Meet my dog Norah
This week our dog Norah turned 10. Or maybe 11. Maybe even 13? We aren't sure because when we adopted her they just said, "She's probably 2?" We're also sure this is probably not her birthday week. We just chose this week at random, because she came with zero background. She was picked up off of the streets in Denton, TX and made her way into our home through adoption not long after.
Norah came to us through a labrador rescue even though she's got a strong mix of many other random breeds in her heritage (where is that tail from?). After she came home to us, we were confused and sad to discover she didn't really love hanging out with us. She preferred to be outdoors and was terrified of walking through any doorways. Clearly, something in her young life had terrified her and convinced her of the benefits of not being vulnerable. She was a lone ranger. She came in to eat, did seem to enjoy walks, but beyond that, her affection was fairly elusive.
Years of letting her have space, coaxing her through doorways and offering affection and here we are, 8 years later, celebrating her 10th-ish-fake-birthday. At first, it was so frustrating to have a dog that wasn't seeking our affection, didn't seem to care if we were around. But we all learned and adapted. We learned that she had some hard boundaries and we needed to respect them. She prefers not to have your face in her face, thankyouverymuch. We also learned that although her affection isn't typical (when she likes you, she sits on your feet) it was still present. And we learned she was incredibly loyal.
One evening as I was walking her in our neighborhood, we were charged by a pit bull who pulled away from his owner. I froze, unable to see a path to safety, deciding just to try and kick the dog to keep us safe until his owner could get control. Norah, however, the elusive non-affectionate puppers stared into the eyes of the Dog of Death and said "Not today!" She stepped in between me and the pit bull who was about twice her weight and threw down. Her wiry, nimble frame wrapping circles around the bigger animal. I yelled and screamed and kicked trying to get them apart, but I also knew from being married to an ER doctor to never reach into a dog fight.
The owner finally threw himself upon his dog, and Norah and I made our running escape. Later, as I tearfully tended to her 6 puncture wounds, I swear I saw her smiling. I have to believe that whatever she went through as a young dog on the streets gave her a few hard lessons.
Hold your boundaries, fight for what you love.
So here's to Norah, the Queen, the Squirrel Chaser, the Untrainable One. Here's to her unknown past and the boundaries she holds dear. Here's to fierce loyalty and trauma that is managed with love.
May I continue to learn grace and patience from her.
SPOTLIGHT
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