Gracie was approximately 2 years old when I got her 2 years ago. She was so thin she still looked like a lanky puppy. And her tail? It never came out from between her legs. Never in a house before, she was terrified of the TV. She hid between the couch and coffee table to eat, and ran when anyone coughed.
Gracie was terrified of visitors. She dashed under or behind any substantial piece of furniture if a stranger stepped foot in the driveway. For the longest time, we wondered if she could bark. Never did she make a sound.
She was (and is) so very eager to please. She’s a good girl — and, she’s good because we’re kind to her. She no longer looks like the timid dog that we coaxed out of the car in September of 2009. She’s got a bit of confidence, and wears her happiness on her tail.
I was thinking about Gracie last night as I heard coyotes howling outside the office window in the field behind the house. It’s a crazy-erie howling that happens most every night lately, and ensures that we go outside when we let Libby and Gracie out. Last night was different…
Last night was different because we could hear a dog’s bark. The kind of panic-scared bark that dogs do to try and sound brave. It was pitiful…and it lasted a long time. It makes me wonder why people have pets when they can’t — or won’t — take care of them like they should.
I’m not saying I expect everyone to treat their pets as a family member like I do. I get it that some just don’t have that same feeling when it comes to a dog or cat or bird or whatever. I get it. I do! But if you have a pet, the least you can give them is compassion and kindness. I don’t agree with just letting them run the neighborhood, fending for themselves and intruding on the properties of others. If that’s all you plan to offer a pet — why have one?
