Chia is my loyal companion. I decided to get her tattooed on my left arm as the Orion and Canis Major constellations.
She is my spirit guide.
When I first adopted Chia in April 2017, she was scared of everything & had no sense of autonomy. It took her months to learn how to use a doggy door, I think because she didn’t understand that she could make decisions for herself and looked to me as her master (I’m nobody’s master). As if she didn’t understand she was her own person, so to speak. She would stand by the door and look back to me as if asking permission before using the doggy door to go potty outside.
She was extremely introverted. She would be scared of boxes, stairs, bubble wrap, anything loud, and has always loved being in quiet and warm places. She is from Yuma, Arizona. She would look at me and place her nose on the bed or couch anytime she wanted to go rest with me. She never played with toys even though I got her several early on. She has never had any interest in other dogs. She has always been a curious dog but seemed to have low self-esteem. She LOVES cuddling, and makes funny noises when she’s sleeping, maybe catching all the squirrels she can never get to. If I tried to play rough or teased her with toys, she would literally turn her head indifferently. She licks compulsively. She growled at me once and scared herself? She’s the quietest dog I have ever seen. She never ever plays where there is no carpet. She never bit or destroyed anything. I truly believe she was abused before I adopted her, but there is no record. A small scar on her left shoulder is all I have.
2 years after adoption, I have seen her make doggy friends. I have seen her take the lead on our walks together. She loves climbing very steep hills. I have seen her enjoy being at the top of hills overlooking cities. She loves the huge spaces in beaches and forests like she knows she is free. She barks so much at the beach, and I know she’s having a blast fetching shells or chasing birds. She got sprayed by a skunk for wanting to play with it and almost killed a raccoon once.
In 2020, she started playing with doggy toys. She probably learned this from Beau (Chia’s mini poodle roommate). Beau every so often gets the zoomies and tries to play with Chia but she gets ultra awkward and doesn’t know what to do.
This week, she started playing tug of war with me which I think is monumental. She shows her teeth (without snarling or growling), lunges towards me to bite toys, and tugs really hard. She shows a strength and assertion that I had never seen from her.
Today, she stills shakes uncontrollably when we’re in the car driving somewhere, but soon enough I think she’ll want to be in the front seat with half her body out the window. I’m probably anthropomorphizing this whole thing but idgaf I’m a proud dog dad <3
