This is a story of transformation, which is a good topic for this New Year. It is a true story about me and my relationship with dogs.
For most of my life I was terrified of dogs. I have no childhood horror story of being attacked by a dog, I just didn’t feel safe around dogs. One of my earliest memories occurred when I was about 4. There was a black dog in our neighborhood whose name was “Wagsy”. I thought his name was “Waxy.” To my four year old eyes, Waxy was gigantic and ferocious. My older sister Jeanne, who was all of 6 years old, was my protector. She would always know when Waxy was around, because I would grab the back of her sweater and squeak “Jeannie, Jeannie, Jeannie.” This recurring experience of terror is still very clear in my memory.
“Transformation is possible. It can come in many ways; trust that it will. It is the gift of being human.”
Fast forward 30 years. I was still not drawn to dogs, but the fear had receded. Many of my friends had dogs; I would occasionally get close enough to pet them. Then, I married a dog lover. He asked if I would consider getting a dog, and to my surprise, I said yes!
As soon as we picked up Jake, our first dog, I fell in love with him. Overnight (really over 30+ years) my relationship with dogs transformed from fear to love. We had 3 labs over the course of our 30 year marriage: Jake, Dan and Bear. When my husband died, I adopted my first dog, Hadley. Although apprehensive to care for a dog by myself, the transformation continued. Hadley is my constant companion; he has saved me from loneliness and has added a huge spark of joy to my life.
This miraculous transformation took place over many years. I share this because transformation is possible. It can come in many ways; trust that it will. It is the gift of being human. Open your heart and you will be surprised what door you will be invited to enter.
