There are Indian street dogs in Baltimore! Who knew?!
Misha is a dog from the streets of India, with me since mid March 2021. This blog post was written in early may. I took her to a playdate with other dogs she knew in India. In the environment of being outside, in the sun, with a pleasant breeze, in a fenced in yard, off leash with dogs she knew back home, who she faced her worst days with after coming off the streets, who she came back to health with in recovery from injuries from the streets, who she developed fears and anxieties with, it was these circumstances, outdoors, sun, cool breeze, companions, caretakers in which I saw her tail wag, I saw her run and romp, I saw her hesitate to leave when the play date was over. A change in environment is what’s needed to help us thrive. Well that may be true. But I offer this, that we can we thrive without changing the outside, without changing the circumstance of home, job, colleagues, patients, weather.
Each day for the past 37 days, Misha has woken up in our home, with the same 2 people in the house, with no other dog in the house, and she’s received the food, water, shelter, walks, hugs, and kisses. That’s been constant.
At first, she would cower under the sofa or bed, quivering, holding her pee for days, I’m guessing because she thought she couldn’t trust us and felt fear.
A few days in our home, she started to come out from under the furniture to explore the downstairs. A few days later, she started to drink only when the water bowl was brought to her, started to eat only when the food was hand fed to her, and that too, only cream cheese. Her tail was always down. And she was always quivering and cowering within a few minutes of being comfortable. She then started to sniff and explore the upstairs, the basement, and even took walks without her tail between her legs at times, meaning less fear.
Day 36, she was up as soon as I woke up, pranced down the stairs, directly to her water and food bowl in the kitchen, ate and drank, pranced around the kitchen island a few times as she usually does, begged or more food, and her tail was up most of the morning, before outdoors, sunshine, companions, and caretakers. Her circumstances at home each day are the same. Her life is mostly routine. Yet she is thriving.
