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Tonight, I am being asked to help Prudence, a good dog in a lot of trouble.

When P saw Prudence in an animal shelter five weeks ago, she saw a sign on her crate which said “Rescue Only, Timid.”

And when she asked the workers at the shelter about her, she was told that Prudence, a young Great Dane who was emaciated, was about to be euthanized.

P took her home and put the dog in her 20 by 40 x six feet high kennel. Prudence is gentle and not aggressive, and loves her food, but she is terrified of people. One look in the dog’s eyes tells me she has been traumatized severely and will need a great deal of wise and patient care.

I’m talking to the family this afternoon on Zoom, and I hope to be of help. I have some ideas ready for them to consider, but I need to know much more about Prudence’s history, behaviors, and responses since she got out of the shelter.

She won’t go near people and runs to a corner and hides if any stranger appears. She even abandons her food if she sees a new person.

I’m glad they called on me to help; I’ve been busy thinking and researching issues relating to traumatized and severely frightened animals.

Every dog has a weak spot, something they love or badly want to do, which is often the way to change behavioral changes in traumatized dogs. I call it exploiting what they love.

I advocate avoiding the things that frighten them for a long time and not pushing them too quickly to change, which scares them all the more. Building a trusting relationship is the key.

I also advocate one of my favorite tools, calming training which builds trust with their humans and settles them down. I’ll know more tonight.

This will take a great deal of time and patience; in Cesar’s world, dogs are flipped in seconds on TV, but in our world, it’s a lot trickier. Prudence is being given a second change in life by good and committed people. I’m sure we can find a way to help her.

As described, Prudence is frightened of people to a greater degree than any dog I can recall knowing or hearing about. This is the kind of problem I hoped to encounter when I started thinking about my Dog Support program.

With the family’s permission (I won’t reveal their location, real names, or identity), I’ll write about Prudence and the different things we are trying.

If you need Dog Support, e-mail me at [email protected]. It costs $50 per half hour. I’ll guide you from there. I do it on Zoom, facetime, or the telephone.

The fog is lifting here; I’m thinking a lot about what I have, not what I’ve lost or don’t have.

This morning, we’re heading to Brandon, Vt. to pick up the yarn Maria dropped off a few months ago. She’ll be selling it by tomorrow if I know her. She loves the yarn/shearing part of our lives, and so do I.

I’m delighted with the way my Dog Support program is going.

People are happy with the price – $50 for a half hour (and continued support by email and phone until the problem is solved, no extra charge).

I am impressed with the people signing up – they love their dogs, of course, and are eager to work hard, be patient, and be positive.

It feels good.

I can’t promise miracles, but I am confident in each case I have so far that I can help solve their dog problems.

People who love their dogs and can be patient, positive, and thoughtful (innovative, too)  can almost always solve their problems with some help.

Sometimes it isn’t possible; those cases are rare in my experience. I don’t give up easily, and when I trained Frieda, Maria’s fearsome man-hating dog, I knew I could help others.

Although we are all human and stumble at times, I preach positive reinforcement and see training as how we talk to our dogs, love them and protect them.

I preach common sense training; we don’t need those expensive books and videos. We can almost always figure it out.

I also help with animal grieving and painful decision making.

This speaks to two essential things in my life – paying my bills and loving dogs.

I’m glad to be paid, but the truth is I love doing this work; it is not work for me, but my life and few things are more satisfying to me than to hear that aggression has been eliminated, dogs are walking comfortably by the sides of their owners, or that crates help in certain situations.

I plan on four weekly sessions, $50 a half hour, via Zoom or phone. I’ve even figured out how to schedule meetings on Zoom. E-mail me if you need help at [email protected]; it may be a few weeks before I can get to you, but I will respond immediately.

This is a rich and meaningful addition to my blog and my life. I love trying and learning new things; I never feel like the older man I am.

We’re lunching in Vermont. This afternoon, I have a Dog Support Zoom meeting at 4 p.m.