A quick story about a boy and his dog. 

When I was younger, my family adopted a dog who had been abandoned in the Northern California floods in the late 90’s. Oskar loved people, but whenever he’d see my grandmother (who lived with us) he’d back into a defensive position and growl. 

We found out that he had a really negative reaction to older Asian women in general, and if they’d raise their hand, Oskar would flip out, and after talking to experienced dog owners, we figured that he was probably abused by an older Asian woman before he was abandoned. 

But after a while, Oskar realized that no one was going to hit him. He chilled out and was totally comfortable with my grandmother. 

It took time and a safe environment for him to relearn that not all people who looked like his former abusive owner would be abusive.

What might we learn from Oskar?