Jonah has really started to relax. He has started jumping into people’s laps to interact with them and is also trusting enough to pass out while laying on someone. And when we mean pass out, we mean flat on his side, snoring, lip-twitching deep sleep.  He has made two dog-loving best friends– our friend and expert cuddler, S.R. (shown above and below) as well as our friend I.P. who has a calm, comforting air about him.

Jonah has also been consistently fantastic with Frankie, to the point where we have started allowing them both on the couch together again. He hasn’t shown any concerning body language but we are still making sure that someone is with them (and actively watching them) if they are sharing the couch. This is most likely out of an abundance of caution because Jonah has really been coming into his own and feeling more and more at home.

He eats in a separate room and we take care to pick up all bowls after the dogs are done eating. He has allowed her to drink water when they are close (with lots of positive reinforcement, of course) and has not had any issues. We introduced him to another dog (a sweet Basset Hound with an excellent temperament) and Jonah was just SO EXCITED to say “hi.” His body language was ALL eager puppy (play bows, scampering around, lots of playful tail wags) and there was nothing concerning beyond him being a little overwhelming.

Our plan is to continue to introduce him to new experiences. Spending time at someone else’s house with us, walking in areas with higher traffic, meet more people and dogs with different personalities, and trying to have him feel comfortable in a variety of different spaces.

All of this is ultimately leading up to us trying to get him ready to go to adoption events so that he can meet a family of his own. We will take baby steps and he may never feel comfortable enough to attend an adoption event–but you never know unless you try and he has already surprised us by improving faster than we thought possible.