Imagine . . . being tortured in your first year of life – having cigarette burns all over your body, being terrified about what would happen to you next, even though you’ve done nothing wrong and finally . . . having your legs wired together and being thrown from a car. Well, that’s what happened to Smiley, an adorable terrier cross dog, in the first year of his life.
But then a miracle happened – a woman who rescues dogs found Smiley injured at the side of the road. In addition to everything else, he had a large gash in his shoulder from the damage done when he was flung from the car.
The woman immediately took Smiley to a vet, but he wanted to amputate the badly gashed leg – she refused and after intensive care, not only did Smiley survive, but he now has full use of all four legs.
Smiley’s rescuer invited a friend, Marie, over to see Smiley – it was love at first sight!
Marie took Smiley home as soon as she could. That was four years ago and Smiley hasn’t looked back since!
I asked Smiley if he liked living with Marie and her husband. Smiley made it clear to me that his life, before he was saved, was a life of terror. In contrast, he felt his new life with Marie was more wonderful than he could ever have imagined. He said Marie was his angel – he adores her! He said he loved Marie’s husband too – he loved to play with him and that they were buddies.
Marie wanted to know why Smiley got so nervous when he heard loud noises. Smiley began to show me scenes from his life, before he was found on the road. He showed me a man screaming at him and chasing him, throwing things at him, holding him down and burning him with cigarettes – the person felt psychotic or drugged to me.
It was clear that there was more that Smiley could have showed us, but both Marie and I felt that that was enough.
I didn’t want Smiley to dwell on the past, so I thanked him for telling us and we moved on.
Marie’s other family dog, Izzie, had crossed to Spirit a few months before this reading and Marie wanted to be sure that Smiley was OK being at home alone, while she was working. Smiley said he waited at the front door of their house for a few minutes after Marie left, then relaxed for the day – but he was always waiting at the door when it was time for Marie to come home! Smiley said he missed Izzie, but that she visited the house now that she was in Spirit – he showed me Izzie laying on the floor at Marie’s husband’s feet – the image had a beautiful, loving feeling. Marie asked if Smiley wanted them to get another dog so he wouldn’t be alone – he said he liked having Marie and her husband all to himself and didn’t really want to share. Marie laughed and said, “OK – no new dog!”
Another issue Marie asked about was that Smiley was terrified of being in the family car – he trembled and almost always threw up when he was in the car. I asked Smiley to tell me about this – he said it was because of what had happened before he came to Marie. It had nothing to do with Marie or her husband – it was a PTSD-type reaction.
I asked Smiley if anything bad had happened in the family car since he’d been with Marie – he admitted nothing had. I assured Smiley that Marie and her husband would never knowingly put him in danger, that he was safe with them in their car. I asked if there was anything they could do to help him feel safer – he showed me that he preferred riding in the front seat, so Marie could hold him or touch him. Marie said they usually put him in the back seat, but had recently been putting him in the front seat – so they would continue to do that and remind Smiley that he was safe with them.
Marie then told me they were planning to drive about thirty minutes to Colorado Springs the next day and wanted to take Smiley on the trip with them. I was concerned that it might be too soon for such a big step, but asked Smiley and he said he wanted to go! His energy regarding being in the car was much more positive – but he said they should have a towel in the car, just in case he threw up. Marie said they definitely would have a towel – and she said that ” Smiley stood up and started wagging his tail when you asked him if he wanted to go with us!”.
At the end of the session Marie told me, “You don’t always know what’s going on in their little heads – well, YOU do, but I don’t – and it really helps to know! “.
P.S.: Marie emailed me after their car trip the next day with Smiley and had this to report:
“When we went down to Colorado Springs, we were there just about the rest of the day. Smiley did great! He did not shake like he usually would. I think he rather enjoyed himself! Thank you so much again.” — Marie L., CO.
