Do I know you?

We took the dogs to Petco(where the pets go, as Mr.Man says every.freaking.time) the other night to pick up dog & cat food. Since they were street dogs, they weren't socialized as puppies, so they tend to be very shy. When we first went there Maggie would have her tail tucked between her legs & Duke would shake so much it looked like he was going to levitate. They've slowly been getting better, and this visit was the best yet.

They were greeted by an out of control wiener dog,  so Maggie thought it was playtime! She pranced through the store with her tail up, sat to look at puppies playing, gave high fives for treats & licked Duke's face when he was nervous. Duke barely shook, and even ate 3 treats! He's a chunk-a-punk at home, but will not eat anything if he's feeling fearful.

When we were checking out the cashier asked if she knew us. I said we were in all the time, but she didn't think that was it. Then she said "Wait, didn't you have a really nervous dog?"

I said, "Yes, that's us" and Mr.Man laughed.
The cashier came out from behind the counter and said "That kind of looks like the dog I remember, but she used to be so scared!" Maggie walked right up to her, took a treat & then dropped it on the floor as she is a picky picky princess. The cashier then broke out the good liver treats, which Maggie ate.  

Duke was sitting at the end of his leash trying to get away from cashier lady, so she gave me a treat for him. He ate it when she went behind the counter, on top of the treats from home that he had earlier. He was pretty much making the face in this picture.

Duke is the dog who sat and shook the first day of obedience class, would barely eat turkey meatballs & stopped chewing chicken if the trainer came within 10 feet. Mr.Man would cook chicken breast as a training treat as the treats they love at home could not overcome the fear of a new place. It's a lot cheaper per pound to cook chicken than to buy the processed treats, which helps us feel a little less silly about it.