The dream scenario last night was a house, a cottage actually, on a large tract of land. I lived here with my female pitbull Dolly. It was early morning and I opened the door so Dolly could go out on her rounds. Whenever I didn't go out with her, rounds usually only took fifteen or twenty minutes. While she checked things out the outdoors, I sat down to my computer with a cup of coffee to check my inbox. When I returned to the kitchen for a second cup, I realized Dolly was still out and about. I grabbed a jacket and went out to find her. Dolly always came when I called, but there was no sight or sound of her. Concern was struggling to not morph into panic.
I came to the woods at the edge of the property and called for Dolly again. This time I heard whimpering. I climbed over the split-rail fence and ran into the forest. Before long I came to a clearing and found Dolly. I called her and she sang out her joy at seeing me, but she remained sitting in place thumping her tail and pawing the ground. Someone had chained her to a stake!
I ran up to her and immediately tried to disconnect the chain, first from her and then from the stake. She needed to be freed by whatever means. Nothing would budge. Dolly got quiet and that's when I heard snarling and teeth clacking. I turned to see a pack of wild dogs and a man who appeared to be their master. He looked as vicious as the dogs. I asked for his help, but he just laughed. "Who do you think staked her out in the first place? She's going to entertain my boys here for a while. You can watch or join in, but I'd advise you to step back."
Dolly was going to die a terrible death. I began once again to try to release the collar or the chain that held Dolly. I prayed to Hecate, the goddess who rules with three dogs at her side. Nearby, I heard more growling, snarling and teeth clacking. However, this time it wasn't from the wild dogs but I couldn't see any dogs other than them and Dolly. The wild dogs charged, the man laughed, and Dolly growled in a voice I had never heard before. The wild dogs were hit in mid-air and fell to the ground. Suddenly Dolly was free and charged at the pack. The man had stopped laughing and was now running with his dogs away from us as hard as possible. I called Dolly back to me. She stopped. Looked back at me and then back to the fleeing man with his dogs. She decided to let them go, and came lolloping into my arms. I held her tight and rubbed her back as she smothered me with kisses.
In the distance there came a bright light, a man's desperate yell, the wails of scared dogs. Silence.
Lesson: We are never without help. We are never in dire circumstances that cannot change. Bullies don't win unless we allow them.
My personal take-away: someday when I am able to adopt a pitbull to share my home, I'm going to name her Dolly.
No comments:
Post a Comment