![\"Clueslesscollie.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmW5nVNUxH1HfpYa8ce6zmwApMniLyqg5ZbN89fu9P4ycb\/Clueslesscollie.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\u201cLucy! No!\u201d Her scream echoes across the street as I run into the road. The car about to attack Lizzie is coming straight for us and I have to protect her. I crouch down in front of the monster and stare it down as she runs after me. A leash with my broken collar dangles from her hand.<\/p>\n
The car monster stops right in front of me, as I expected it to, and a man steps out. \u201cAre you all right, Miss? Thank God I heard you in time to stop.\u201d He walks towards us, wringing his hands, wide-eyed and smelling frightened, just like Lizzie.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t understand why she cries. The scent of her tears mixes with that of the rain. \u201cIt\u2019s OK, Lizzie. I protected you.\u201d I place my paws on her leg, trying to comfort her.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome on, Lucy. Let\u2019s go home.\u201d She picks me up and starts to walk back to my new home. I wiggle and fidget, trying to get back down. How can I protect her when she carries me? \u201cNo, Lucy-Girl. I\u2019m not taking any more chances with you today.”<\/p>\n
Lizzie is my new human. I love her but she is strange. She asks me to do things but I don\u2019t know how. I want to, though.<\/p>\n
Today was our first walk together. I didn\u2019t know what a walk was. We went out into the world but it\u2019s strange and scary. At least I protected Lizzie today.<\/p>\n
I loved my first human, but she didn\u2019t understand me. She never went on walks with me. We always stayed at home where it was safe. She brought me to Lizzie\u2019s house and left me there. I was scared at first, but Lizzie is nice. She always has treats.<\/p>\n
Lizzie opens my crate and lets me out of the car, but this is a new place. There are so many scents here. It\u2019s scary. I smell pee and dog and more dog. Humans, cars. And there are treats everywhere. It\u2019s just too much! I pull back on the leash, curl my tail against my belly and crouch down, whimpering. \u201cPlease let me go back in the car. I\u2019ll wait for you there…\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s no use, Liz. She doesn\u2019t want to go.\u201d The human I have to share Lizzie with came along today. He never has treats. He smells annoyed as he wrinkles his forehead at us.<\/p>\n
She wants to take me closer to where many dogs run and play. They look like they’re having fun, but it\u2019s too scary, too new here. I drop to my belly and quiver when she tries to get me to walk. My new collar wraps around my chest, so I can\u2019t pull free.<\/p>\n
She picks me up and carries me into the swarm of dogs.<\/p>\n
He makes a noisy breath. \u201cYou\u2019re not doing her any favours by spoiling her like that, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n
The strange smells are everywhere. \u201cLet go of me, Lizzie, I\u2019ll organise these animals for you.\u201d I can do this. Herding things makes it less scary.<\/p>\n
\u201cSsshh, Lucy. Pay attention.\u201d Lizzie looks down at me and tries to distract me but I need to pay attention. The herd will get away if I don\u2019t. I try my best to ignore her, I really do, but I\u2019m so hungry. And she has treats\u2026 No! Have to pay attention. Watch the herd. Focus. Can\u2019t let them get away.<\/p>\n
A woman walks up to us and she smiles. I look at her from behind Lizzie\u2019s legs. She smells like treats and toys and grass but she’s still a stranger. I duck when the woman leans over me and touches my head. Scary.<\/p>\n
Lizzie\u2019s man makes another noisy breath, but she looks at him and he stops.<\/p>\n
Lizzie hands him my leash. \u201cCould you hold her for me? I\u2019ll be right back but I really need to pee.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLizzie!\u201d Oh no! She\u2019s going away! I try to follow but the leash is too short. \u201cDon\u2019t leave me! Lizzie!” What is she doing!? \u201cLizzie, don\u2019t go! Please come back! Lizzie!\u201d<\/p>\n
