A Tail of Consent

It was in September last year when I met a beautiful Indie dog and named her Meera. As I got to know her, I discovered she had given birth to six beautiful puppies. I instantly fell in love with those adorable beans. But my happiness was short-lived. The tiny puppies suffered from the harsh winter in December. Despite my efforts, only one survived, whom I decided to adopt.?

Fast forward to March, and Meera gave birth again. However, this time she did not seek any help from me. Her once-friendly nature had shifted and she avoided any attempts at physical contact. At first, her behavior hurt me, but it became an invaluable lesson in the importance of consent.

I decided to give her space. By respecting her boundaries, I built a relationship of trust with Meera, and slowly but surely, she started to trust me again.

However, the trust I earned from her was limited to providing food for her and her only child. Whenever I attempted to pet her or even came close to her, she would back away. I understood that her lack of trust wasn't due to anything I did, but rather the humans who had previously hurt her.?

Despite my efforts to demonstrate that I was different, it was clear that Meera had no desire for affection. She just wanted to be fed and left alone. I couldn't help but wonder what had happened to this once-loving dog, who now only displayed small scars as evidence of her past pain.

So what did I learn from this experience?

1. "No" means "No," whether it is a dog, a cat, a woman, or a man.
2. Even if your intentions are pure, it doesn't mean they will want you.
3. There is nothing wrong with loving someone and not being able to have them.
4. Sometimes, the best relations involve love, but only from a distance. They don't require constant displays of affection, but rather an understanding of boundaries and space.

Getting back to Meera:

Will she allow me to pet her? Perhaps not. She taught me, however, that love often manifests itself through a certain distance. And for me, that is enough.

A lesson in consent, taught by a remarkable dog indeed.