These storylines relied on a false binary: that a deep bond with an animal precludes a deep bond with a human. This left the "dog woman" as a tragic figure—someone who had patched her loneliness with a temporary solution, awaiting a man to tear that patch off and restore her to "normalcy."
However, just as things were starting to look up, Sarah's past relationships came back to haunt her. She had a tendency to push people away when she felt vulnerable, and she started to do the same with John. She would cancel plans at the last minute or not respond to his messages. dog and woman sex patched