The magic of a changed perspective

Since adolescence, I have been growing up with a desire to have a dog. This was mostly because dogs were always near me as I grew up. my family would waste no time in admitting that I have always loved dogs and every time I would pass one, would coo endlessly at the emotion filled eyes and the wagging tail. this led to me constantly asking for a dog without a care of our circumstances. As I grew older, my obsession with dogs only increased, but a more mature perspective on the ownership of dogs developed. Dogs are such innocent creatures completely unbeknownst to the selfish way humans’ function and this just makes them more lovable than any other creature. I always had a perspective that dogs were these beautiful beings that had no problems and had a happy life with their owners who loved them. This opinion had drastically changed during one of the biggest summers of my life.

It was after the GCSEs. For those unaware, it's a plethora of exams that test your knowledge at the impressionable age of 16. It was a big tradition back home to take unconventional steps during this summer. Many young individuals like myself were encouraged to take decisions that fell way out of our comfort zones. my decision came in the way of volunteering in a care home. this is where my perspective on dogs changed. I had the joy of taking care of a Caucasian woman named Maurice. I was afraid, initially, because being an obvious South East Asian, but she had no negative qualms about me. We had a little dog which was primarily, Maurice's, but slowly became everyone else's. She was a little bundle of joy that made the other elderly people more content with their presence.

One afternoon, we were sitting in the garden when the little dog chasing the butterflies. I had seen a little smile on Maurice's face, and I smiled unknowingly too. She looked at me with her perceptive eyes and saw my gaze across the garden to the little dog.

"He wasn't always like this you know"

I remember turning to her in surprise and she laughed. I did not really understand what she meant by those words. So, in the most inquisitive tone, I asked her.

"Grandma, what do you mean he always wasn't like this?"

She always insisted I call her Grandma because her granddaughter was not able to visit much, and I unfortunately didn't have a grandmother to have an experience. Grandma always made sure that we had enough tea and biscuits for that time we spent together.

"The little one there used to be in the worst situation imaginable"

I knew that she was trying to explain something about the dog, so I did not really interrupt her. the dog was a rescue, from the worst possible situations. Maurice had a reason for never giving the little animal a name. She believed that giving the puppy a name would remind the animal its own traumatic past.

The little dog's story broke my heart and I feel like it is my duty to tell others about it because no dog should go through this and no owner should ever feel entitled to do these actions to dogs and get away with it. The story is impactful as it kept me up several nights after hearing the story. Maurice also made sure that I was okay mentally after hearing the story but as my awareness of dogs had impactfully changes, that is why I hope that this story can change the perspective of many others.

The dog was previously named Blondie because of her golden coat that was consistent throughout her growth into its youth. She was loved initially, according to Maurice, but after a few changes that wrecked the dynamics of the owner's household, things did change. Change is always welcomed within a dog's life from what I have heard but poor Blondie was not aware taught the change would only cause her forbearance and suffering. the young daughter of the family had recounted it to Maurice when she bought it off of them. It was an odd transaction but that was the best decision that could be taken.

The changes started small with the Blondie being thrown out by the father, the man of the family, every few nights to suffer through cold nights which never lasted long because the mother always let the dog in before it got too cold. But then things took a turn. Blondie became the target of blame for the family's poor financial situation. She was constantly scolded for eating too much as a puppy and anytime she came near food, she would get a cane to her paw to stop her from advancing and asking for food. The puppy never really had an enjoyable infancy as from the moment that Blondie was able to walk, she was thrown outside the house to wander with a curfew to follow. Young dogs have been proven to require a lot of love, just like new-born babies but the lack of love provided by the previous owners was almost torturous to the little creature. Blondie was forced to spend many nights in the cold as she was a puppy with very little concept of time. The dog was constantly berated for being what it was, a dog, as she would wag her tail adn nip at the furniture. Blondie was told off very often to the point where her name would be used as the weapon. When the puppy would hear its name, it would cower in fear and shuffle away from the owner’s grip in fear of getting hit.

