Why i root for the underdog.
My dog Louis is an underdog.
When I first saw him, he was 20 pounds underweight and terrified, behind the bars of the animal shelter. I learned he had been discovered living in a cage filled with feces, and surrendered to animal control. He had suffered bilateral pelvic fractures that went without veterinary care and he could not walk properly. He had rickets. He had missing patches of hair and overgrown nails.
Baby Louis at the shelter.
After all he endured, once I took him home, he bonded almost immediately. He started to play with toys, and hopped around trying to get my other dogs to romp with him. He wagged his little nub often. He still does.
Louis healed physically. He grew from 30 pounds to 90 pounds. He can not only walk now, but he runs FastCAT races — and he’s my fastest dog. He helped me train for a marathon.
Louis racing his heart out.
What remains are the ghosts of his past. Studies have shown that dogs too can suffer PTSD from past trauma.
If he doesn’t know you, doesn’t know you’re safe, my 90 pound Doberman is scared of you. It has been three years of diligent and patient work on my part to show him the world is safe. We’ve made headway. We compete at dog events and he does very well. But he is still reserved around most strangers. Still jumps if someone comes up behind him. Is still sensitive to the slightest chance of voice tone.
It is emotional scars that often linger after the bone has healed, the bruise has faded. You can look okay and not be okay. But emotional scars— those burden we bear that sometimes feel insurmountable… that we want to put down because they are so very heavy….that random moment when something triggers us and heartbreak or pain comes flooding back…. Those scars do not mean we are irretrievably damaged. They mean we are strong. They mean we are brave.
Every time I watch Louis make the choice to overcome a challenge, I am reminded that to be brave does not mean you have no fear. It means stepping up to that fear, accepting you are afraid, and trying anyway.
