him being afraid. Now looking back I wonder if it was because of our little nephews. They were 2 years old at the time and would love to chase the dogs when they visited (only a few times a year). We always kept the dogs away but it could have caused some trauma for Oscar.

Hope things turned out okay for Jett. I'm sure he's getting lots of love and patience--he's very lucky to have you as a mommy.


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## cleooscar (May 28, 2008)

QUOTE (camfan @ Nov 6 2009, 01:10 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=848115


> Well I have to say my heart jumped a beat when I saw your post title...
> 
> YoYo is the same background, they "say" he was surrendered at 2 1/2 yrs old (when we got him) but he could be older (I'll be inquiring with my vet at some point on that. anyway). He was abused and neglected and I can tell you that it is SUPER obvious ALLLL the time in just about everything he does. Although I can tell you he's come a LONG way in the several months he's been with us. Everything about him is insecure and unstable (poor guy).[/B]


It's so wonderful that you rescued YoYo. He's so lucky to have found you.


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## theboyz (Jan 10, 2007)

Ohhhh Crystal, isn't that sad. Just breaks your heart.

Many years ago I rescued a Bouvier. He was, the Police guessed, a junk-yard guard dog. They thought he came from the Detroit area and who knows what happened to him!!!! The Police caught him and then escaped from them and ended up in my neighborhood. One very cold afternoon after seeing him running for a week and a snow storm predicted, I opened my door and asked this huge dog if he needed help. He, to my surprise, accepted my invitation and long story short, ended up living with me.
He hated men, so I felt he was abused by men only. He would also back into a corner if he saw things like you described, a back-scratcher, cardboard tube etc. The look in his eyes would tell you the whole story and the abuse he endured.
He loved me and my family and trusted my actions toward any male. If I liked them, he did too. He loved my Son and protected him.
I was living alone and if a stranger would come to the door (male), Bo would stand between me and the door until I gave him the all clear. He never hurt anyone and even though he was around 80 lbs he thought and was my lap dog...picture that!!!

You can almost bet that Jett was abused, hit for something he did and it has made a sweet baby remember that horrible time.
Hugs for your precious Jett and glad he has a wonderful Mom.


R.I.P my sweet Bo.


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## momtoboo (Jan 30, 2006)

I sure hope little Jett wasn't abused. Maybe it's just that his former owner had kids that weren't trained & did scary things around him or to him. It's too bad you don't know what kind of home he had before he came to you. I have used the wrapping paper rolls to play games with Boo. He gets excited when he sees one. Maybe you can make those fearful items a fun thing for Jett.


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## CloudClan (Jan 31, 2007)

It one of those mysteries that surround their life before us. The truth is from what you describe about Jett's personality, it is hard to imagine that he could have been abused. Like humans though pets have different responses to abuse. 

I have my rescue girl Caly who shows the life she had before us in so many ways. Caly was severly abused and neglected. She was shot with a highpowered BB gun into her abdomen at point blank range when she was only a year and a half. She had an eye infection that was neglected to the point that she ended up scratching out her own eye when she was about 5 years old. In the entire 7 years she lived with her first family those were the only events that made them take her to the vet. When we went to get her from that family she had been living outside on the deck. Her fur was copper in color from living in clay and her backside was covered in caked on feces. The owner had just shaved her so we wouldn't find all the matts on her fur, but she did not shave the legs so we could see them there. She has been with us for longer than she lived with them. Her 16th birthday is around the corner in December. But she still flinches when a hand reaches for her. She also still snaps if she gets fearful of those hands. :crying 2: 

I think some pets who have lived pleasant and loving lives though also develop fears that are not fully explained. Cadeau has issues. He is a bit nervous of strangers who come into our home and acts up, even though he has been to dog shows were he was pet and loved on by hundreds of people. He barks his fool head off at other dogs, even though he has been going to places with other dogs since he was a baby. Yes, I probably made mistakes with socializing him, but it is also his personality that makes him behave like a nutcase. :wacko1: 

With Jett it could be that he just has an odd inherent fear of things like that. I'd be more inclined to believe that someone used long stick-like objects to discipline him during potty training or something like that. He may never have been touched by the sticks, but they may have been rapped against something to create a noise that was scary. You may always wonder. But whatever the answer is Jett is a very loved and loving boy, a beautiful blessing. :innocent:


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

It could be as simple as someone slapping the ground with one and scaring him, doesn't have to mean he was hit, just that he associates it with something scarey.


