Sometimes our greatest teachers come dressed in dirty coats with scraggly, matted fur, and do not hesitate to bare their teeth at their slightest objections. Once I stepped into Shandy’s story, or she in mine (It’s hard to tell which), her current condition demanded much more attention than her need for good grooming.

Shandy didn’t have a dire health issue that needed addressing as many rescues do. She did have an inner conflict that took quite an effort to sort out. This magnificent creature named Shandy took me on a journey to my core.

I examined my thoughts and beliefs about violence, anger, neglect, community, imprisonment of animals, and relationships. I didn’t know her back story, but her raw, near-feral state, sure shed light on my prejudices.

A Chance at Love

She offered me the chance to take another look at the meaning of leadership, love, and forgiveness. She showed me how to remain present and compassionate. How to disagree, or find the point of agreement to begin a new connection.

What did loving someone the way they are, how they are, no matter why they are the way they are, look like?

I came with a past, too, one more unresolved than I realized at that time. Together, Shandy and I amounted to a little bit of a hot mess. From our past, we set out to build a new future, one experience at a time. I had to be more present with Shandy during simple daily activities than I had ever had to be before. I quickly learned where infinite possibilities came from and where the point of change happens.

We progressed slowly.

We needed to. There were many sleepless nights. She paced and huffed for hours. Like any new relationship, we had to learn about each other. For weeks she wouldn’t come into the house, so I set up a bed for her in the garage. I gardened or placed a blanket on the concrete right outside the door to the garage and worked on my laptop. She watched me, getting used to the way I moved and the sound of my voice. Her curiosity was one of her greatest traits. Eventually, she felt safe. She came over and sniffed my garden gloves, or sniffed my feet as I laid perfectly still. In those moments I never said a word to her. I wanted her to explore on her terms, and build her confidence. Knowing for herself she was finally safe

It is one thing to guide a puppy to become a polite and well balanced member of the family. It is quite another, to help a traumatized Chow Chow believe they are safe, loved and can trust another person, maybe for the first time in their life. Our adventure had begun.

“Let Love Lead” ~ Joy Taylin