I’ve learned so much from my little dog on wheels, Frankie, which I’m writing about in my new book “Through Frankie’s Eyes- Lessons Learned from a Dachshund on Wheels.”

One big lesson that has helped me greatly is learning to be more patient. I had to learn patience in so many ways when Frankie was diagnosed with Intervertebral Disc Disease. Patience in accepting her not walking on her own again, patience in learning to express her bladder, patience in training her so I could express her bladder over the toilet, patience in learning and doing physical therapy for her, and patience in the fact doing things with her takes a little more time than a “normal” dog.

That patience has helped me live not only a more balanced life, but helps me not get so frustrated about things I may not be able to control…. or not get so frustrated about the small stuff.

One area practicing patience has come in very handy for me is with my 6-year old lab, Kylie. She is a very “skittish” dog and while we don’t really know why, we have learned to accept her for who she is. We don’t approach her too quickly or she freaks out and runs into her kennel. She also hates to have her ears cleaned or her nails clipped. We have had her since a pup- so it is not like she came from an abusive situation.

I used to get so frustrated because I wanted her to understand that I was just trying to help her when her ears itched and they needed cleaning- or clipping her nails which can grow into these awfully curly cue, gnarly, nasty looking nails. 

But I realized one day that she can’t help how she is. I needed to adapt to her and the best way I could help her was to remain calm and assure her I loved her. So when she sees the nail clipper comes out she still retreats to her kennel, but instead of getting frustrated, I meet her inside her “apartment” and gently talk to her as I clip her nails. 

I’ve learned that makes me feel better to not get frustrated, as well as helps her to remain calm. This in turn makes our relationship so much stronger and loving. What a win-win, huh?

What lesson has your pet helped you most with?