Ellie still won’t come out of her kennel much. We are on Day Four now, and she will only come out and walk on the end of a leash. She acts like she’s never seen grass and the sky. Everything scares her: when I fold clothes it scares her, the broom scares her, Josephine the poodle scares her. She eats once a day and drinks water once a day. She does not explore. She does not expect kisses and hugs. My other dogs are keeping a wide berth and everybody seems to be wondering what’s going to happen next. Ellie did not enjoy her bath but she likes her silly Christmas sweater and her new toy (which I rubbed under my armpits so it smells like me). She also likes the egg part of an Egg McMuffin on top of her kibble. I catch her looking at me and she turns her head to avoid eye contact. But… when she thinks I’m not looking at her, she’s looking at me (probably wondering what the heck I am doing with her stuffed reindeer) … and she likes to have her head and chest rubbed although I have to crawl halfway into her kennel to pet her. I told her yesterday she doesn’t have to be sweet, funny, or even friendly. All she has to do now is relax and learn to trust that she is going to be taken care of. It’s the least one creature on this earth can do for another. The very least. And, truly, it is making my Christmas very bright. Objectively speaking, Ellie has very little to give… and yet she is giving me everything a person could want for Christmas — the opportunity to love.
