Click here to watch a music gallery of photos of Iris.

Added 5/31/07: Please visit www.FosterDogBlog.com for more recent pictures and updates of Iris in her foster home.

Meet Iris.

Iris is approximately 3.5 years old and weighs about 35 lbs. We're not sure what breed she is, possibly some golden retriever, some terrier. She is spayed, current on shots, and microchipped. Iris is an intensely shy dog, the shyest I've ever met and probably the shyest you'll ever meet as well. But once she gets comfortable with her person, she is transformed into a completely different dog--silly, bouncy, and so very joyful.

Like so many rescue dogs, Iris' story is a long one. This girl has been through a lot. And that she has gotten this far is a testament to her indomitable spirit.

Iris' History
Iris was abandoned at a fruit market in Taiwan when she was a puppy. People in the market were not friendly to her, a common occurrence towards stray dogs. They drove her away whenever she tried to approach. When she was six month old, a kind lady sent her to a private “sanctuary” where she would at least be safe from the cruelty of others.

The sanctuary, however, was extremely overcrowded with more than 300 dogs and very minimal human contact. Iris was confined in a very narrow crate which barely provided her the space to even turn around. One day her front paw got caught in the wire of the crate. She cried for help but no one paid attention to her over the noise and chaos. Even the people who fed the dogs did not notice. By the time the caretaker discovered the problem, poor circulation had left Iris' paw twisted, and the vet had no way to mend it. The result is that Iris' left paw is turned outwards which causes her to walk with a limp. She can nevertheless walk, run, jump, and climb like any other dog--better than some even.

Iris lived in this sanctuary for the majority of her young life. She was eventually brought to the notice of The Animal Rescue Team in Taiwan, who after hearing her story, felt she deserved a chance to find a home and family of her own, to know for the first time in her life what it feels like to be loved.

These are pictures of Iris immediately before her flight leaving Taiwan and bound for San Francisco on January 2, 2007.

Iris was one of three dogs flying to SFO to meet their new families and start their new lives. Their adopters were all waiting at the airport to bring them home. During this wait, a member of what was to be Iris' new family had a medical emergency in the lobby, and just minutes after the dogs were carted out, the entire family had to follow the ambulance to the hospital. Iris had traveled all this way to join her new family only to find herself stranded.

What was meant to be a happy ending for Iris really became only another beginning. Iris came home with me that night and stayed until a more permanent foster home could be found for her for. She was only with us for 5 days but it was long enough for her hesitant yet endearing ways and her sweet face to find a place in my heart.

Iris was soon placed in the care of a more permanent foster home. Only 3 days later however, a week after her arrival to begin her new life in the US, something frightened her when nobody was home and she bolted. Despite continuous search efforts from volunteers, there was no luck in finding her. Iris, who had never really ever known the outside world was now facing it completely on her own. By then, her story had caputured the attention of many caring individuals, but the light of hope was fading quickly. While my conscience wouldn't allow myself to give up the search, it had reached a point when I never really expected to see her again. This shy little dog that had crept her way into my heart had quietly disappeared with a piece of it.

Then 41 days later, I received a phone call from the amazing team at SF Animal Care & Control telling me that she had been found. It was my little miracle. After this incredible ordeal, with half of her body weight gone but her spirit unbroken, Iris came back into my care and taught me to appreciate the tiny miracles that happen, but are all too often overlooked, every day.

Iris' Arrival
The first time I brought Iris home from the airport, I was in for a surprise as I realized the extent of Iris' timidness. She didn't leave her crate until I left the room. When I returned, she hid in the corner. If I walked in her direction, she scurried away, and if I so much as looked at her, she turned her head away from me. When my dogs approached her, she bared her teeth to tell them to back away, which they did. Iris was so frightened, her body literally shook with fear. For a dog that had lived her whole life thus far, years, in an extremely confined area with virtually no human interaction and little concept of the outside world, I can only imagine how overwhelming and terrifying the drastic and sudden changes to her world were.

Iris spent that first night hiding under my desk. I slept on the couch in the same room that night. Sometime in the wee hours of the morning, Iris did venture out from under the desk to sniff the room, but as soon as she realized my presence, she immediately went under the desk again. She stayed under the desk for most of the next couple of days. I left water for her there and fed her there, and she watched the comings and goings by peeking under the desk.

