Soul dog

Soul dog, a life changing bond, a relationship that can get you through the darkest of times.

I was walking with Melissa, a beautiful friend of mine, when she mentioned to me the term soul dogs.  I’d never heard it before.  I believe I’m correct in saying that a soul dog is the dog equivalent of a soul mate.

It’s just a label, but made me think.

Let me tell you Melissa’s story.

Before I knew her, she’d lost Ben, her beloved husband, and she was heartbroken.  She had a dog, Max, they were exceptionally close, but he was elderly – so, in time, Max died as well.  It was another horrible blow for Melissa. 

Being a dog person, she then got Bobby, Jack Russell cross Dachshund; he was a rescue dog.

He is complicated.

He would bark incessantly and be aggressive towards other dogs.  Taking him out became emotionally draining - the opposite of what she’d hoped for in her dog - and completely different to Max, who was easy going.

Melissa was overwhelmed by Bobby’s complexities.  

She could have given him back to the dog rescue agency and tried to find a less complicated dog, but she chose to stick with him.

Despite Bobby’s awkwardness, or perhaps because of it, Melissa gradually fell in love with Bobby, as she says,

            “He looks into my eyes and boy, he knows me.”

She tried to understand him, his needs and his behaviour.

Bobby is small and a bit of a handful, yet he’s definitely Melissa’s soul dog.

I think you need to be open.  Let down the barriers of logic and respond with intuition.  I wonder if it’s about having the courage to make yourself vulnerable and allowing your own instincts to take over when you seek out a dog. 

Not all dogs become soul dogs.  If you’ve got one, you’re blessed.  

It makes me wonder, is it us that rescue them, or do they actually rescue us? 

AJK