All Dogs Love to Go to PetsMart
My life with a shy and fearful dog does not resemble any glossy magazine ad, Facebook clip or TV commercial that I’ve ever seen.
Media would have me believe that all dogs love to go to PetsMart, hike off leash on mountain trails and have their owner’s arms wrapped around them while snuggled on a couch together. Dogs catch frisbees thrown high into the air, run with abandon in the pounding surf, look adoringly into their person’s eyes, ride shot-gun with their heads out the window in big red pickup trucks and make friends with the unlikeliest of playmates.
When bombarded with these images of idealism, it’s hard for me to reconcile my reality with media’s portrayal of reality.
Don’t get me wrong; I love watching those cute dog videos as much as anyone, but I’ve come to realize that if I weighed the life I have with my dog against video portrayals of other people’s lives with their dogs, I might never leave my house or adopt another dog again.
A Life Filled with Love, Respect and Compromise
I have a choice every day, multiple times a day: do I measure my life with Katie against an ideal only found in cyberspace, or do I create a unique, individual relationship based on the best quality of life for both of us? It is sometimes messy and often unorthodox, (and it took me while and many dogs to get to this point) but our life together is filled with love, respect and compromise.
My commitment to forging a deep connection with Katie dictates that I minutely focus on what really makes her happy/calm/unafraid and adjust my life and my expectations accordingly. It may mean eschewing shopping trips to pet supply emporiums with her, and instead walking in the emptiest part of the parking lot far away from the store, or being ridiculously proud when she looks at a stranger approaching and walks away, instead of barking, lunging, or cowering in fear. How about simply getting a leash on her and having her willingly follow me over the threshold to go outside? A newly assembled TV console, car rides, visitors to to the house, the raised voices of children; all those and more are no longer passing under my radar. I have learned to look through my dog’s eyes and listen through my dog’s ears to gauge her emotional barometer, and proactively manage the situation or change things entirely…simply because I want my dog to be happy, which in turn makes me happy.
My life with Katie may not resemble the clever ads or greeting cards, but I look at my dog, asleep at my feet, content and unafraid, and I feel fine.
Title borrowed form the 1987 single: It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
Written and Performed by R.E.M.
Photo Credit: Pixabay / Turbot
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