By the 4th day, Iris started to come out of her shell. She took an interest in what I did and would follow me around the house, though she sometimes scurried back under the desk or into a crate when taken by surprise. Though still not completely comfortable with me, she allowed me to pet her, to examine her paws, her ears and teeth. It was a small victory the first time she wagged her tail when I petted her.

This is a video taken during that time (click on picture to play):

When it was time for Iris to go to her new foster home, I found it more difficult than I had thought it would be. Iris was the first really shy dog I'd ever dealt with and it was somewhat of a wonder to have watched her blossom just a bit during her short stay with me.

Fate would have it though that it was too soon for my time with Iris to end. When she was found after being missing for over 6 weeks, I brought her home with me once again. I don't know that Iris immediately recognized me when I picked her up from the vet hospital, but when I brought her back to our house, I knew she immediately remembered that she had been here before. She took up her old toys, layed down under the old desk, drank from the same water bowl. And upon her return, she instantly became and has since remained 100% comfortable with me and in our home.

Iris Today
Iris has come a long way from being the dog that wouldn't come out of hiding when she first arrived. She is an incredibly happy dog at home and is learning to be part of a pack and part of a family for the first time. Iris is crazy about her toys and loves to take each one out of the toy bin and cover the floor and fill her crate with them. Except for her toys, she is not destructive around the house and tends to be mellow and low-key. She is also housetrained, though may be too afraid to go out to the backyard in the beginning.

Iris is still getting to know the rest of the world outside. She is still timid on walks, particularly when she sees a stranger on the streets, but is getting better, especially when there is another dog to follow. She still shakes during car rides, so she's getting slow exposure to them and joins me everytime I need to take a trip to the gas station to refill the tank. Iris no longer hides when strangers come over or when I take her to another person's house. She is curious and watchful though will back away when somebody reaches down to try to pet her. Despite her fears, Iris is very tolerant and will generally allow herself to be gently handled.

Iris is also getting used to the other dogs and on rare occassions, joins them in play. These are 2 videos, the first showing Iris learning to play with the other dogs for the first time, the second showing her enjoying herself a couple of weeks later. (Click on pictures to play.)

Now that Iris feels secure here and with me, she has small spurts of intense playfulness that are a joy to watch and be a part of. It is amazing to see this shy dog bounce with enthusiasm and wiggle her whole body in happiness. And rather than hiding like she used to, she wags her tail whenever I approach and even when I just look at her. I am the light of her life, and that is a huge responsibility but also a very awesome gift.

Adopting Iris
After everything Iris has been through, she deserves special consideration when it comes to finding the right forever home. It will probably take her at least a couple of weeks for her to get comfortable with her new person, much longer if there is a man involved. She would probably do best with a woman but it would be nice to also have a man involved in her life that she could come to trust. During that time, you need to just let her be as she quietly watches and follows you. She needs someone that will show her patience and gentleness, first as she gets comfortable with you, and then as you continue her socialization to the world.

In a multiple-person household, she will most likely attach herself only to 1 person although everyone needs to be involved with Iris' introduction to her new home by giving her a treat every time they walk into the same room she's in.

Iris must never be allowed off-leash in an unconfined area because she is a high risk for bolting when frightened. She must also never be left unattended in the backyard. I would prefer she go to a home with a fenced backyard with room enough for her to run around (she is not an excessive runner so the yard need not be very large). Because Iris has spent so much of her life on her own, I would also prefer that she not be left alone for more than a few hours each day.

Iris needs continued and consistent socialization so that she can learn that the world is nothing to be afraid of. It would be nice if your home had quiet guests often and/or you could take her with you when visiting somebody else's home. With persistant exposure to walks, I have no doubt that she will one day come to love her time outside very much. While Iris may never be a party-kind of dog, I cannot stress enough that I don't want her hidden away from the world either, never to be taken out or exposed to new people and places. She had enough of that in the sanctuary. Her new person or family will need to devote the time and effort to continue to gently expose her to situations unknown and therefore somewhat scary to her. It may not always be easy but it will be infinitely more rewarding, and you will come to love Iris, and she you, more because of it.

