Re: Dog Recuperating After Being Dragged By SUV


"catherine yronwode" <cat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:44FA0CE7.70235B2D@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
tiny dancer wrote:

After reading the story of poor buddy,
it just broke my heart. Looking over at the two dogs I've got here, no
longer looking like skin and bones themselves. And no longer outside in
the
elements, alone, hungry and afraid. Gracie, the dog we rescued a couple
years ago after the death of our beloved 14 yr. old dog, bonded to me
like
glue from the first day we brought her home. When ever I sat or laid
down
anywhere, she would either straddle me, or wrap her front legs around me
as
if in a hug. She didn't even bark for the first two weeks that we had
her.
And when I innocently got the broom out to sweep the kitchen floor, she
cowered, shook uncontrollably, tucked her tail under and ran. Like
anybody
needs a written document to explain the prior treatment she must have
had.

I felt the same way, tiny, when i read that story, and for much the same
reason.

Our beloved Portuguese Water Dog Eris, who died at the age of 14, was a
rescued dog who was sweet and super-bonded to us, but it was unnerving
to see how she reacted to stimuli that would be totally neutral to a dog
that hd been raised in a loving home. Eris was found wandering the
streets, but we easily figured out a lot about her former "owner": She
had an absolute horror of tall bleached-blonde women who had loud voices
and smelled of cigarettes. For as long as i knew her, she would cower,
roll over, and pee herself whenever such a woman came near. She had been
kicked so hard in her former home that she had a broken rib that healed
badly (our vet, who x-rayed her, called it "the typical
'drop-kick-the-puppy' fracture, not a sideswipe car impact"), and if you
placed your hand over that area -- even just ruffling her fur and not
touching her skin! -- she would scream pathetically, as if she had been
"drop-kicked" often. She was also terrified of leashes and electric
cords, and would freee in her tracks, cry out, roll over, and pee
herself if she felt "tied up" by getting tangled in an extension cord on
the floor. I learned a lot from Eris about how cruelly human beings can
mistreat dogs -- and i also learned how deeply even a grossly mistreated
and traumatied dog will try to please, try to trust, and try to bond
with a new family of friendly humans.


Poor Eris, I'm so glad to hear she had a nice home and wonderful owners as
an ending to the shoddy beginning she had. There's just something about
dogs that brings out the best in me. I have to stop reading craigslist, or
we'd probably have a new dog each day. Every single story makes me want to
rescue.

Gracie was also deathly afraid of our stairs. When we brought her home she
explored the house upstairs a bit. Then dh opened the door to the lower
level, so we could take her outside. She dropped to the floor, shaking
uncontrollably, crying. It was awful how scared she was. I asked the
foster we got her from and she said 'Gracie hadn't been afraid of other
stairs, she'd been up and down them numerous times' so we figured it had to
be something to do with the appearance of our particular stairway that upset
her so.

All the little things makes one wonder what these poor things have been
through before we got 'em. :( At night time she loves to lay with her
head on my shoulder and I tell her the story of her first day with us again.
;-) She seems to enjoy that.




Our current Portuguese Water Dog, Sophie, came from a reputable and
kindly breeder, who hand-raised her to the age of 11 months (she was a
"show prospect" and so was not sold as a young pup), and the difference
in temperement is remarkable. Sophie is just as trusting and bonded to
us as Eris was, but she is jaunty, upbeat, self-confient, likes to greet
strangers, and has very few "phobias" -- and those she does have (empty
cardboard boxes scraping across a wooden floor, fireworks) only cause
her to run off cautiously and look back from a "safe" distance -- she
never goes into emotional collapse or submissive meltdowns the way Eris
did.

Nice to meet you, and hope, if crime is your thing, you will continue to
post here.

I second that!

cat yronwode


Has Sophie got a treat jar in your store yet? Every time you mention
Sophie, I wish once again I could come and see her. My oldest daughter and
I went antiquing a couple weeks ago and one of the shops had a big old
scruffy looking mixed breed dog. I thought of Sophie then too. It must
have had some really big lab in it, mixed with something that gave it that
scruffy appearance.

I have to admit though, I also was reminded of Bo, thinking 'oh man, bo
would have a ***-fit if he was here and this big old dog came wandering
up.'

Hey jlink, we went out to Bayleaf Peddler. Have you ever been there?

td


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