I became involved with Lucky Dog last October when I adopted Menchie, a six-month-old Puerto Rican street dog. I fell in love with his little face on the Lucky Dog website, and I knew my search was over.

For the most part, Menchie has adapted wonderfully to the good life. He adores the feel of soft blankets and soft beds. He has stopped gulping down his food with one eye over his shoulder, and he is far more confident around strangers. He loves the dog park, and his wrong-side-of-the-tracks street dog savvy and mismatched eyes make him irresistible to females, human and dog alike.

But we’ve had our challenges.

Menchie has separation anxiety – not uncommon in rescue dogs. For a long time, Menchie couldn’t bear being left alone in his crate, and would get into trouble if left out. He peed in his crate, was in obvious distress, and his piteous cries could be heard halfway down the block! I felt both helpless and terrified. What had I got myself into?

My first reaction was to never leave him alone. The back of my car became his second home, replete with blankets, toys and treats. Though he loved it, I knew this was not a permanent solution

In desperation, I enrolled in Victoria “It’s Me or the Dog” Stilwell’s Academy for Dog Training and Behavior.  Not only would I be able to help Menchie, but I could also be a resource for our Lucky Dog adopters and volunteers.

During my training, I began by disrupting my leaving cues.  

That meant jangling keys, putting on my coat, and then sitting down and watching TV. Then I put on my coat, opened the door and came right back in. I did this multiple times a day, staying out a hair longer each time. I left calming music playing on my iPad (there’s plenty designed just for dogs available on YouTube) when I was gone, and when I was home as well so he associated it with my presence and lots of treats and a happy atmosphere, not just me being gone. 

Fast forward three months and Menchie is staying happily in his crate for three hours and counting!

It required patience to get here, but it is working and Menchie is in most other respects a chill little dude. Except now he has developed a habit of barking at sounds outside that I can't even hear. I am dealing with it, and peppering my instructors with more questions, but that's a story for another day.

Toni is an adoption coordinator with Lucky Dog Animal Rescue. She is currently enrolled in the Victoria Stilwell Academy for Dog Training and Behavior and works as a journalist for Reuters.