Chapter Three

This turned out to be a Marathon…Not a Sprint.

She seemed to love the blanket I gave her. She would carry it from place to place in the yard She started looking healthier and gaining weight. I could see her beauty emerging.

OK, now, this little girl would have to work a little more for her keep. I continued to put her food by the hole as usual, but then I started sitting about 40 feet away quietly watching, and she eventually would come out to eat with me there. Every couple of days I moved a little closer and she seemed more comfortable with me being there. It had been about 5 weeks, but very little progress had been made, except that she was starting to look much healthier. Her hip and all her cuts and scrapes were healing, although her left back leg stuck straight out, making it difficult for her to get around easily.

I moved her bowl a little away from the house, and after she came out to eat for a few days, I m and I would sit on the grass about 6 feet away.  It took a couple more days, but then she carefully made her way to the delicious smell-good gravy train-can food with me sitting there.  I said, ‘Good girl,’ gently and quietly, over and over as she ate, and we became friends.  She still watched every move I made, and I was pretty sure someone had mistreated her terribly. I moved her bowl further and further into the yard so that she would have to come out and stay longer to eat.

We had been on this adventure for about 2 months, and I could see that she was less frightened and seemed grateful to me.  We still had a long way to go. There was such kindness in her eyes, and I was convinced she would not bite or be aggressive, but I did continue to be cautious just in case something frightened her. I longed just to touch her and let her feel the compassion and love that had grown in my heart for her.