Beware of Trust Breaking Snakes

Everyone knows that trust is a difficult thing to come by.  Even those of you that are ‘trusting’ until you prove me wrong are usually just kidding yourselves.  It almost never fails that someone somewhere at some point will break that bond of trust.

As someone who works with homeless and abused animals, trust is word that does not always come easy nor is taken for granted.  This past weekend I witnessed trust get shattered in a blink of an eye.

We were at the park for an annual family reunion and we brought our two rescues along as they are family too.  Both dogs usually have great social skills with people and are happy to see anyone that might pet them or pay them any mind.

Everything went off  without a hitch, we ate and talked and had a good time.  The dogs were the center of attention as they usually can become.  We take them with us to work on socialization and to continue building the trusting bond around other people.

We brought a Kong football that they had won earlier that day at an Doggone Easter egg hunt hosted  by Pawfection Bakery in Orange Park FL and played fetch with our golden doodle out in the park under the trees.

Goldie would run stretching her long legs and dive into the leaves chasing the Kong and then promptly return to us with her prize.

This went on for several minutes and numerous throws across the field working some of her pent-up energy out.  People began to leave and we were about ready to call it a day as the storm clouds rolled in.

I tossed it and she ran after it as she had been doing, on her way back she stopped about half way and looked at me as if she was unsure.  I called her a bit more adamantly and she came on back and I threw it again.  Again she got to about the halfway point and stopped, with uncertainty.

Figuring t she was just tired and done playing we wrapped up the day and went home and went about our normal routine, unknowingly things had drastically changed.

The next evening as we were preparing for bed, I was petting our doodle and  looking her over as I normally do. I noticed a wound on the top of her head at first I thought it was a tick or maybe a scratch or spider bite…then I found its twin.

My heart sank, I knew almost assuredly what this was, she had been bit.. not just bit but snake bit.  I cleaned up the wound and inspected it best I could.  I decided to monitor her that night and take her to the vet in the morning as long as symptoms did not persist.

The next morning after little to no sleep for anyone in the house, I took her to the vet and confirmed that it was a snake bite ..fortunately not venomous in appearance.

Since the incident she has reverted back to fear, she is fearful of being pet or touched near her head.  She ducks away when attempting to put her leash on. Her trust in an instant was broken and I never it saw it happen.

This got me to thinking on how easily and quickly trust can be broken, whether in a dog or a human.  All it takes is a split second of allowing a snake into our lives and it can strike in the blink of an eye unraveling our whole world.

Whether a dog or a person there is an irreplaceable comfort when you are able to trust one another, yet so many times we make missteps and create irreparable damage.  When you look into the eyes of the one that has been hurt and their pain and scars have resurfaced you too suffer with them.

The word trust as defined in Merriam Webster  is the “belief that someone or something is reliable, good, honest, effective, etc.” When the snakes of deceit, dishonesty and abuse rear their ugly heads in an instant all trust can be shattered.

We must be diligent these day as snakes can come in all shapes and sizes.  They hide in the bushes waiting to strike without notice or prompting.  Whether they come in the form or another person or possession we are always being tempted and in turn punished for trusting the snakes of many colors.

If you would like to have the opportunity to rebuild the trust in not only your own life but in the lives of others, there are organizations in your local area where you can help.  Whether it is your local animal rescue, a charity that provides mentoring, fostering or adoption they can all use your trust.  We can all use a bit more trust in this world and there is plenty to share.

Now it’s your turn: Please comment the ways that snakes have bitten you in your life and how you overcame that broken trust.