Iris' relationship with other dogs is a bit complicated. Having another dog, one that is confident and well-socialized, would be helpful in getting Iris comfortable in new situations. At the same time, during the adjustment period, Iris tends to exert her alpha-ness (in a non-aggressive manner), especially over toys, and this may cause more sensitive dogs to withdraw. A few more weeks though and Iris will mellow out towards the dog. It took our dogs some extra weeks to get used to Iris and they now live in harmony and play with each other occassionally. I think Iris would do well with a dog similar in size that is submissive towards other dogs and with a happy-go-lucky, playful nature. Iris is not aggressive towards cats but I think is too feisty with them and therefore should not go to a home with cats.

This short bio does not do justice to the immense spirit that resides inside of Iris, to the many nuances of her personality, and to the incredible joy she will bring as you watch each petal of her character unfurl. It will take her a while to learn to love you but once she does, that love is absolute. You will come to appreciate in her things that you have taken for granted in other dogs, and the smallest improvements will make your heart sing.

Because of everything that Iris has already been through, I would like to have at least a few visits with her potential adopters before deciding if it is a good match, and if it is, a few visits afterwards to make sure Iris is transitioning well. Should her new family ever need a dogsitter when they leave town, I would be thrilled to have her back at any time. I will always be available to her adopters for help or advice--there is little I wouldn't do for Iris.

Iris is simply an amazing dog. She is gentle and appears deceptively fragile. Yet after all she has been through, we know that inside that small, fluffy body lies a fighter with an incredible will and strength to beat all odds even in the face of her intense fears. Iris has been an inspiration to me. Whether it was through Fate or Chance, I have been lucky to know her and to have been gifted with her trust. Iris has not known love for most of her life--she deserves to be surrounded by it now. It will take some time for you to gain her trust but when it happens, you will become the sun and moon to her, and her happiness will revolve around you. Give her a few weeks to plant her seeds of love and feel the garden of your heart blossom for years to come.

To read more about the search for Iris while she was missing, visit www.walkinthebark.com.

This is the most recent video of Iris simply being herself.

When Iris was found by SF ACC, she came back to our foster care. She made many new doggie pals with our other foster dogs. Here she is playing with a couple of them. (Click on the pictures to play clips.)

So many other foster dogs came and were adopted, but Iris stayed with us for over 4 more months.

In June, the family she had been waiting for finally found her. Iris was adopted by a wonderful couple with a nice 3-legged cat who likes to rub up against her, another mean cat that likes to hiss at her, and their latest canine addition, a big puppy boy named Otis, recently rescued from a shelter. See Iris (now Isis) and Otis play. (Click on the pictures to play clips.)

I miss her but Iris has her happy ending, and that's all that counts. Thank you to everyone that supported her and me, emotionally, financially and physically, throughout it all.

Judy

I've cared for over 30 dogs and Iris was by far the shyest, most fearful and under-socialized of them all. Terrified of all people, when she first came to me, all she did was hide. Little by little she came out of her shell towards me, first following me from a distance, then allowing me to touch her, until finally she would jump all over me in happiness and enthusiasm.

But for a long time, I was the only one Iris didn't run away from. She ran away from somebody else's house and stayed missing for 6 weeks because she was such an expert at hiding. When she was finally found, she came back to stay with me & my boyfriend, Tyler. Yet even after 6 months with us, she never allowed Tyler to touch her.

Iris was adopted in June, and with the nurturing of her new parents, Jen & Rob, she blossomed further and continues to do so. She is still cautious of strangers but to give you an idea of how far she has already come, this is a video of her and Tyler. The 1st part was taken in March in our backyard while she was still under our care. The 2nd part was taken in October at a dog park when she met Tyler again for the first time since she was adopted 4 months earlier.

Isis (formerly Iris) underwent surgery today to have her twisted paw corrected. It was a 3-hour surgery and required a break in 4 bones and the insertion of 3 metal plates. Isis is spending the night at the hospital and will hopefully be well enough tomorrow to go home. Please send her your good thoughts.

Isis is home! Her mom picked her up from the hospital this morning. Isis has 2 wound spots--the surgeon ended up doing a bone graff as well, and took a piece of bone from her shoulder to use in her paw. It was a scary experience for her at the hospital -- Isis is tired but happy to be home.

Until we get more pictures of Isis post-surgery, here are some recent pictures of the beautifully blossoming Isis.

Isis with her Mom

Isis with her Dad, who it took over a month for her to allow him to pet her! Good going, Rob, for not giving up!

Isis with her little brother, Otis

Isis at Contra Loma

Isis at Mendocino

4 New Short Videos! (9 in total)
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