earning trust

    This is a beautiful veteran German Shepherd. I fell in love the minute I laid my eyes upon her. She did not feel the same way, though. She was so scared, her entire body was quivering. She was huddled on her little cot in the corner, as far away from the door and as far away from me as possible. I could not possibly let her continue to fear me. I had to change her opinion about me. I wanted her to look at me as her friend and companion, not as her enemy. 

    Gaining the trust of animals can be tricky. You want them to trust you, but you need to be cautious while earning their trust. As much as you love them, you are not sure how they will react to you, especially in close proximity. They could just bark at you, which might sound/look threatening, but as soon as you are in the cage with them and there is not a wiry cage door separating the two of you, they could jump on you and start kissing you all over. Others, though, could possibly try to bite or scratch you. It is not because they are cruel dogs. They are just frightened and out of their comfort zone. 

   As I entered the cage and slowly approached the German Shepherd, she began to crouch. I did not know if it was because she was scared or if she was going to attack. So, I decided to sit on the floor of her cage and let her approach me when she was ready. 

    She stared at me for a minute and then slowly walked towards me. I help out my hand so she could sniff it. She sniffed all around me, probably smelling every other dog in the boarding area on me. I pet her head, which scared her, but she then liked it. Eventually, she started licking me All over, she plopped right down on my lap. 

    Gaining an animal’s trust can be the most rewarding feeling. It isn’t always as easy as gaining the trust of this German Shepherd. But, it is always worth it. ♡

Proverbs 12:10

A righteous man has regard for the life of his animal, But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.