Zola, it’s cold outside

Quick, before you hop into bed, run outside.
It’s cold! Now, stay outside and take off your hat, mittens and winter coat. Pretend you’re a homeless pitbull trying to figure out where ‘home’ is, who your friends are. Wondering if you should crawl under a house for warmth and protection, or keep moving to stay warm.

3 weeks ago, this girl, with very little fur, and not so much body fat was in exactly that spot. Who could she trust? Where were her people? Why were these strangers trying to catch her?

That was then. This is now.
Now, she has a name: Zola, Zo-Zo, Zozy, Sweet girl, Best girl. It’s a long list.
Now, she has a bed. I pile the quilts high and top it all off with something snuggly soft.
Now, she has a heater! It’s on high, her room is warm and cozy.
Now, she has food, and snacks. And fresh water. She loves her nice clean bowl of fresh clean water.

Now, she has people who are kind, who speak softly, who take it slow.

So, now, she can start to trust. She can stop searching. She can relax and just be.

Tonight, we went out in the cold. She did her business, then turned to scamper inside. She could have just trotted down the deck stairs. She could have slunk down those stairs, head low, trying to hide from the world, like when she first came here. But she didn’t. Instead, she celebrated her new-self by hopping into the air kicking up her heels, skipping a few steps and dancing back inside to her warm cozy.

Would it really be so terrible to have 5 dogs?