I dog-sit quite a lot. Most of them are rescues but there are a few that were raised by their families from the time they were puppies. Personally I don’t see a huge difference between the two normally with the exception thatThe difference several of the rescues I care for are on medications. They’re all well-loved and are loving in return. That’s part of the beauty of dogs, they really respond and can be so loving. Today I walked in to one of the houses to pick up a jacket I’d left the last time I was staying there and the dog, a tiny little ball of fur, was SO excited I was there! It’s the best feeling in the world and I’m so thankful for the trust people have charged me with when caring for their pets. That leads me to the other side of the coin…dogs who’ve been severely abused.
There is one dog I’ve been working with over the course of several visits just to get him to trust me enough to be able to take care of him when his family goes on vacation. He’s a BIG dog but he’s scared of his own shadow. He still hides behind his ‘mom’ when I come over and I long for the day he’ll take a treat from me and let me pet him. It’s not going to happen for awhile yet. Why on earth would someone treat an animal so horribly?! This is a sweet dog but if he were in a kennel he’d probably be put down because of how traumatized he’s been. I’m so thankful for the young couple who took him in and takes such amazing care of him. Another dog, a new one I just met today, was also abused. She was shot in the face when she was a puppy. She had a litter of puppies before she was even a year old and heaven only knows what happened to them. This dog, in spite of her early trauma, quickly warmed up to me and took treats from me. The difference? She’s on Prozac. Wow, can you imagine?!
The Art of Spaces 