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## Cosy (Feb 9, 2006)

Jett may or may not have been abused. It could be he's never been around sticks and such before so
it's unfamiliar to him. Maybe throw that roll onto the floor and let him sniff it and go from there.
Dogs can pick up odd behaviours from practically nothing. 

Try gently rubbing his back with the back scratcher to show him it's okay. Cosy doesn't like mine either
so I do that everytime I get it out. On the other hand, I love it! LOL


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## Matilda's mommy (Jun 1, 2005)

oh Crystal I hope he wasn't abused. I know down here at the rv park some people take a newspaper and hit something next to their dogs, drives me crazy. B&B shows some signs of being abused, just makes my heart sick when I think someone could hurt them


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## totallytotontuffy (May 16, 2007)

Crystal, I think that sometimes there is no rhyme or reason as to why our dogs do or do not react to different things. I think if Jett were abused prior to your adopting him, you would have already had some kind of indication by his behavior. I like Britt's suggestions to help Jett feel more comfortable with these "new" things. Poor baby, doesn't he realize he has the best mommy in the world and that she would never do anything on purpose to make him scared?


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## CeeCee's Mom (Sep 14, 2006)

Jett is so loving and wonderful, it would not do for you Crystal or me for that matter, to get ahold of someone that did anything to that sweetheart!!! Just the fact that he slinks off under the bed and is scared hurts your heart!!! Love me some Jett, and I send hugs and kisses to him from my two little lovebugs~~~ :wub: :smootch: :smootch: :wub:


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## Lacie's Mom (Oct 11, 2006)

Oh, Crystal, like others have said, I really hope that Jett wasn't abused and that he is just reacting to something unfamiliar to him.

Having rescued Tilly, though, I completely understand how all of us that have rescues feel. I too see evidence of abuse and neglect from Tilly's past every now and then. I know what it stems from, so that helps. I try hard to keep her away from situations that bring memories of her past and/or fears, but yes, there have been things that make my happy little baby cower in the corner trembling in fear.  I do wish I knew exactly what her past was like, except that I know I would try to find and beat the people responsible if I knew everything. :hysteric: 

I, too, don't understand how people can be cruel to these wonderful, precious little furbabies. :smcry: :smcry: 

Tilly is my "free spirit" and is normally such a happy little one and usually goes with the flow. It's hard for me to think of my "free spirit" locked in a cage with no love or kindness and being starved to death. :smmadder: 

Luckily that's all behind our dear rescues now. I know that they all have happy, wonderful lives that our SM Moms and Dads have provided to them. :smootch: :hugging: :cheer:


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## Maglily (Feb 3, 2009)

I hope not, I'd rather think he is just wary for some reason. I have a mental picture of someone sitting on a bed with this backscratcher raised over her head and think of the shadow on the wall that Jett was seeing (not to make light of it). But it could have added to it.

Jodi often cowers or runs from me when all I intended was to call him to come to be picked up. It makes me feel like a monster. He also shivers and shakes in the car sometimes and other times he's fine. I think he is a little sensitive at times, maybe Jett is too. I hope he wasn't abused.


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## Maglily (Feb 3, 2009)

I hope not, I'd rather think he is just wary for some reason. I have a mental picture of someone sitting on a bed with this backscratcher raised over her head and think of the shadow on the wall that Jett was seeing (not to make light of it). But it could have added to it.

Jodi often cowers or runs from me when all I intended was to call him to come to be picked up. It makes me feel like a monster. He also shivers and shakes in the car sometimes and other times he's fine. I think he is a little sensitive at times, maybe Jett is too. I hope he wasn't abused.


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

I'm glad to know that others have seen their little ones act like this when it's something new or unknown to them and not due to abuse. The bits of info that I was given about Jett have been a bit...shall we say contradicting?...at times. So I just really don't know what to think. I have tried to do what Brit suggested and gently rub his back with the scratcher, but he will have nothing to do with it. And I've tried to just lay the back scratcher down for him to sniff and again, won't go near it. He is normally EXTREMELY food motivated and even luring with treats is not getting him near the thing. But I'll keep trying because I just don't want him fearful of things. When I got him he had SEVERE separation anxiety/crate anxiety as well as IBS and we've overcome all of those. So I'm sure my little man will work through this as well. Thanks everyone!