He pulls me back. \u201cSshh. She\u2019ll be right back. Just stop it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLizzie!\u201d I drop to my belly, quivering. \u201cPlease come back!\u201d I pull back, trying to free myself but he\u2019s too strong.<\/p>\n
There she is. Oh, my Lizzie is back. She didn\u2019t leave me like my other human. \u201cPlease don\u2019t leave me again, Lizzie.\u201d I sit on her foot and lean against her leg so she can\u2019t get away.<\/p>\n
She crouches down and hugs me. \u201cIt\u2019s OK, Lucy-girl. I\u2019m here. I always come back, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is the dumbest Border Collie I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d Lizzie\u2019s man wrinkles his forehead at me again as he talks to Lizzie. I don\u2019t like him and I don\u2019t think he likes me. He never plays with me. I step back, crouching behind Lizzie and keeping my eyes on the herd for her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not fair. She\u2019s not dumb. How well would you have gotten along in life without anyone to teach you to wipe your ass? She was not taught a single thing for three damn years and it\u2019s not her fault.\u201d Lizzie smells angry. Her shoulders are tight and her hands grip my leash so tightly it pulls at my collar.<\/p>\n
Did I do something wrong? I sit next to her, lean into her leg and lick her hand. Please don\u2019t be mad at me.<\/p>\n
She looks down at me and her smile comes back. \u201cOh Lucy-Girl, it\u2019s OK, sweetie. I\u2019m not mad at you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Love you, Lizzie.<\/p>\n
Lizzie takes me out of the car and I\u2019ve never been here. I don\u2019t like new. It\u2019s scary. I put my nose in the air, trying to find out what kind of place this is. I smell trees and field and pee.<\/p>\n
Oh wow. There\u2019s a scent\u2026 There it is! I don\u2019t know it but I can\u2019t resist, scared or not. I smell wool and poop. I hear bleating noises. From many, many animals. \u201cLet\u2019s go, let\u2019s go.\u201d Lizzie doesn\u2019t know the way so I show her.<\/p>\n
I run forward as far as the leash will let me. Lizzie stays behind so I circle around her and give her a nudge in the right direction. She turns to face me. \u201cLucy, No!\u201d<\/p>\n
I run ahead again, towards the smell and Lizzie finally follows. We need to go faster, faster.<\/p>\n
Lizzie and I watch the bleating animals. My leash is still in her hand but I have to go. Have to get behind them. Bring them to my Lizzie. \u201cLet me go!\u201d<\/p>\n
The smells of the herd pull at me but she holds me back. \u201cSsshhh, Lucy. You\u2019ll spook the sheep. We need to wait for our turn.\u201d<\/p>\n
The other dogs leave the field and we are finally doing something I understand. We walk towards the sheep but I\u2019m still on the leash. \u201cLet me go.\u201d I know this. I have to get them. Bring them to my Lizzie. She lets me go and I run. They fly away from me in every direction and I want to bring them back but I don\u2019t know where to look first. I look back at Lizzie. She\u2019ll tell me what to do.<\/p>\n
Is she\u2026 Why is she crying? I run back to her.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh Lucy, I\u2019m sorry. I really thought this would be good for you. I don\u2019t know what to do anymore\u2026\u201d Her tears smell salty as they run down her cheeks.<\/p>\n
I lick her hand. Please don\u2019t be sad. I\u2019ll try harder.<\/p>\n
I wake up and it\u2019s dark. Something is wrong. Should I warn Lizzie and her human? They\u2019re sleeping. They won\u2019t like it if I wake them up in the dark.<\/p>\n
I get out of my bed and check the house. I walk past the street door and I hear something\u2026 Something is very wrong. We need to go see!<\/p>\n
\u201cLizzie! Wake up!\u201d There\u2019s something outside. We have to go see.<\/p>\n
\u201cSshh, Lucy. Go back to sleep.\u201d Lizzie\u2019s voice sounds muffled and she turns over. Her man puts his arm over her. I smell him. He smells like Lizzie and something else. She curls up against him and pulls the blanket over her shoulders.<\/p>\n
