This is Honey and this is her story. Honey first came to the farm back in the winter of 2014. Her story doesn’t start in the happiest of ways, but it does get better, I promise. She was in pretty bad shape: she was cold, malnourished, emaciated, and had been shot in the hind leg.
When we finally got her in the house, I was able to further inspect her condition. She had been shot through the front of her hind leg where it bends, and the bullet had exited from the back of the hind leg, clipping her tail on the way out, so she had a few wounds to tend which were all badly infected. I was in tears searching through my spices and herbs, looking for any medicinals I could safely give the poor dog. I grabbed the Usnea, honey, raw garlic, warm water, and towels. We mixed her up a nice warm meal made with rice, meat, and medicine all packed in, and she scarfed it down.
Even though she was terrified she recognized we were trying to help her. Honey healed slowly and it was a long, difficult process, but we did it. She was incredibly skittishand in order for her to go out to potty we would have to open the door and then give her space. If we were anywhere near the door she wouldn’t go, so I would leave the room giving her the space and time she needed in order to feel comfortable. This went on this way for a long while, but slowly I began leaving a little less distance between us until finally, I could stand behind the door.
We named her Honey Pie.
After healing, Honey spent much of her time outdoors, and still does today. It was obvious she had a bad history with humans because even though she knows we are kind she remains cautious, not to mention how she flees when someone approaches her too quickly. She comes in to eat, drink and go back outside. If the weather is too bad you might see her curled up on her favorite chair.
It has been 2 years since Honey Pie first came into our lives and she has come a very long way. She is still shy and skittish but she now knows her name. She will come to me or my partner if we call for her but not for anybody else, and if there is too much going on she will just wag her tail and lower her head to display her anxiety. We play and run together outside. She enjoys when I go out to do yoga or for meditation but she insists I simply lay with her and look at the clouds rolling by.
Even though Honey’s physical wounds have healed 100% (all through natural healing), she is still not fully recovered from the sadness, fear, and anxiety she suffers with. I do believe she has a case of PTSD but she is surviving and thriving in many ways. I try to keep her smiling because she never fails to do the same for me. To see her puppy dog smile while she’s wagging her tail means a lot to me. This is just another example of how kindness, compassion, patience, and comfort provide healing, just as much as medicine.