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## Maglily (Feb 3, 2009)

Crystal, have you tried rubbing something like a treat on the scratcher so that it smells good to him (freeze dried chicken? a biscuit wouldn't work), lay it somewhere on the floor so that he can sniff it but it does not block his way while walking around. Just make it an ordinary object he sees all the time. Later on start picking it up occassionally while he can see you but is not necessarily near you.

i'm sure you have a good idea of how to do it.


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## angel's mom (Feb 14, 2007)

Wow. For Jett to react like that, especially when you are there, I'd bet he's been hit. Oh my Gosh! I just don't people who would abuse an animal, but most especially one that is so tiny and so delicate. Get Jett an extra hug from his Auntie Lynne.


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## gibbert (Jan 13, 2005)

Crystal, I can see why you would wonder and worry about abuse. I certainly hope that's not the case. I pray no one ever took out their misery for life on that sweet boy.

I thought I would share a few of Tchelsi's nonsensical fears:

1. tape measures :smtease: 
2. the iron

3. the teeny, nearly inaudible creaking sound the living room remote control makes when you press the "select" button

4. poots - LOL  

There are a few more, but I can't recall them right now. The thing is, Tchelsi is a confident girl, and I don't know anyone that would describe her as being a fearful dog. So, she's not running around being afraid of the world ... she just has it in her mind, for whatever reason, that these odd things are scary. 

Now, that backscratcher ... *that* sounds like something my cockatoo Joey would be deathly afraid of! 
First, his "hair" would fly up ...

[attachment=58126ootcho_hair_up.jpg]

... then he'd high-tail it out of the room. That would go on over and over again until Joey got used to the offending item.


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

QUOTE (gibbert @ Nov 6 2009, 06:02 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=848205


> Crystal, I can see why you would wonder and worry about abuse. I certainly hope that's not the case. I pray no one ever took out their misery for life on that sweet boy.
> 
> I thought I would share a few of Tchelsi's nonsensical fears:
> 
> ...


LOL...thanks Heidi. Have to admit that both of mine run scared when the ironing board is being set up. One time it happened at mom and dad's and mom said, "well you can tell they aren't used to the ironing board at *your* house".  :smrofl: You could say I was busted. :HistericalSmiley:


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

QUOTE (Angel's Mom @ Nov 6 2009, 06:01 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=848204


> Wow. For Jett to react like that, especially when you are there, I'd bet he's been hit. Oh my Gosh! I just don't people who would abuse an animal, but most especially one that is so tiny and so delicate. Get Jett an extra hug from his Auntie Lynne.[/B]


Awww.....he's been hugged and wants to know when his Auntie Lynne and Angel will be coming back for a visit? He's sending smoochies right back at'cha! :smootch:


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## gibbert (Jan 13, 2005)

That's hysterical that you were outed as being a non-ironer! LOL

I totally get the ironing board though ... that's understandable. The ironing board is large and strange, it morphs into different shapes, and it's usually pretty loud when ya open it up. Z&J probably thought grandma was wrestling with a Transformer robot - LOL! But no ... Tchelsi is afraid of the _*actual iron*_. 

She's my "special" girl.


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## Max & Rocky (May 20, 2004)

Crystal,

I would not put a lot of weight over these little behavior issues so I am with the crowd telling you not to worry about it.

I think I can site some good examples to provide evidence for my POV.

For instance, if we look at Rocky as we approach him, he seems to cringe as if we were about to hit him. Then when we get close, he rolls over in total submission to us. No one has ever hit him.

Then there is Max who, if he detects a slightly raised tone, heads outside and then stands on the patio looking back in at us. He did get into a little trouble once years ago. Peg had bought the "perfect" shoes for our wedding and then we had gone out leaving the new shoes in the box on the floor. Max is obsessive about chewing and we came home and hour or two later to find both the box and the shoes in pieces... He never got hit and I'm sure Rocky was nearly as guilty, but there were some raised voices and such for a few minutes. Of course, Max already had the habit of running away so I know we did not cause it. On the other hand, we could scream our heads off and Rocky would not bat an eye... He would probably be on our laps licking us the entire time.

A little while ago the home telephone rang... and I said a bad work "s***" because I had left the fax auto answer on and so it answered!! LOL!!
It wasn't the dog's fault but just me saying that caused Max and now Chance to pull the run out back routine. We had noticed a couple of other times that Max's behavior seems to be rubbing off on Chance... LOL!!

