After a few days, a stray dog I had rescued and taken in started acting strangely. I learned the awful truth and sincerely regretted my kind deed.
Helping others, whether they be people or animals, is something I’ve always heard. I attempted to abide by that rule my entire life. However, everything changed one day.
On my walk home one evening, I noticed a dog by the side of the road. I was heartbroken by the pathetic look in the eyes of a big German Shepherd who was curled up. He appeared freezing and famished. I immediately stopped and gave him a call. Nearly instantly, the dog arrived and dutifully took a seat at my feet. “Well, now I have a friend,” I thought.
Everything went smoothly on the first day. After eating ravenously, he collapsed on the door mat and went to sleep. Knowing that I had done a nice deed even made me feel at peace.
However, a few days later, I started to notice odd occurrences.
He first appeared to stay away from water. He barely sipped the water I put in his bowl. Perhaps stress, I reasoned, or the shift in surroundings.
The dog got restless the following day, running aimlessly around the apartment, scratching at the doors with his claws, and then abruptly freezing as though he was listening to the quiet.
He would occasionally sit for a long period and stare at me with an odd, tight expression. Additionally, he appeared agitated at night, pacing the room uneasily, roaring into the void, or suddenly leaping to his feet.
I looked for a reason: “Perhaps he’s afraid of the new house? Perhaps he’s trying to find his owner.I told myself it would all be over.
However, something happened one morning that completely upended my existence.
He buried his teeth into my arm as I leaned close to pet him. I didn’t immediately notice that he had bitten me because it happened so fast.
The terrible diagnosis I received when I visited the doctor was that the dog was rabid. The saddest aspect is that he might have been rabid from the start.
I now have a lengthy, nearly year-long course of treatment. And I will never forget that sight, that night, and that bite that killed me.
Although I’ve always had a strong affection for dogs, this experience has made me so afraid that I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to trust them again.
