Dove was a foster failure. Not our first.  She and Harvey hit it off right away. But we did not keep her simply for that...Dove has issues with just about everything, loud noises, gunfire, storms, eating with other dogs around, etc. Her way of dealing with her fears was to hide out in her crate.
 
Dove loves soft squeaky toys and running really really fast! In her former home she had serious issues with abandonment and being hurt by other dogs.  When she came to us she was 72lbs pounds and we could see nearly all her bones.  She was very clingy and unsure of herself. She would give up her food to any dog, cat or person that was in the room and only really felt comfortable eating in her crate. We let her have her crate all she wanted, keeping the door open for her to dodge in there to feel safe until we got her weight up to normal. Then we thought she was
ready for a little mental growth and took her crate away by closing the door during the day. She quickly found new crash spots in the house, adapting very well. We continued to feed her in her crate but made lots of noise and let dogs and cats in and around her constantly while she ate. She couldn't give her food away like usual and soon learned the world didn't end and she now eats well in a crowd.
 
18 months later she was completely crate free, she gets along with every dog she meets but does not let them bully her and even plays some pretty rough and tumble games outside knowing that its just play and no one is going to hurt her. Her fears are lessening with other dogs and people, though now 3 years after coming to us her fears of storms and noises are increasing. We found wearing a dog coat helps to calm her. Like swaddling a fussy baby helps them keep calm. We also give her herbs to calm her during bad storms. Dove is now  7 years old and will be 8, May 21st, 2007. She is a Great Dane/Greyhound mix. She has strong sense of humor and a huge love for play... with dogs and people. She is so fun loving, she is the only dog we have with such a vivid imagination that she will play a game of invisible catch for an hour or more. We literally do not have a toy, but she can see something!
 
When her soul dog, Harvey, was very ill she stayed by his side constantly being his medicine pet. He made it through and I think partly due to Dove being so attentive and loving to him.