I grab the blanket between my teeth and pull it off them. They need to come. \u201cCome on!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFuck, Liz! Shut that dog up.\u201d He smells angry.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry. Ssshh honey, it\u2019s OK, go to sleep.\u201d She turns back to me, stroking my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo it\u2019s not.\u201d She needs to get up. \u201cLet\u2019s go!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe probably needs to go out.” Lizzie rolls onto her back and rubs at her eyes. Are they hurting?<\/p>\n
\u201cYes! Go out! Let\u2019s go go go!\u201d<\/p>\n
Lizzie walks downstairs and heads to the yard door. The safe one. \u201cWrong way! This way, this way!\u201d I take her hand in my mouth and pull her the other way. To the street door. The scary door. \u201cLet\u2019s go!\u201d<\/p>\n
She looks confused. \u201cLucy, what are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n
I jump up against the scary door, but it won\u2019t open for me. \u201cOpen it!\u201d<\/p>\n
She follows me and opens the door to look outside. I run past her, into the street where so many monsters are, but we have to go. No time to be scared. There is a car-monster but it\u2019s sleeping. Next to it, a man is lying on the ground. \u201cLook, Lizzie! A man! A man!\u201d Is he sleeping too? He\u2019s not making any sleepy sounds. \u201cWake up, Mister! Wake up! It\u2019s too cold to lie on the ground!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh God.\u201d Lizzie takes three large steps inside and calls up to her man. \u201cJames! Call an ambulance! There\u2019s a man lying in the street!\u201d<\/p>\n
She runs back to me and the man. She rolls him over and puts her head against his mouth. Is he whispering to her? I don\u2019t hear anything. Maybe he\u2019s not sleeping. She puts her ear to his chest. \u201cGood girl, Lucy. You did good.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did good? \u201cYay!\u201d She starts pushing his chest and I hop around. \u201cCome see! Come see! I did good!\u201d I keep calling out and more doors open. More people come out, smelling sleepy.<\/p>\n
A loud whining noise comes and hurts my ears so I go back to our house to wait for Lizzie. She\u2019ll come when she\u2019s done helping the sleepy man.<\/p>\n
Lizzie\u2019s man walks over and stands next to me as flashing lights turn the darkness into a strange almost-day. His hand strokes my head and I look up at him. \u201cGood girl, Lucy.\u201d He smiles at me. I smile back.<\/p>\n
People walk over to Lizzie and the man and they start pushing his chest too.<\/p>\n
Lizzie talks to some of them before walking to us, her eyes full of tears again. Oh no, did I do it wrong again? Why is she crying? I jump up at her and she hugs me. \u201cOh honey, you did so good. You saved that man\u2019s life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her man hugs Lizzie and me. I finally did good.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
This story is very different from my other rainbow stories. Lucy, too, is a rescue. However, her tale is not that of a dog loved too little but of a dog loved too much. When she appeared to be frightened by the outside world, her owner allowed her to avoid her fears and allowed them to grow stronger and stronger. While it is not exactly abuse, a dog, especially a high energy working dog like Lucy would not thrive in such an environment.<\/p>\n
She shows us her true mettle though, by facing her fears in the end, when it truly matters.<\/p>\n
This story, too, is based on a real-life acquaintance with a dog. My very own Lucie (yes, that’s us in the photo, right after we ran our very first clear round at an agility trial) has a very similar story. She doesn’t cope with life the way other dogs do, because she never learned. She never will now. It’s too late. But with help, she’s overcome a lot of the circumstances holding her back.<\/p>\n
And we love her enough to make up for the rest.<\/p>\n
Dear reader, as always, Lucie and I would like to thank you for sharing this with us.<\/p>\n
Hugs<\/em><\/p>\n Jasmine<\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cLucy! No!\u201d Her scream echoes across the street as I run into the road. The car about to attack Lizzie is coming straight for us and I have to protect her. I crouch down in front of the monster and stare it down as she runs after me. A leash with my broken collar dangles…
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