an ode to my dog…

Hey friends.

Well, my computer crapped out on me. I’m hoping to get a new one soon, but….expensive holidays and all, so it may be a week or two. The timing sucks, as I have officially calendared starting the Corlanor (ivabradine) this Saturday and will be anxious to share my experience and hear yours, if you have tried it.

But, today is a special day, and I want to share it with you, so I’m posting this from work (shhhhh).

– Linds

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Two years ago we visited an animal shelter and brought home an adorable, but incredibly shy and underweight dog. The first night with us he hid in the corner of the room and had explosive diarrhea all over my living room floor at 2:00am.

Over the next few weeks, it became obvious that he had suffered some abuse in the past, and had lingering PTSD as a result. Each day we worked on training to improve his confidence and were amazed at his level of intelligence and understanding.

I would love to tell you that Fletch has overcome all of his anxiety and PTSD, but he didn’t. He hasn’t. This isn’t some Disney fairytale with a perfect ending. He’s still afraid of hangars and cars and water dispensers and any stick-like object, which I fear was his abuser’s weapon of choice.

But Fletcher has also turned into an amazing dog. We have visited 13 breweries together. We have a (not so) secret handshake. We both would eat our weight in cheese, if given the opportunity, we both love animal documentaries, and we’re both afraid of loud noises. One of us always has perfect eyeliner (hint: it’s never me), one of us is better at belly rubs (you need to work on that, dude), one of us has more gray hair (it’s him, I swear), and both of us would always rather do anything together. We’ve been to the ocean, mountains, desert, and played in the snow. He’s my partner in crime.

I love him, but Fletcher would make an awful service dog. He’s easily distracted, he’s afraid of the crowds and loud noises that come with being in public, and hasn’t once signaled when my blood pressure was low or my heart rate high. In fact, sometimes I feel like his service human. But he knows when I’m feeling shitty, stays by my side, and uses my butt or arm for a pillow to let me know he’s there. He makes me happy everytime I see him. Ben Moon once said, “People can learn a lot from dogs. When someone you love walks through the door, even if it happens five times a day, you should go totally insane with joy.” The truth is, with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and mast cell activation disorder (MCAD), sometimes I struggle to find reasons to go totally insane with joy. Fletch reminds me that there are always reasons.

I have learned so much from Fletcher in the past two years, but mostly that it’s okay to be afraid of anything. Fear provides us with opportunities to be brave, and he and I are working on being brave together. Friends, if you’re considering getting a dog this holiday season, please consider adopting. There are so many shelter dogs that need love.

Happy adoption anniversary, Fletch. I’m so glad you’re my dog.

Smell ya later.
– Linds