D
i was tripping on shrooms with some of my friends high in the mountains. we had rented a cabin for a couple days, one of those small homely ones on a farm with dogs around and such. it was a beautiful scenery, very peaceful.
there was one dog that was a bit weird. it hung around the area and approached us a couple times but we avoided it. i didn’t think much of it and continued tripping, until eventually the shrooms started peaking and i split apart from the group to explore on my own.
the farm we were in was next to a forest, and i went alone exploring it. it was pretty shit, bugs and prickly stems all around and i got outta there quickly. while returning to the group though, the weird dog approached me again. it bared its teeth and growled at me. my normal reaction would be to just avoid it and go on my way, but i stayed for some reason. maybe it was the shrooms but i just looked at the dog. it didn’t attack me, it just stood there, and eventually the growls turned into whimpers.
still baring its teeth, i went to pet it. it was probably the first time it was being pet. it didn’t react, just stood there. soon after though, the other dogs came round and there was clear animosity. when this dog saw the others it started to slink away by itself, and the others chased after it.
any normal reaction would’ve been of relief, this potentially dangerous dog was bullied away. after that the other dogs stayed with me as i head back and any time the weird dog tried to come close they’d chase it away. as i returned to the group though, the weird dog once again came close, and this time it slipped past. the alpha of the dogs noticed this and immediately towered over it, almost a warning to fuck off or shit would get bad. it worked and i didn’t see the weird dog again after that.
in that moment i felt nothing but grief and pain for that dog. it reminded me of me. it was born weird, an outcast, it didn’t fit in with the group, but of no fault of its own. it was probably off since birth, was thus probably ignored and singled out as a puppy, and never really learned the correct social behaviour. there was no fault of its own, it was just doing whatever its nature told it to do.
the other dogs aren’t at fault either though. the natural reaction to seeing something abnormal was to avoid it, both for the dogs and for me. i’d assumed the dog was dangerous, and had i not stayed around to find out i would’ve lived with that assumption for the rest of my life. to ensure survival the other dogs were correct in outcasting it from their pack, and i was correct in avoiding it. yet, the dog wasn’t dangerous, it just wanted to be near humans, to be pet, to be loved, and it was denied this basic decency because something just looked off about him.
there was one dog that was a bit weird. it hung around the area and approached us a couple times but we avoided it. i didn’t think much of it and continued tripping, until eventually the shrooms started peaking and i split apart from the group to explore on my own.
the farm we were in was next to a forest, and i went alone exploring it. it was pretty shit, bugs and prickly stems all around and i got outta there quickly. while returning to the group though, the weird dog approached me again. it bared its teeth and growled at me. my normal reaction would be to just avoid it and go on my way, but i stayed for some reason. maybe it was the shrooms but i just looked at the dog. it didn’t attack me, it just stood there, and eventually the growls turned into whimpers.
still baring its teeth, i went to pet it. it was probably the first time it was being pet. it didn’t react, just stood there. soon after though, the other dogs came round and there was clear animosity. when this dog saw the others it started to slink away by itself, and the others chased after it.
any normal reaction would’ve been of relief, this potentially dangerous dog was bullied away. after that the other dogs stayed with me as i head back and any time the weird dog tried to come close they’d chase it away. as i returned to the group though, the weird dog once again came close, and this time it slipped past. the alpha of the dogs noticed this and immediately towered over it, almost a warning to fuck off or shit would get bad. it worked and i didn’t see the weird dog again after that.
in that moment i felt nothing but grief and pain for that dog. it reminded me of me. it was born weird, an outcast, it didn’t fit in with the group, but of no fault of its own. it was probably off since birth, was thus probably ignored and singled out as a puppy, and never really learned the correct social behaviour. there was no fault of its own, it was just doing whatever its nature told it to do.
the other dogs aren’t at fault either though. the natural reaction to seeing something abnormal was to avoid it, both for the dogs and for me. i’d assumed the dog was dangerous, and had i not stayed around to find out i would’ve lived with that assumption for the rest of my life. to ensure survival the other dogs were correct in outcasting it from their pack, and i was correct in avoiding it. yet, the dog wasn’t dangerous, it just wanted to be near humans, to be pet, to be loved, and it was denied this basic decency because something just looked off about him.
