Missy – My Story.

Part ONE – County Kerry, Ireland. August / September 2012

I don’t remember much of how it all began, mummy says that’s a good thing.

My earliest memories are of anger, hunger and fear, of my tummy rumbling and bubbling, of shame when I messed.

One night I remember being the scariest night in my short life, a monster of a storm, the thunder roared, it sounded like it was getting closer, coming for me, I needed to hide, the humans were shouting, one had me by the collar and I was thrown roughly into a van. I squeezed my eyes shut and took my mind to another place.

It had been quiet for a while, I thought that I was alone, I didn’t dare open my eyes.

“Hello beautiful, how have you got here?” I didn’t dare open my eyes.

I felt myself being untied and carried, the human was gentle and her voice, a quiet song, but still, I didn’t dare open my eyes.

Several days passed, they put food close to me, it smelt delicious but my tummy bubbled and I couldn’t eat it, they stroked me gently and whispered that I would be just fine, I couldn’t believe them.

Slowly I dared to open my eyes.

The humans were so excited, they talked and whispered that maybe I would pull through, that maybe I would start to eat, that maybe I was leaving the trance-like state, maybe I’d be ok.

I started to believe them, they wanted to give me a name! I heard the humans talking, giving their ideas for a name that would be worthy of me.. I think they got that muddled up, I’m sure that must have been deciding if I was worthy of a name! I was very nearly called Ribbons, I thought it was the best name I’d ever heard, it was going to be my name!

It was decided that to call me Ribbons because I was so so thin, skinny ribbons, would be a reminder of my start in life, so no, the name was not worthy.

Then the man that worn the blue overalls noticed that my ears and my nose weren’t very collie like, I felt panic, my tummy started to bubble again, I’d been found out, I wasn’t a proper collie and wasn’t worthy of a name, I squeezed my eyes shut again.