It is early morning and I am walking along the coast with my young dog, Venus. Ahead, in the distance, across the water, golden sunrays shoot up like a sea fan over the silhouetted mountains.We come to a narrow bridge, two planks wide, crossing a somewhat stagnant river that meets the sea. Venus is walking ahead. I see the fear in her body as she crouches low, creeping quickly over the planks.
Suddenly she is on less stable ground with a drop to both sides into the "unknown"of still, dark green waters. Maybe, to her, the approximately 30 feet of wood to reach sure ground on the other side appears to be miles long.Despite her fear, she keeps going, never hesitating, stopping or even looking back at me, as she would have done in the past. With time and love she has developed great courage.
When I first brought her home from the Tobago TTSPCA in April, the slightest noise or even the sight of another dog would send her running to me for security, often with her tail between her legs. There she would cower until the "danger" was gone.I observe her tail as we cross the planks. It is up in the air like a proud flag, even though her body is low to the ground. Inner courage is propelling her forward in a feel-the-fear-but-do-it-anyway manner.