Eye Contact--Eye Contact Is Good

Because of scheduling and weather, we haven't been to the park since the beginning of the week, but on a late morning walk, we encountered a group of people outside the neighborhood coffee shop. We stopped near them because Chance had moved into the grass to do her business, and the men and women standing near us proceeded to check out the two dogs and ask us questions about them. This doesn't seem very exciting, I know. But this was the first time that we've been able to stop near strangers and that those strangers have actually been able to talk to us and make eye contact with Mabel without her barking in fear. She tucked her tail for a little bit, but she didn't freak out. We wish progress in this area were coming faster, but hey, at least it's still happening--we can work with that!

P.S. A big thank you to the readers who came across this blog and sent sweet, supportive e-mails this past week about Mabel. Individual replies will come soon (after I meet a deadline in a few days), but in the meantime, thank you, from Mabel and from me. :)