Anyway, as far as I am concerned, non of this behavior can be explained away by something that happened to them before.

I am certainly just about the last person in the world to be able to understand why dogs, or people for that matter, behave as they do. But I think you can be safe in knowing that you are not causing bad memories to come back to Jett...


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## MaryH (Mar 7, 2006)

I got Andy from my aunt and uncle when he was 14 mos. old. He never knew a harsh word or an unloving moment. He's 12 yrs. old now and still has never known a harsh word or an unloving moment. He is social, friendly, confident, outgoing, everything a Maltese should be. BUT he is terrified of umbrellas and only when they are opened up. Go figure! Then again, I'm terrified of the dark but only when walking to or from my car ... and nothing bad has ever happened to me either. I would guess that it's a little quirk that Jett has, just like most of us.

MaryH


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## Toby's Mom (May 7, 2004)

We got Toby at 16 weeks, so no telling what happened to him before we got him, but I can tell you that he cowers EVERY TIME we go to pick him up. No matter what voice we use or how we go about it, he acts scared. In more recent years, he has continued to cower, but sometimes wags his tail.  Who knows... :huh: :huh: :huh: If you ever find out that he was abused, call me...I'll help kick some butt! B)


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## totallytotontuffy (May 16, 2007)

QUOTE (MaryH @ Nov 6 2009, 06:14 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=848245


> I got Andy from my aunt and uncle when he was 14 mos. old. He never knew a harsh word or an unloving moment. He's 12 yrs. old now and still has never known a harsh word or an unloving moment. He is social, friendly, confident, outgoing, everything a Maltese should be. BUT he is terrified of umbrellas and only when they are opened up. Go figure! Then again, I'm terrified of the dark but only when walking to or from my car ... and nothing bad has ever happened to me either. I would guess that it's a little quirk that Jett has, just like most of us.
> 
> MaryH[/B]


Exactly! I'm not overly thrilled with spiders, not that I'm afraid. Luckily I live with two "spider-er's" (kind of like a ratter or mouser?) who will stomp them or do something to them when they see them so that often I find them dead in a little ball. And that suits me just fine!


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

You know, this is turning into a really interesting thread about all of our fluffs little odd quirks and nonsensicle fears.

Oh and Heidi, are you sure it's really the *sound* of the poots that has Tchelsi running for cover?


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## Dixie's Mama (Mar 19, 2008)

Just the mental picture of your sweet Jett cowering and shivering breaks my heart. It may be just the fear of the unknown for him. Dixie is afraid of everything she's never seen before. When we walk down the street on the night before rubbish day if she sees something like rolled up carpet on someone's lawn she stops and approaches it low and very slowly. Sometimes she will go up to it and sniff it, sometimes she makes a wide berth around it. The first time she saw the rubbish barrels on the corner of everyone's lawn she was terrified. Maybe Jett never saw a back scratcher before. It is a rather threatening move we make to get it to our backs. The same goes for the cardboard tubes. It's a different, echoing noise they make when hit against your leg too. 
I hope that's all it is for Jett, fear of the unknown. If you ever find out some horrid person hit him please add me to the group who wants to help you beat them.


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## carolee (Jan 16, 2008)

Milo was the same way when we brought him home. He was afraid of my back scratcher too!- loud sounds, and if you moved your hand too fast over his head he would flinch or roll to the ground. He's been with us a year now and is alot better. He no longer flinches when we put our hands over his head, in fact he moves his head towards it so he can get pet faster. He still does roll on his back, but not in a frightened way - he rolls to get his belly rubbed and scritched!

I hate to think that Jet, or Milo or any of our pets have been abused before, but I feel that if someone can actually abandon an animal (milo was found under a car in a parking lot), then they probably have a dark enough heart to abuse them!

The best thing we can do is help them move on with their lives. No matter how frightened they are from past ghosts, they will always know they can find comfort and love in you.

All the best 

-carol and milo-


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## mom2bijou (Oct 19, 2006)

Aww poor Jett. That would break my heart too Crystal. Don't you just wish our fluffs could talk so we know why they do the things they do? The important thing is that Jett has the best Mom in the whole world and is loved unconditionally. He finally knows what LOVE is. :grouphug:


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