A little over two weeks ago my eldest daughter was attacked by a dog. Not bitten, attacked. She is ok. Physically she’ll make a full recovery, but emotionally we are all still adrift.

Without getting in to the specifics of the trauma, since then I have noticed a marked change in her behavior and how she responds to dogs. While the self-preservation instinct that has been triggered is completely justifiable, it breaks my heart to watch her react to dogs this way. She’s matured in a way that trauma often forces and it causes a breathtaking ache in my chest to watch. She woke up last night twice with nightmares. This has become one of those moments I knew was coming when I can’t kiss her and make everything better and it is much worse than I imagined it would be. Continue reading →