Skye let Tanya, our pet sitter, prepare her dinner and put Sophie the turkey to bed tonight while we were away!!! It's the biggest gift she could give us on this first day of the New Year.
Tanya's visit consists of coming into the house to prepare Skye and Sophie's dinners, leaving Skye's bowl in the kitchen, and taking Sophie's to bring her into her barn for the night. The challenging part in this step is not to get Sophie into her safe place (she has that routine down pat) but to go through the backyard where Skye may be.
We've spent years to desensitize Skye to Tanya's presence, and this is finally paying off. Skye doesn't run excitedly to Tanya when she arrives, but she doesn't get aroused and goes to her safe spot in the living room and wait patiently until she leaves. She then goes check what Tanya left behind which always involves the best treats.
This means that Peter and I can now go away for a day without rushing back home to put Sophie to bed before the sun sets. Yay!
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce the 2 most amazing and dedicated people who have been part of Team Skye from the beginning: Tanya and Abbie.
Tanya (with the purple tee and me) has been coming weekly for over 3 years to gain Skye's trust. Her commitment and patience are truly remarkable.
Abbie (with the blue tee and her dog Minnow) was part of the HSI team who closed Skye's farm. She always kept in touch and became Skye's trainer (read Peter's and my councilor) 2 years ago. She masterminded all of Tanya's visits, and decomposed every step in even tinier steps that Skye would feel comfortable with.
I am so lucky to have such friends.
The next step is to be able to spend one night out which will include locking Skye in the house for the night, and prepping everyone's breakfast in the morning.