Rene had, many months ago, brought along two of her companions. I began feeding them, too, in exchange for unconditional companionship. Rene left for a better place a few months ago - she was very ill and I had taken her to an animal care shelter where she breathed her last, away from her comfort zone and companions. For many months I could not forgive myself for having done that; I cried uncontrollably and carried the weight of guilt with me. But then I realised that she had got the best care during the last days of her life - that warm human touch, the kind concern and the security of care.
So, now I have two of her companions with me - a girl and a boy! (Most human dog lovers, refer to them this way.) The girl has got into fights and landed at my doorstep, injured. Each time, I feed her, clean her wounds and treat them until she is ready to prance around again. She greets me when she hears the hum of my car, escorts me around the locality and gets possessive about Spooky, too. But the boy views me with suspicion. I walk towards him and he moves two steps away; I try to feed him treats and he thinks I’m poisoning him; I try to pet him and he cowers in fear. I wonder how much he must have been abused as a pup, to be carrying these fears within him.
I look into his eyes and he sits, wanting to talk, maybe? I squat so he can look into my eyes, see that I love him, and let me pet him. But these “look into my eyes” moments last a while and then we are back to square one! I'm in no hurry; someday, my love for him will triumph..
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