Penicillin [female]

[Penicillin]

NAME. Penicillin
AGE. 3 years
BiRTHDATE. Spring, 2011
GENDER. Female
SPECiES. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

PACK. none
RANK. stray
COLLAR. Nylon Collar - an old ratty thing that once used to be red, but is now a sun-bleached pink. Having been stretched out to its maximum size, it hangs loosely around her neck. She could remove it if she wished, but she hangs on to it because it reminds her of her mother.

HEiGHT. 13 inches
WEiGHT. 12 pounds

PHYSiCAL DESCRiPTiON. A petite little thing, by most standards, but actually quite robust for her breed. She stands just a smidge taller than most females of her breed, and her thicker build means she weighs a smidge more than most females as well. This, however, does nothing to negate her naturally lithe and agile frame. Beneath her white and tan fur (which is quite beautiful, and soft) the musculature of a dog who lives on the streets is hidden. She is very much a lady-looking dog, but hides power for her size. Her dark brown eyes glimmer with a hint of fire, betraying her spirit.

PERSONALiTY. Penicillin is very much a product of her environment, with a bit of flame thrown in.

Given the mistreatings of her by her former owner, and her time spent in the Sang City Humane Society (SCHS), she has multiple mental/emotional issues. For one, she absolutely hates to be confined. Whether it be a kennel, a crate, or just not being allowed (for whatever reason) to move. She has a desperate desire to run free, and will fight with all of her strength to be rid of any kind of confinement. Fear is a powerful motivator.

Another resulting issue is a transformation of fear into anger. She learned very quickly that becoming aggressive when she was afraid worked out far better than cowering in a corner. It kept the her previous owner from physically hurting her. It kept the humane society workers from sticking her with needles or, heaven forbid, put the slip-lead on her. Since it has served her so well thus far, she sees no reason to change. Whenever she becomes afraid, she turns it into aggression and anger. The more afraid she is, the more violent and aggressive she will become. Even to the point of harming (whether physically or emotionally) those who are closer to her. Which brings us to another issue: Regret.

In the moment, she can't process things logically, only emotionally. So, if she becomes upset, or afraid, or angry, she cannot see the consequences that her actions might have. If she sees you are going to do something stupid, like walk into a human's den, she might very likely reach out and bite you. Hard. Perhaps even drawing blood. It isn't until much afterward, when her emotions have calmed and her logical brain kicks back in, that she can realize that she might've just told you to stop. Without fail, when her logical brain smacks her hard across the face after an incident, she becomes utterly terrified that she will be left alone. Which, fear, as you know, leads to anger. And the cycle repeats.

Outside of her hatred and fear of humans, and difficulty with her emotions versus her logic, Penicillin is actually quite a likable dog. She has a great sense of humor, loves conversation, and is curious about almost everything. She often finds herself in quite comical predicaments (her face stuck in a box, for one). If there is something interesting to smelled, seen, or heard, you can guarantee that she'll be after it in a heartbeat.

Oh, and she also has a thing for chasing cats. She doesn't hate them, she actually really likes them--mainly because she finds the faces they make as they stare down at her from the tree branch absolutely hysterical.

HiSTORY. Penicillin was born to a reputable breeder of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Her mother and father were show dogs who had been hand picked to produce beautiful pups. And indeed they did. The litter was small, two females and one male, and absolutely stunning. Spectacular white and tan coats, graceful bodies (well, as graceful as a gangly newborn could get), and superb temperaments.

Her very first memories are of her mother and her siblings. Spending the afternoons playing, napping, and suckling. Her mother was so kind, so full of love and warmth. She wore a pink collar, with gleaming plastic rhinestones on it. Penicillin loved to crawl on her mother's back during nap time, and fall asleep staring at the mesmerizing faux-crystals.

Since the litter had been advertised for sale before they were even born, hungry buyers snapped them up the moment they hit 8 weeks old. Penicillin was the first to go. She had been told by her mother that this day would come, and she was very sad to see her mom stay in the yard as she was carried away, but she was more than excited about the adventures she would have with this new person.

The human who bought her was a woman who wanted a dog, but wanted none of the responsibilities that came with one. The first few days were absolute bliss. Cherry (yes, like the fruit) carried the pup everywhere with her. They went to pet stores, bought beds, and toys, and a crate, and food bowls with cute little pawprints on them. Penicillin was given her name (Cherry joked about how her cute little puppy was the cure for her problems), and a little heart-shaped name tag on her red nylon collar. They played in the small little front yard of Cherry's house. They slept together. They did everything together. But, by the end of the first week, things changed. Dramatically.

That night, Penicillin was put in the crate for the night. This was first time she had been put in the crate, and not slept with Cherry, and she panicked. She dug at the door, scratched at the metal bars, tried to bite them, but nothing worked. Finally, she began to wail in despair. After a moment, the light in the hallway clicked on, and Cherry appeared around the corner. Penicillin was so happy she couldn't contain herself, and she wet her bed. Cherry, seeing this, flew into a rage.

It got worse as the months dragged on. Penicillin was let out of her crate less and less. Cherry got into drugs and alcohol, passing out frequently in the middle of the living room. Penicillin was forced to go in her crate, to eat her food and drink her water smelling the stench of her waste. It soaked into her fur, burned her skin, until she cried so much her throat was raw. When she was only 6 months old, still just a baby in the world, she decided she'd had enough.

Cherry, passed out from one of the drugs she used so often, Penicillin began pawing at the crate door. She had been watching carefully when Cherry had opened it, and figured she could do the same thing. After a few attempts, the latch slid, and she was free. Finding that the front door was still ajar (Cherry, in her drugged stupor, hadn't closed it completely), she pawed it open and escaped into the world.

Being so young, and having no knowledge about life on the streets, it wasn't long before Penicillin was picked up by the Mobile Unit. She found herself in a kennel next to a black german shepherd named Dresden. Immediately, the two hit it off. They talked, they played through the fence in the outdoor portion of their kennels, they told jokes. They became fast friends. After only a short while, they decided to escape together.

Now, almost 3 full years later, the two are still the best of friends, and roam the streets of Sang City together.

[crow.]

ACCEPTED !

you've been given the collar you requested, 20 pawprints for joining, have been added to the Stray Dog member group, and her name has been added to the taken names list.