The Little Dog Who Laughed

On Rupture, Repair, and the Courage to Come Back

We’ve all done it.

Laughed when someone else was vulnerable.Said the thing we later regretted.Avoided the hard truth.Protected ourselves at someone else’s expense.

We don’t talk about it much—but hurting others is a built-in feature of being human, not a bug. And just like being hurt, it’s inevitable. What defines us is not whether rupture happens in our relationships—but whether we take responsibility and seek repair.

This is where the story of Little Dog begins.

A Gentle Mirror

The Little Dog Who Laughed is the first in a series of illustrated reflections told through the character of Rabbit Therapist—a calm, clear-eyed therapist who offers wise presence to the animals who come through her door.

Little Dog comes in, tail low, heart full of guilt. He laughed at someone—Cow, specifically—when she was vulnerable. It wasn’t cruel. It wasn’t premeditated. But it was hurtful. And the moment it happened, he knew.

It’s a feeling many of us recognize. The regret that lands just after the words have left our mouth. The quick humor we used to avoid our own discomfort. The shame that follows when we realize we’ve damaged something important.

Rabbit doesn’t shame him.She doesn’t scold or excuse.She holds space for the truth:

“We all hurt others, just as we are all hurt by others. What matters most is what we do afterwards.”

Rupture and Repair: The Real Work of Relationship

In therapy, we talk often about the dance of rupture and repair—the small breaks in connection that occur in any relationship and the opportunities those breaks offer us.

When we’re kids, we either learn that repair is possible… or we learn that disconnection is permanent.Many adults are still trying to rewrite that early script.

What Rabbit Therapist shows—what The Little Dog Who Laughed is about—is that:

• Mistakes don’t make us bad.

• Owning what we’ve done is brave.

• Repair isn’t just for the other person—it’s for us, too.

  
  

  Why I Created Rabbit Therapist

  As a longtime therapist, I’ve sat with so many stories of regret, longing, and quiet courage. I’ve also felt them in my own life. There’s something universal about emotional pain, and something sacred about the repair process—when it’s honest.

  I created Rabbit Therapist as a way to give visual and emotional life to the work that often happens in private. It’s part inner child, part adult wisdom, part love letter to the parts of us that are trying to grow.

  It’s also meant to be shared—between parents and kids, therapists and clients, or just people who need a reminder that healing is possible even after a rupture.

  
  

  You can see the full illustrated version of The Little Dog Who Laughed on Instagram @naomi_elb.More stories are on the way.

  If you’ve ever hurt someone and weren’t sure how to come back…Or if someone hurt you, and you still wish they would…This story is for you.