A few weeks ago, I was at the vet when a couple walked in with a small dog who was clearly terrified. I think they were embarrassed by her efforts to drag them back out of the door, as they kept intermittently apologizing to the vet tech while shouting at their dog to “sit” and “stop it.” As you can imagine, this was ineffective. And broke my heart for this little dog. 🐾 We must never forget that our dogs are sentient beings. They are able to feel, and feel deeply. And because they are a different species, they experience this world differently than we humans do. 🐾 That little dog was saying with every ounce of communication she could muster, “I’m afraid. Help me.” Imagine how she felt when her humans - the ones she counted on to advocate and care for her - responded to her fear with more fear-inducing behavior. 🐾 We can do better. We must do better. And it starts with recognizing this essential truth about dogs. 🐾 The good news is that one of the vet techs intervened and immediately began comforting both the dog and her humans. She deflated the situation by simply being kind. I waited for her to get the dog into a room and then profusely thanked her, marveling yet again at the incredible people who work in the veterinary field. 🐾 While the whole situation was sad, it stemmed from the humans’ failure to recognize what their dog needed. Clearly, they were bringing her to the vet, and it was obvious that they were worried about her. I like to think that if they understood how emotionally damaging their treatment of her was, they would change. When we know better, we do better. 🤍 🐾 #puppybrain #dogtraining #newpuppy #puppies #bekind