Our recent visit to my in-laws gifted our little ones with little ones of their own. For the life of me, I can't figure out how my in-laws aren't bothered by the constant flea infestation in their house. Despite our best attempts with preventative, those little boogers always latch on and make the trek home with us.
I spent the greater part of today shaving and shampooing two of the three dogs. What a mess!
Even though I had searched their little bodies over, I had only found one stinkin' flea. It was the constant itching that gave it away. Through all of the shaving and shampooing, I still didn't find more than a couple. I guess it only takes a couple mean ones to do the trick. Our Gizmo and Winnie are covered with tiny welts from the bites and broken skin from scratching.
Had I not shaved them, I would have never seen their poor, irritated skin. Without seeing that, I wouldn't have known to treat the irritation, which would have left them miserable for much longer. It took that extra little effort and getting underneath the surface to find the problem and help them the best I could.
While shaving Winnie, I made another discovery. The first day we got Winnie, she was timid and wouldn't let anyone touch her. The second day I gave her a bath and she literally became a different dog. Her hair was long and I couldn't see much skin. She's been groomed twice, but always professionally.
Shaving her today, I found two long, deep and relatively recent scars on both sides of her back. My best guess is that she was either hit extremely hard on both sides. My other guess is that she was tied so tight and for so long that whatever it was had lodged deep in her skin. Kent thinks maybe she got stuck in a fence for an extended amount of time.
We won't ever know exactly what happened, but what we do know is that whatever happened had to be very painful. I'm beside myself at how someone could have ever hurt or neglected this little sweetheart so badly.
Winnie has really become my dog. She will only listen to me and come to me. For a long time, my husband has taken it quite personally that this dog who he has tried valiantly to win over has only refused his every effort. Given the now visible signs of trauma to her little body, I think we both understand why she would be so afraid of people.
Again, I would have never have found the source of her reluctance had I not spent time shaving her and taking time to see what was going on with her little body. It all makes sense now and all I had to do was take time to see what was underneath all that hair.
Those things all hit me very personally, so identifiable. Going a step further to find the root of a problem; taking time to understand what's really underneath; accepting that the deeper the scars, the deeper the hurt, the longer it takes to heal. Sometimes it takes extra time, patience and care to really see what is going on under the surface. Sometimes it takes extra effort and energy to get really involved and go through life with someone who has deep hurt. Sometimes it takes an extra special person to accept those deep, deep scars for what they are and who proceeds with caution.
It's just another example of how my pets have impacted my life. They haven't changed anything for me, but they have changed me. They've taught me that it's ok to let those special people see those deep, deep scars, so they can understand and help where they can.
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