they told me the woman in the purple shirt was terrified of dogs,
and she was.
righteously so —
she had broken her tibia, fibula and femur
not from any attack..
but from an out of control canine bounding toward her.
the pain and the feelings of helplessness as she lay on the ground were overwhelming.
.
Fear doesn’t have to come out of any hateful action —
sometimes
all it takes is feelings of helplessness or powerlessness
and
some bad manners
.
i promised her we would not come any closer to her without her permission.
Boundaries are important for feelings of safety only if they are understood and respected.
.
She watched me and the poodle with the others in the rehabilitation unit….
and then,
shyly and gently she reached her hand out
toward
us.
.
and then,
the hard work of rehabilitation began.
.
being a happy friendly dog is not enough, and it’s no excuse either.
people are always saying
“dogs are great, they provide unconditional love!”
but
what does that matter if you do not feel loved?
manners matter in more ways that you know…..
Ministry of Animals 