Candy Autobiography (Chapter 2)

When I woke up, I felt so much better and everything around me was strange but in a good way, I got up  stretched and had a look around the room.  It was much, much bigger than the cages I had been in for so long.  I went through an opening into a narrow space and then I saw it, it was so scary, it went down forever and ever.  I flattened myself to the floor and looked over the edge, it was so strange.  Then Matthew came out and just walk right into the space like it was the most normal thing to do in the world.  He called to me and I thought "Really, you have got to be kidding", I then thought "I can do this" but I could not move, I was so scared.  Matthew came back and after a long time I was encouraged, one paw at a time into the space he called "stairs" and after what felt like forever we reached the bottom "Phew", then "can you believe it" he turned right around and went back up.  It still gives me shivers today, it was like, like looking up at a monster, I could feel all the air press down on me and I thought "I can't do this".  To this day I don't know what must have happened to me to create the unreasoning fear I had back then but my new pack took time with me to show me that my fears were all in my mind and slowly one paw at a time, and one day after another, helped me conquer the "Stairs".  Now of course I don't walk up and down, I CHARGE up and down and the demons of my puppyhood have long been banished.  Thanks Dad!

 

 

Overcoming fears and sickness was a large part of coming home in the early days.  Whatever the people in the bright room did to me, I was sick for a long time.  We visited another white coat person and I learnt that white coat people were not all bad although I still don't like having my temperature taken, the indignity of it "Humph".   It took time but everything cleared up and I am now a healthy happy hound and if I say so myself the unofficial leader of the pack, Matthew think's he is and, OK I let him think it, but from time to time I have to remind him.

Cat Pack Mates

It was not long after getting home that the whole cat experience made sense.  I walked into a room and came face to face with not one but two "Cats".  Now I remembered the that these cats where not friendly and here there was two of them with "no cage".  What was I to do,  if I say so myself I have always been a reasonable dog and prepared to let bygones be bygones so I walked over and did what any reasonable K9 would do and said "Hi".  Well I have to say the response was not what I expected.  The white one, oh, I didn't mention that one was White and the other Ginger or Orange depending upon your country of origin.  Look at me getting all cultural.  Anyway back to the story.  I expected a "Hi" or "Hello" hell I would have settled for a "Hey" but "Oh No" not from cats all I got was "Hiss, Hiss, Hiss" and lots of bad attitude like I was some kind of enemy No 1 to cats, go figure.  OK now I know that they might have had good reason to treat me that way, as boy do I like to chase cats, it's just wired into me, but back then I didn’t know that and all I saw was unreasonably bad behavior.   

So I did the next thing any self-respecting and reasonable pooch does in a situation when faced with unreasonable cats, I  ignored them and went about my own business.  This seemed to be an amicable arrangement between us all and overtime we all slowly became friends and I came to think of them as my pack mates kind of "Cat Pack Mates" and we became as close as family can become.

I even learnt that they had put effort into understanding dog before I joined the pack, it's kinda funny to thinking of them getting all dog knowledgeable.   They have both passed to the dream space now and don't spend all their time with us anymore but it nice to see them when they stop by to check in on the pack, funny that Matthew and Sarah can't see them as they are always right under there feet, just like cats.