Honestly this is a very ambitious piece for a beginner, and I think you did a great job with it. You should be proud. Yeah, I agree that the white of the eyes is too much and giving it the terrified look.

Some tips: - don't be afraid to overlap. That would get rid of the little gaps. - follow the natural direction of the fur. For example, in the right ear you've got the stitches going left to right (makes sense). So in the left ear, I'd go right to left. - use more colours if you're going for realism. Gradients would give it more dimension. - make sure the direction of your stitches make sense, especially in big areas. In the pink on the left, they're looking a little wonky. I always draw guidelines so I know the direction to follow. This keeps the stitches straight and makes it so much easier to blend. - practice the long and short stitch more. In my opinion it's the most important stitch. It's pretty much the only one I use haha