***I know I was going to regale you with stories about the last camping/fishing trip, but I've forgotten what the heck went on, so forget about that....moving on.***
We approved a new foster home yesterday for one of the Homeless Hounds. The three-legged homeless hound to be exact. The new family is wonderful, big yard, very caring and safety-minded. They also have a young girl, seven years old. Now since I don't have much experience with kids, I never really know what to expect.
So we show up, toting the three-legged, hairless dog. The parents were great and thought she was beautiful. But I wasn't so sure about the little girl. She was quiet and studied Missy (the dog) very carefully). After a little while, she was sitting on the ground next to her (we were on the patio) and oh-so-gently petting Missy's nose with one finger. Now Missy was in Heaven, being a very well adjusted and friendly dog. But I just wasn't sure what the human little girl thought of the canine little girl.
Anyway, all was well and we left Missy with our new foster family. I thought a lot about the little girl on the way home and wondered how she was doing. I mean, its not always easy for people to see a three-legged dog, or to be comfortable with that. I thought maybe the little girl would be a bit freaked out, or at least curious about her well, stumpy bits.
So imagine my surprise last night when I received photos from the new foster mom, including one with the little girl and Missy laying side by side on the floor. The girl was all smiles, and I think Missy was too.
So I wrote back to her mom that I guess I hadn't given her daughter enough credit. I'd been afraid she'd be a little uncomfortable with Missy's missing leg.
This morning there was a reply from the mom. Apparently she'd survived breast cancer in the past two years and the little girl had seen her without hair and other parts, so Missy was quite the non-event. In fact, they've already become quite the buddies and the two older girls (both teenagers) were rapidly warming up to her as well.
And just like that, a seven year old taught me that sometimes its we adults that have the problem getting past things and feeling comfortable with differences. And sometimes its the kids that are better at looking past those kinds of things. I just hadn't given her enough credit, thinking that in her seven years, she'd probably never seen something as different as a three-legged, hairless dog. I didn't give her enough credit at all.
Lesson learned.
Comments