It Takes a Certain Kind of Person to Love a Dog

I am sharing this wonderfully written post from C.A. Wulff, artist and author of Born Without a Tail.  This is from her blog, Up the Woof.


C.A. Wulff’s darling dogs!

It takes a person who can accept that life is messy sometimes. That just because you step in a little dog poo, it doesn’t mean you have to throw the shoes away.

It takes a person who understands that voice-activated phone systems are for homes without barking.  And that sometimes the neighbors look scary, even though they live there and we see them every day.

It takes a person who believes that shared body heat makes up for the paws poked in your back on cold winter nights. And that as long as you can make your body into the shape of an “S”, there’s plenty of room for everyone in the bed.

It takes a person who can accept that sometimes, it’s okay to be used as a trampoline. Especially if there’s something really interesting to be seen out the window; like leaves falling or grass growing.

It takes a person who can shrug off that errant strand of dog hair in a sandwich and pretend that it’s nothing more than pure protein. And that leaving the sandwich unattended on the table is the same as an engraved invitation to dinner.

It takes a person who understands that sometimes the temptation presented by a roll of toilet paper is just too much to resist;  and it must be shredded.  A person willing to concede that shoelaces and dirty socks might be more palatable than you think.

It takes a person who understands that throwing the yellow ball is far more important than the program you are trying to watch on TV, the book you are trying to read or the telephone conversation you are trying to have.

It takes a person who is willing to be worshipped and adored for the next 10-15 years despite all of their personal  faults and shortcomings.

It takes a person who can laugh at the chaos, shrug off the messes and embrace the joy.

Do you have what it takes?

 

Compassion and Empathy- We are All Connected

I am participating in a 28-day virtual tour for a new book titled Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You written by Yvonne Perry.

Yvonne Perry
The book offers empowering, proactive techniques to help empathic people manage energy and information overload coming from the collective unconsciousness of Earth. See http://whosestuffisthis.com/ for details. Yesterday, Yvonne visited the Peer Abuse blog. Today, she is my guest blogger. I hope you enjoy the video about how empathy can hurt and what can be done to alleviate empathic fatigue.

 

Come along on the tour with us. Tomorrow’s blog stop will be at The Shift Guru Radio Show. See the tour schedule at http://tinyurl.com/EmpathTour.

I truly love this book by Yvonne Perry and wish someone had written it years ago when I was in my mid-20’s and early 30’s when I found myself taking on the burdens of so many of those around me. Thank goodness I figured out for myself how to let this go. But this book has reaffirmed for me I did the right thing and that there is nothing wrong with me. And Chapter 9 is my favorite chapter filled with wonderful advice to help empath’s protect their energy. I’m so thankful to Yvonne for writing this book!

Special Needs Pet Feature: Charlotte

There are so many caring pet parents out there who take care of special needs pets. To bring more attention to these joyful animals, and extraordinary people, this is a new feature to my blog. If you care for a special needs pet and would like your pet featured, please email me through my website contact.  Send a photo and I will forward the questionnaire for your pet to be featured in an upcoming post.

What is your pets name?
Charlotte

How old is your pet?
She was one month away from 13 on the day she passed away.

Where did you get your pet?
From a local breeder. She was my high school graduation gift. The last words out of the breeder’s mouth were, “None of my dogs have ever had back problems.”

What is your pets physical challenge?
She slipped two disks in her back and lost control of her back legs.

What is your pets favorite thing to do?
She loved to play hide and seek with my dad and go on walks with my mom. Trips to Granny’s were a special treat. She also loved to go to PetSmart. One time, my mom and I took her to pick out a new toy. As we were walking by the guinea pigs she stopped dead in her tracks. “Whoa, what are these,” was the look on her face. Then she looked back at my mom as if to say, “Mom, can I get one?” And my mom replied, “No, Charlotte, you can’t have a guinea pig today.” People all around us laughed.

What is your pets favorite thing to eat?
Whenever my mom would grate cheese, Charlotte would come running. Mom only gave her a tiny bit but she LOVED it.

What do you love most about your pet?
She was my best friend. I could tell her anything.

What has your pet most taught you?

She really had a “I’m so happy to be alive.” attitude. More people should live that way.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Charlotte brought joy to many people. The vet would ask to have her for the day, and they would use her to educate people that pets with special needs can be happy too. One time, I had her out, and a man looked down at her then said to me, “I feel so bad for her. That’s so sad.” I told him don’t feel sorry for her. She was very happy and I’d still put my money on her to chase cats and birds out of the yard. Her disability didn’t define her, it just became a part of her. We all adapted and life was good.
Such a beautiful tribute to Charlotte!  I couldn’t agree more that yes, we adapt, and life is good.  Frankie has absolutely taught me that too.  Thank you for sharing Charlotte with us!