Nancy M. and her Connection with Hannah

Nancy wrote:

Hannah came to us 4 years ago as a 2-year-old rescue girl.  As best we can tell she spent the first two years of her life with her brother chained to a tree.  After she was received into rescue, cleaned up, and had been to the vet, she came home with us.  We weren't sure what to expect because we'd never fostered a 'dale that had been in such deplorable conditions -- but whatever our expectations were, the reality was worse!  Hannah was afraid of everything -- the house, the steps, the doors, noises, paper, the flush of the toilet, the rattle of silverware, the sound of the TV, someone sitting down.  All of it was frightening to her.  She didn't know her name and didn't realize when we were talking to her.  We weren't sure what to do to help her feel comfortable.  She was afraid of us and her environment and didn't want food.

Bedtime came.  She wasn't housebroken and our house has oak floors.  She didn't want to be in the kitchen where the linoleum was and absolutely wouldn't go in the crate we'd set up.  She seemed to feel most comfortable in the room near the kitchen so we decided she would sleep there, oak floors or not.  But I wasn't comfortable leaving her there and going to bed, partly because she wasn't housebroken but even more because she would be so alone.  I decided to sleep on the floor with her that first night.  I laid down, then she laid down.  She nestled into the curve of my body, about as close to me as she could get, and we both slept.  When we awoke the next morning, I realized that Hannah had fallen in love with me and adopted me.  Connection to an Airedale?  Absolutely.  We adore each other.