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Old Sultan, a Not So Grimm Tale

Stray dogs have a knack for finding me. Recently an old orange dog with a blue collar and missing toes has joined my pack. I opened the door and he went straight upstairs as if he owned the place. His gentle spirit and old age reminded me of a Grimm Tale about an old dog.

 
Old Sultan (abridged)
Sultan was a loyal old dog, but the farmer needed a watch dog. The farmer explained to his wife that Sultan had lived out his purpose and tomorrow he would be replaced by a fierce watchdog. Sultan listened intently and understood all that was said. 
 
Later that night, Sultan went to his friend the wolf to ask for advice. The wolf listened and offered a plan. “The farmer thinks I am blood-thirsty. Tomorrow I will snatch the baby they leave in the shade and you chase me to the woods. I will drop the baby in the shadows so you can return it to them. They will reward you for protecting the baby from me.” Sultan agreed, although unsure of the power left in him to chase the wolf.
 
The next morning the farmer and his wife left the baby in the shade and the wolf snatched and carried it to the shadows of the forest. Sultan tried with all his might to chase fiercely. When he returned with the unharmed baby, the farmer and his wife indeed rewarded him promising to let him live the rest of his days by the hearth of the fire.
 
I don’t know where my newest stray first lived his years, but apparently he has chosen to spend some time with me. The scars on his muzzle and missing toes may be signs of prior abuse. His instant trust and need to be part of our pack reminds me how important it is to feel you belong and what an instinct it is to seek unconditional love.
 
Meade, Erica Helm. The Moon in the Well.