Monday, March 23, 2009

Boxer delivery

This Boxer just got off the van from Montreal to Toronto Animal Services. It's spent most of its life inside a puppy mill cage. Its white furred feet are dingy yellow from living in its own filth for so long. It's not quite sure what to make of the outside world. Noise, people, scents.Mostly, it just watches at first. Sometimes, it wants to run back into the security of a cage. Even the ground beneath its feet must feel strange. No more rusty metal mesh.

It becomes wary of the camera so I put it away after a couple of minutes. And then, what amazes me is that it starts to bond. It comes to me for reassurances. It tries to hide behind me when there is a loud noise. It starts to take comfort in pets and scratches.

This must be innate. How could it have possibly learned this from within a cage? Who would have set the example? Even after only experiencing some of the worst humanity has to offer, it still wants to trust us. We can't let it down again.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Can`t wait for an adoption update on this one.
So much to discover in a new life.
Please tell me he hasn`t been debarked.
Probably the first kindness he has experienced from a human,no wonder he`s bonding with you.

House of the Discarded said...

Bless her little heart. It must feel so good to feel the grass and cool air....just to be touched!!

Anonymous said...

Ali is a rare combination -- a Bengali Muslim and a dog lover. He has a nearly mystical ability to bond with even the roughest and most terrified dogs.

When asked how he does it, Ali insists it is not him, but the dog. "Dog is dog. There is no evil in dog's heart, only in human heart. If I do evil to dog, he fears me and bites me. If I love dog, he loves me."

I don't think I have heard it put better.

DogsDeserveFreedom said...

Wow - she doesn't seem too concerned at all. You can see her caution, but there isn't too much fear - mostly curiousity. That's great! I bet she'll come along quickly.

With my latest foster dog, I've spent the last 4 weeks working with a BYBer puppy who hadn't seen people other than the one handler, never experienced a collar let alone a leash and had minimal time out of a wooden box! I know it's not my norm, but I published an update on her just this morning.

DogsDeserveFreedom