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What My Rescue Dog Taught Me About Speaking My Truth (and the Mirror Law)
A reactive rescue dog became one of my greatest teachers, showing me that keeping the peace isn't always peaceful, and how the Mirror Law shows up in daily life.
Cindy Sandra Gunawan
7/24/20262 min read
What My Rescue Dog Taught Me About Speaking My Truth
People often ask me why I believe so deeply in the Mirror Law.
My answer is simple. Because one of my greatest teachers has four legs.
The Dog Who Never Stays Quiet
My big rescue girl spent the first two years of her life surviving on the streets. She had to make her own decisions. She learned that nobody else would protect her, so she became strong, independent, and always ready to defend herself.
Even after living with me for many years, one thing has never completely disappeared.
Whenever she sees another dog, she wants to confront it. She pulls hard on the leash. She stares, she barks. Even when the other dog is far away, she keeps looking back, almost as if she's saying, "I have something to say."
For years I wondered why she couldn't just choose peace. After all, that's what I tell my dogs every day — "why can't we all just live peacefully together?"
I believed I was the peaceful one, and she was the aggressive one.
The Realization That Changed Everything
Until one day I realized something that completely changed my perspective.
She wasn't showing me who I was.
She was showing me who I wasn't allowing myself to be.
Because the truth is, I avoid confrontation. If someone hurts me, disappoints me, or crosses one of my boundaries, I often stay quiet. I search for the right words but never say them. I smile when I actually want to say, "That doesn't feel right for me."
My dog does the exact opposite. The moment she feels something, she expresses it with her whole body.
Somewhere Between Her Extreme and Mine
I don't want to become leash-aggressive like my dog, but somewhere between her extreme and mine lies a healthy balance.
She is teaching me courage. She is reminding me that keeping the peace is not always peaceful. Sometimes peace is simply another name for avoiding discomfort.
Real peace isn't created by silence. It's created by honest communication, healthy boundaries, and the courage to express what's true.
A Different Question on Every Walk
Every time my dog pulls on the leash, I now ask myself a different question.
Instead of "why is she doing this?" I ask: where in my own life am I still holding myself back from saying what needs to be said?
She isn't trying to make my walks difficult. She's inviting me to become a woman who can stand calmly, confidently, and firmly in her own truth.
Perhaps that's why she came into my life. Not because she needed me. But because, in some ways, I needed her.
This is the Mirror Law in its simplest form, the people (and animals) around us often reflect back exactly what we haven't yet given ourselves permission to feel or say. It's a principle I come back to often in my own work, and one I write about more deeply in The Language of Manifestation, if you want to explore how it shows up in your own life.