Thursday, December 26, 2013

The best things in life...

...aren't things.

Despite not feeling much Christmas magic this year, i am grateful that i live in a beautiful place, that our electrics have thus far stayed on through the ice storms which have left many without electricity, and that two kitties are now peacefully napping, one in front of the coal stove, and the other between my keyboard and the screen.

Two things which have especially warmed my heart this Christmas season:

Someone doing his best to achieve sobriety.

A friend's fostering a badly abused white poodle named Toby. He's been at my friend's house a few weeks, such woeful eyes, and unsure what to make of his new surroundings. He's coming out of his shell little by little, likes cuddles, and is now starting to look at his human companions in the eye from time to time. Sometime in the night last night, my friend awoke to find Toby licking her hand. He stopped and went out of the room as soon as he realised she was awake.

9 comments:

  1. Poor little Toby. I have looked after small, terrified dogs that wake in the night with the same nightmares that we humans have. It's the same remedy for both us and the dogs too - a tiny bit of warmth and affection.

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    1. Toby is starting to want to sleep in their bed with them, but still stays at the bottom of the bed and doesn't move. For the first ten days, he cried every night. He's not given kisses since his arrival, so this bit of news was most encouraging.

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  2. Our current rescue is a puppy mill Cairn. Three years on she still hasn't a clue how to be a dog, not a puppy mother. Sad.
    About the phone:
    It's a crap shoot. It needs a lot of power. If you have other phones on the same line they may be draining the power.

    Call the phone company. Is the pulse dialing turned on for your number?

    They can be rewired, but every one is different.

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    Replies
    1. Joanne, i do have other phones on the same line. I'm not sure if i have pulse dialing turned on. I keep it in the bedroom, so i can hear the phone at the bottom of the stairs ringing. It's enough to wake me up, and then i just go the few steps to the phone in the bedroom to answer.

      Does your dog have any chance to play with other dogs? Our one-eyed cat was feral and starved when we got her, and she really didn't know how to play. She was more concerned about survival. Having another cat in the house who hadn't started life so rough helped Grace to see how to play.

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  3. God bless Toby. Franklin was so timid when he came to live with me. Our first contact was when he licked my toes. We became fast friends pretty quickly, but it took months for him to accept anyone else. Someone I know has achieved sobriety in recent weeks. It's a beautiful sight.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. I'm glad you have Franklin, and i'm sure he feel the jackpot being with you.

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  4. Cruelty to animals makes me so angry. I do hope that Toby regains his confidence in us horrible humans.

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    1. Me, too, Cro. I can't think about it too much because i get so upset and angry. I think if i were to see someone in the act, i'd have human blood on my hands.

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