Don’t Exploit Me Or I May Bite You!

A cute little chihuahua with an anxious heart!

This cutest little guy is called Quito!

Background

I met Laurie briefly at a Canadian Thanksgiving gathering. We fell into easy conversation and I learnt about her beautiful work rescuing and caring for all kinds of dogs.

She mentioned Quito who would probably not be rehoused as he had bitten his previous owner four times, the last time on the mouth.

In that moment my heart went out to the little dog and I thought “There has got to be a reason!” I asked permission to try and help.

Quito

I am older and wiser now. When I was younger I didn’t understand how to communicate and I didn’t understand the nuances of human behaviour. I was afraid of the sheer size of my owners and their domination of me; their determination to have me submit to their will.

The unfortunate part of our relationship was that they never spoke to me with kindness and understanding. They were brutal, not physically, but in their assertion that I should be tamed. Meek and mild like a toy that is only good for display.

“How little Quito is,” she would say. “Just like a doll. So cute. So helpless.”

This woman assumed that I was at her beck and call and I wanted just peace and quiet to rest and enjoy the solitude of life.

I am not a gregarious dog. I don’t like being dragged here and there. Being out in public makes me stressed and anxious. I am a magnet for children and people who never respect my space.

Yes, I bit. I asserted my right to be left alone and this woman constantly got in my face. She disquieted me. I retaliated in the only way I knew how.

Laurie lets me sleep. She doesn’t expect much of me. I can be quiet with my thoughts and wait patiently for food each evening when the household is otherwise busy. I am a non-intrusive presence.

I have learned my lesson that it is better to fit in with a household then to be discarded like some broken thing. It is a harsh lesson to know you were never truly loved or respected.

I just aspire to a safe place to call home and to be left in a calm place to my own devices. I like to watch TV and even the warm comfort of a lap or even better to snuggle beside you between the thigh and the armrest. It is my happy place where I can reflect and engage in thoughtful contemplation of all kinds of things.

I wonder why the sky is blue, or how I can sneak out the back door unobserved for a little wander in the yard, I consider why other dogs bark and yap without a message to impart and I dream of a time when I will be free to roam in green spaces and enjoy the outside world, just a little bit.

This is enough now. You have bothered me enough, although I’m just being funny you know. I have a dry sense of humour and sometimes I laugh and smile at an internal joke until I hiccup!

Take care and thank Laurie for believing me and giving me a space I can consider my forever home. I have so much love to give on my own terms.

Quito 2024.

Feedback on the reading:

Laurie’s initial response was that the reading was interesting and “I don’t really understand how you do this, but I was very intrigued on what you had to say!”

The next day she messaged me:

Can I say since you did Quito’s reading with him, he seems to be interacting more with the other dogs here and wants to be on my lap every time I sit down! He seems more relaxed, even with the other dogs close by me! Wonder if the reading did something for my little fellow?

I was so thrilled as, although I can’t make any claims, it is a healing modality and I have witnessed many times that changes do happen! I am so happy for Laurie and Quito and am suspecting he has found his ‘forever home.’