Puppy-kins is about healed from her wounds and burns, but I'm afraid that the abuse she suffered at the hands of her tormenters will stay with her for a very long time to come.

The little Pomeranian dog will come to us if we call her, but if a stranger should ever happen to visit: the change in her personality is startling:  she will start barking very loudly, and doing everything possible to get out of our arms, just so she can bite the person (on the ankle).  She does not like strangers.

Or else she will run and hide until the "danger" is past.

Who can blame her?  She was purposely set afire and tortured.  When she had been brought to our clinic last summer, we were appalled at the level of devastation she incurred.  We honestly thought that she would not live; amazingly, though, she did.

I don't think that Puppy-kins will be leaving our clinic anytime soon.  We have since taken her in as our own.  We have claimed her as our Clinic Mascot, but until she gets over her anger, we won't be showing her to people until she calms down.  She's making progress, but it' s a long, slow process.  It is a day-to-day thing with her.

I think back to that time when the little dog was brought to our clinic, and my heart continues to bleed.  I mean, how can some people be so cruel as to torture/abuse a poor, defenseless little animal in the way that they did?  She is only an animal; she did not deserve to be treated in such a inhumane, barbaric manner!  If anything, Puppy-kins deserved love, fresh food, and clean water: she did not seem to get any of these things when we first encountered her: otherwise, she wouldn't have been in the sad shape she was in.

Those days, happily, are over for her: Puppy-kins now gets love, clean water, and food, and we continue to provide therapy for her.  We let her know that she is loved.  She does love us, but it will take much longer with people she doesn't know.  The old habits come back, and she's ready to tear their ankles apart (or a new rear hole, if she could).

All we can do is continue to provide for her and pray that some day she will forget of her "past" and embrace the "now".  

We can only hope.

~End of part two.~