Meet the husky who has developed a fear of - wooden floors
- 5 months ago
Meet the husky who has developed a fear of - wooden floors.
Three-year-old Levi never had a problem until May last year, owner Chloe Ellies, 31, says.
But he woke up one day and refused to walk on the wooden floor in her home.
Levi, a rescue dog from Iran, will walk on the wood for a few seconds before rushing off.
Chloe has built carpet bridges so he can move around.
A social media marketer, she said: "He never had any issues until we visited a friend's house that had very dark wood floors.
"I think they were so dark it just looked like a black hole to him.
"I had to pick him up to carry him and his heart was beating out of control."
Chloe, from Barrie, Ontario, Canada, had to adapt, said she previously managed to coach the fear out of him.
And he had been fine for months - until his fear came back last week.
She thinks it returned after a visit to her partner's parents.
Levi was playing with their dog when he slipped and hurt himself, she said.
Chloe said: "I trained him to walk on some spots and he was fine for months until he decided out of the blue he was scared again.
"We went to my boyfriend's parents house and he slipped. I think that was what scared him."
Now Levi is improving quickly thanks to Chloe's efforts to retrain him
She spends a few hours a day on the project.
And she believes he will be back to normal in a few weeks - but doesn't know when he will develop the fear again.
Chloe said: "He's doing really good!
"I brought his friend Arlo over so he could learn that it's OK to walk on the floor. He's getting really confident with it.
"He's absolutely going to overcome it. I think it will take a couple of weeks but he's a good boy - he'll get there."
Chloe says Levi had a tough start in life - which could explain his personality.
But she doesn't blame her beloved pet for his many quirks.
She said: "He's also scared of stairs; we have to carry him up and down stairs.
"And he'll hold his pee for days to avoid touching wet grass.
"He's scared of his own shadow. But that's the thing with rescues - you never know."
Three-year-old Levi never had a problem until May last year, owner Chloe Ellies, 31, says.
But he woke up one day and refused to walk on the wooden floor in her home.
Levi, a rescue dog from Iran, will walk on the wood for a few seconds before rushing off.
Chloe has built carpet bridges so he can move around.
A social media marketer, she said: "He never had any issues until we visited a friend's house that had very dark wood floors.
"I think they were so dark it just looked like a black hole to him.
"I had to pick him up to carry him and his heart was beating out of control."
Chloe, from Barrie, Ontario, Canada, had to adapt, said she previously managed to coach the fear out of him.
And he had been fine for months - until his fear came back last week.
She thinks it returned after a visit to her partner's parents.
Levi was playing with their dog when he slipped and hurt himself, she said.
Chloe said: "I trained him to walk on some spots and he was fine for months until he decided out of the blue he was scared again.
"We went to my boyfriend's parents house and he slipped. I think that was what scared him."
Now Levi is improving quickly thanks to Chloe's efforts to retrain him
She spends a few hours a day on the project.
And she believes he will be back to normal in a few weeks - but doesn't know when he will develop the fear again.
Chloe said: "He's doing really good!
"I brought his friend Arlo over so he could learn that it's OK to walk on the floor. He's getting really confident with it.
"He's absolutely going to overcome it. I think it will take a couple of weeks but he's a good boy - he'll get there."
Chloe says Levi had a tough start in life - which could explain his personality.
But she doesn't blame her beloved pet for his many quirks.
She said: "He's also scared of stairs; we have to carry him up and down stairs.
"And he'll hold his pee for days to avoid touching wet grass.
"He's scared of his own shadow. But that's the thing with rescues - you never know."