Grandma said that the dog would sometimes show up in front of the care home and all the residents and workers there would shower the animal in affection it deserved. She even saw the dog sometimes at night wandering and Grandma would always send one of the workers to go and retrieve the creature. They used to make sure that the dog was comfortable, but it never stayed long. The workers used to always say that the dig would get up and leave before grandma did. Grandma never found out why but looking back, it was probably just the dog wanting to return into the owner’s house before she got locked out again.

But the change happened during summer, Grandma saw the puppy on the sidewalk of the road and did not mind it much at first, considering the frequent visits of the dog. But after a few hours of no movement form the creature, she walked outside and tried to see what was wrong. Unfortunately, Grandma’s favourite puppy was hurt and trying to move but with no success. She quickly picked the dog up and ran into the care home. The care workers also remember this, as I asked them after talking to grandma and they recalled how terrified grandma was because she genuinely thought that the puppy was in serious harm. The dog was immediately patched up and it turned out that she had a twisted paw. Her paw seemed to be bent at a slightly different angle than what would be considered normal so the care home workers were able to do some things to ensure the puppy would not be in pain anymore.

The next day, the owners showed up. The owner’s family was small as there were only three people. Grandma said that the man did not really give her positive vibes and anytime she looked at him, he would scowl at her. They demanded to give ‘Blondie’ back. The dog was still recovering, and grandma was adamant on keeping it in the care home until she was back to being a healthy dog. The owner did not like that, and he threatened to call the police concerning ‘Blondie’s’ ownership. But grandma stood her ground. Really makes sense as Grandma was always this beautiful strong woman that never let anyone belittle her. Ling story shirt, after a lot of arguments between the man owner and Grandma, the dog stayed at the care home. After a few weeks of the dog being in the care home, an individual had apparently asked for grandma. It was the daughter of the owner family. She apologised to grandma about her father’s behaviour and sat down with her to recount the story of blondie and how she became the dog she was. Grandma vividly remembers crying at the end of the story and I was tearing up a little bit too when she told me the dog’s story, but like her I was glad the dog was out of danger.

The dog took some time to adjust to its new home. ‘Blondie’ name was retired because every time someone would call her, she would tense up and anxiously walk towards the voice. It would also shiver if someone raised their voice, so they made sure the dog felt welcome. After many attempts, the dog became more comfortable with the residents, but it always lied down next to my grandma as she felt most comfortable with her. The months I worked there, I made sure that I always showed my love to the dog especially after Grandma had told me the dog’s story.

My perspective had changed. I still really wanted a dog but now I had a more mature perspective that dogs do not owe human love. They are not perfect creature. There are so many dogs around the world that are suffering due to innate intentions of humans and the effect is bigger on dogs than a human can imagine. Seeing the dog at my care home so anxious anytime people would approach her was heart-breaking, but it also showed me that the love of the owner and the pet can never be a one-sided street.

Grandma died during February of this year and I miss her. A lot. I was not able to meet her much after the pandemic, but she had died peacefully, in her favourite chair with the dog near her feet. Grandma’s funeral was not public so unless you were family, you were not allowed to attend. The dog is still in the care home and the workers had told me the dog was silent and closed off form everyone after grandma’s death. But she seemed to be returning to normal.

I do not really know if grandma missed me, or she wanted me to know about the dog but I’m glad she told me. As a girl who is even more in love with dogs, it helped create a more insightful way of taking care of these adorable creature. I really miss her, and I hope that she has found happiness wherever she is and the only thing I can do right now is take care of the dog that she loved. It has been 6 months and I’ve fallen for the dog’s adorable antics and she seems to like me too. She had acquired a real taste for sausage and carrots as I always feed her those when I am passing by. The dog is not mine, legally, but I always visit her and ensure that she is doing fine because that is what grandma would want me to do. I can only hope that more people realise that dogs should not be taken for granted and they deserve love just like any other loving being. I also want to show that a dog’s lobe should never be take for granted as their love is the purest form of love that exist, and I am lucky enough to be a receiver of that.