Unearthing Meadow

Eight months after entering our lives, Meadow is finally beginning to feel fully at home, and she is not the timid, placid dog we adopted.

The petite canine who plastered herself to the back of her crate, cringing in terror if the door shifted slightly, now tries to shove her way past the very same door whenever we try to confine her inside.

The silent dog who surprised herself the first time she barked, (more than a month after she moved in), now yaps at the neighbors, the neighbors’ dogs, people walking through the woods, the breeze, the trees, and things only knowable to her.

The innocent little girl who longed to snuggle near her pack-mates at every opportunity, now lies in wait for one of them to move, so she might slip into their spot and curl herself into a tight, immovable ball of velvety fur.

The hesitant Vizsla who could not be enticed to approach a toy, or tug with her friends in the yard, has now decided that every item on the property belongs to her, and her alone, chasing even visiting dogs away from her precious playthings.

Yet…

The flighty feral whom caring citizens struggled to snare for many moons, is now responding to her recalls better than her canine ‘brother,’ Toby, a dog who is resistant to the training he has undergone for the past six years.

The petrified peanut of a dog who would shut down at any change in her environment, is now learning the sport of Rally obedience and is showing promise as a potential competitor in the distant future.

The peculiar creature who slunk about the house, unnerving me each time I realized that she had materialized behind my back and was studying me with an uncanny gaze, now trots happily into each room, announcing her presence with the confidence of a hand reared pup who has never seen the inside of a shelter.

The docile dog who initially refused to take more than two steps away from us in the yard, is now blazing around it at incomprehensible speeds, astounding us with her mind-boggling acrobatics.

It is amazing to see how swiftly this once wild dog is adapting to life in suburbia, this extraordinary Vizsla who entered our hearts from the moment we learned of her existence. I look forward to discovering the true dog who is steadily emerging from her once fear shrouded shell.