Annie, suddenly the less socially distant retriever

BREAKING NEWS: Annie, the socially distant rescued retriever, recently brought me a toy. She recently licked my hand. She now regularly approaches my desk in the hopes that the top right drawer will open and a treat will therein be found. It has been a time of break-throughs as Annie, rescued off the streets of Kuwait City five years ago through the Wings of Love organization, finally responds to the man in the house almost — almost –– as happily as she responds to the women. When she first arrived, about a month before the pandemic, she had the saddest eyes you’ve ever seen, and her tail was locked between her legs. When she saw me, she scampered away to a safe spot behind a living room chair. Skittish and suspicious, she would not take treats from my hand. It was easy to speculate that Annie had likely been mistreated in her native country, and probably by a male human. But, two weeks ago, as I was reading a book, Annie suddenly appeared at my side with a stuffed animal in her mouth. When I take up a position on a couch now, she comes close and goes into an excited dance to raise me up and get me to the treats cabinet. And she makes daily trips to my desk for another treat, and allows me to pet her. We’re proving true that ancient adage: Time heals all hounds, and goldens, too.