Friends

I haven't written on the blog in a while. I wanted to write about making friends. For me making friends has been about trust, truth and change. It's been about accepting change and being willing to let others see that change.

When I first arrived at my new home I wasn't sure how those people that came over to the house with their microphones, cameras, lighting stuff and those boom mics that look like really cool toys were going to portray me. Were they going to say that this situation was MY fault? It turns out that they didn't. They told the story the way it was. They told the story that said I was the victim. They told the truth. They told the story that says that people are the controllers of things not me...a dog. Obviously I don't drive a car. People have to drive me places so I can go somewhere or be able to have things.

People have put me in situations that were either good or bad. Where I am now, I only get put in situations that are fun, safe and rewarding. I play with my housemates and we have a good time. I get put in the position to have self worth, I have a job as a therapist. I only have to confront things that are easy for me to handle. I get good stuff when I do good things.My life is really wonderful now and I'm very happy. I have made a lot of friends too.

I have met some other dogs in the rescue that I belong to that have come from situations that are just like mine only they didn't have the name Michael Vick over them. But the dogs from these places are much like me even without the name. There's no one to show them the ropes. No one to say, "uh, uh" when you're about to do something that might hurt. No one to say, "gosh, you're handsome and I love you". That has made a huge difference in my life.Those things have made me come alive. I'm so much like these other dogs from abuse cases and they're so much like me, it's just harder for the world to see them because of the names that have "owned" them. Some of these dogs have earned the same heart tag that I wear that says "I'm a Therapy Dog" too.

Now that I've made so many friends I'm hoping that circle of friends and love will expand even bigger so that all could see that there are many like me and they could live a life just like mine if given a chance....no big name....just a good ole dog.

This is me in the pic with my new for sure friend Mara at NBC and my guardian at the clinic where I work. She was kind enough to tell my story, to be my voice and to tell the world the truth. She was kind enough to understand me and look at me for who I am and not anything else. That's a friend. Thank you.


Love,
Leo