“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.”
Roger Caras
Saturday 10th November, 2018. I arrived in Exeter services on a dark evening and was thrust a small, Serbian refugee. She proceeded to puke all over my car on the way home and immediately destroy the new bed I’d bought her for the journey. In spite of this, we both knew this was the start of a big adventure and an amazing new relationship. This was how we welcomed Annie into our home a year ago.
I had a very special bond with my first dog, who grew up with me through my childhood and teenage years and was always there to welcome me back from university. Even when I graduated, his old face was there to greet me whenever I came home and I forgave him his more senile moments of selective hearing, weeing on my lap and barking at the walls. When he died, we were all devastated. I still am. But I am grateful for what he taught me; there really is no friend like a dog. So when I was finally in the position to offer the time and care for a dog in my own house, I quickly found a rescue dog I could offer a loving home to.
In a rescue centre in Serbia, I found Annie. She had been dumped in a skip at about 3 months old, with Parvo Virus. All her siblings died from the disease and Annie ended up in solitary confinement for most of her puppyhood, but she made it, she was a fighter, but after a bad start, she was understandably pessimistic about life.
The past year has been spent trying to show Annie that the world is kind. It is not terrifying. She was very frightened of all men, any large objects, carrier bags, other dogs, strangers and had a flight response to anything ambiguous. Annie still has her hang ups, but she is beginning to learn to trust people again and has fitted in to her home perfectly. She still has a long way to go, but she is beginning to leave her bad start a little further behind in her memories each day. She’s also helped me to slow down a little, take in the sights and smells on our morning walks, realise it’s okay to just want to curl up away from the world on some days and run for miles on other days.
The most valuable asset I have given Annie and that I can give to you, is my time. The best results in life usually come from commitment and time. Slowing down has been of particular importance. The world is a busy place and we spend most of our lives rushing around to meet deadlines and goals. Sometimes we need to take the time to look around and be in the moment. Skin Truth is all about YOUR moment. A moment of realisation, the start of a journey, an epiphany.
So, happy “Gotcha Day” to little Annie. The gifts of time and kindness are the greatest donations we can make to the world and they are the foundations that support the Wonder Clinic.
