An epic rescue of hundreds of dogs in the Korean meat trade was underway. When more than 60 arrived at the Orlando, Florida airport, staff at the Humane Society of Vero Beach knew they would need lots of help caring for dogs that had never known human touch unless it was abusive. Introducing them to a new life with new families included setting them up in a mock living room and introducing a kind stranger. Most dogs hid or tried to escape. Some accepted petting and gave love right back. Those were quickly adopted in the first two weeks. Others, like Pippa, the shyest and least trusting of all the dogs that arrived, needed extra time, care and infinite patience.
Pippa remains distrustful and merely watches people as they come into her room. She has two dog friends, both much more confident, but will now peer out to see who might be there. McGuirk had a breakthrough with her recently.
“I was finally able to pet her for almost twenty minutes and she fell asleep next to me”, she says. “I try to quiet my mind and project unconditional love to her. She has never experienced anything like that, so how is she to understand it? All she could think about was the past, her trauma, and what people had done to her. For me, she is a metaphor for all of our fears”, McGuirk says.
McGuirk will not give up on Pippa. The dog still wears the worried look when she sees a person, but was observed playing with her two roommates just a few days ago when she thought no one was looking. “I feel like she could be my spiritual teacher. Pippa is very Zen; she does not bark, she is not hyperactive, and she is very observant”. Love takes time, and since Pippa’s whole life has been about confinement and fear and abuse, her journey to a happier life will take a bit longer than expected, but all good things in life are worth waiting for. Pippa’s happiness is underneath her reserve, just waiting to break free.