Sad Dog Syndrome

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CONTENTS UNDER PRESSURE

Roxy knows that yogurt helps keep you regular

Some of you that have been reading my blog, may have heard the first part of this story before, so I will tell it a little different. Repeating yourself is sometimes necessary and other times, well…

Once there was a beautiful Shiba called Roxy that resembled a fox. She had a thick coat of sesame colored fur and pointy ears that picked up critical signals in her immediate surroundings.  In her early days, this little Roxy went to live with a strange nomadic lady.

Roxy and this lady lived together and had lots of fun. They walked in the sunshine. They walked in the rain.  They ate their meals together or at least breakfast and dinner. At night they slept.  During the day they would visit friends. Roxy and her friend enjoyed the outdoors.

Roxy was growing fast. Although she would never be an Akita, she did have the confident spirit of a lion. She knew not of fear. Roxy greeted everyone as an equal.

One day when Roxy was with the strange lady visiting friends, she found herself face to face with a beautiful white beast. This beast was much larger than Roxy in size, but Roxy failed to take notice.

The lady sat nearby and watched as the two summed each other up. Then something terrible happened. The great white beast lunged forward and took the little Roxy down in one quick swipe.

Roxy was on the ground with some very large jaws clamped firmly around her neck. She struggled with all her might against this unexpected act of aggression.

The lady and her friends were in shock, but took swift action to prevent what seemed was inevitable in happening.  The lady lost hope quick and went inside, while her friends did what they could to save little Roxy.

Some of you already know that this story has a happy ending. The friends were able to save the furry fox. The white beast went home without her kill. Roxy had a little surgery, healed up completely and everyone lived happily ever after.

But that was not "the end." One story simply leads to another. The second part of this story is the result of Roxy’s surgery and her need for some pain medication that caused her a bit of constipation that resulted in something called a “prolapsed anus”. That’s right I said anus. And the anus was inside out.

So the lady had to take Roxy in for another medical evaluation. Lucky for everyone Roxy did not mind going to see her Doctor. She was a little trooper and when the lady gave the go ahead, the Doctor went ahead with the procedure that was supposed to remedy the problem.

There would be a few stitches sewn in a circle, then pulled tight, much like a purse string. This would hold her little anus inside where it belonged. Then in 10 days everything would be back to normal and the stitches could be removed, explained Roxy’s doctor.

Well many days passed and her anus stayed in place, but everything was not perfect. Roxy had not made any poo in several days. So the lady called the doctor and was reassured that Roxy would evacuate eventually. She was told not to worry, come in at the scheduled time.

Several more days passed and still no poo.  Now it was the weekend, the doctor’s office was closed. The lady noticed Roxy’s belly had swollen. She was certain too many days had passed without anything making an exit from that anus.

 The lady made a decision to remove the stitches herself. She took Roxy out to a nice grassy area in their courtyard. Sitting next to her with an exacto knife she began cutting the stitches. Roxy remained calm until they were all removed.

The lady then stood and walked with Roxy across the grass.  It was not more than a few seconds before things started to happen. Roxy stopped dead in her tracks and let out a great scream as poop started to shoot itself out of her anus like bullets being fired in succession.

The lady had never heard Roxy scream like this. She worried it had been a mistake. But after the first rectum rocket, things got better. Roxy kept releasing poo, seeming happier as she did so. And yes the lady used her biodegradable doggie poo bags to pick up all that been released, even the stuff that flew across the courtyard into the street.

Roxy making sure she gets all the yogurt

We people can be very self-conscious. We don’t want to say things for fear of being judged. There are many reasons we may choose to hold something in and occasionally it is the right thing to do, but more often than not, communication is the answer.

Learn to ask questions. Resist making assumptions. Communicate. Breathe and feel the peace. Holding things in and going over them repeatedly in your mind will only build up a pressure that will eventually need a release.

So the moral of this story, that also has a happy ending is sweet in its simplicity. Don’t let things build up inside when they need to come out or they may come out in an explosion of shit. That is why
“Contents Under Pressure” is usually printed as a warning of danger.

Till Death Do Us Part

I first saw Roxy in a pet store inside The Woodlands mall.  I can't remember why I was there that day. I despise the mall and most forms of shopping. At the time, I was even having a hard time walking. Just a few weeks before I had back surgery, after rupturing two discs.  My right leg was mostly paralyzed. Still I found myself within feet of the pet store entrance and hobbled right on in. My usual quick in and out was altered, when a fox like fur baby caught my eye and my curiosity.  Being familiar with a great number of breeds, I was eager to learn more about this pumpkin colored puppy I could not place.

Yes, it was love at first sight, at least for me.  She was fast asleep, unaware that a strange woman was making decisions about her future. She was surely dreaming of suckling from her mother’s teat or maybe playing with the siblings she would never see again.

I found out very little from the pet store employee, just the breed and the required premium for immediate acquisition. Having had canine family members before, I realized this was a serious commitment. I needed more information.

My last such relationship was 13 years of ups and downs, although mostly ups, with Luke, aka, Boo Boo. He was a 2-year old Australian Cattle Dog that I found at the SPCA.  Given all the great problems of so many unwanted animals, I had always preferred rescuing to purchasing. Luke’s previous owner had trained him well. His breed is highly intelligent and also very loyal. It was very sad to lose him.

A puppy was going to be a challenge, so I left the pet dealer and went home to do some research. Most everything I learned about Roxy’s breed was positive, the most notable negative being heavy shedding. I may have just overlooked some other negatives, as most of us do when we think we are in love. For example, her lack of obedience, or to word it in a more pleasing light, her independence, which was much greater than I expected.

I also left a little up to fate, making myself wait an entire seven days before going back. If she were still available I would pay the fee and have her for my very own. If she were already taken, I would accept that it was not meant to be. Well, we all know how this story ends. I got the girl…

And there it was. I saw, I sought, I secured. Sounds simple, but relationships are complicated, even those with our four legged friends. 

The first photo of Roxy, "The Day I Fell In Love"

The relationships between humans contain so many variables. The consideration of a life long interdependent commitment needs to be entered into with great compassion, understanding and the knowledge that it ain't all shits and giggles. People, all people, are flawed.

Humans are complicated. There are egos to deal with. Pride gets in the way. The plethora of other emotions sometimes squeezes love out. Boundaries sometimes become blurry and other times become too narrow. People, who speak the same language, can't understand each other. Assumptions are made and communication starts to diminish. People take each other for granted.

These things happen, not only in romantic relationships, but also in friendships, business relationships, family ties and the relationships we form with our furry little friends. Many times, when we ourselves are mistaken about what has actually happened, we make a decision to break our own promises. We stop seeing the other as someone deserving of any effort. We stop giving. We start blaming.

There are of course times when it is absolutely necessary to run like hell in another direction. To get away from something or someone that is truly making your life unbearable, but even in those situations, when we look back, we might find something worthy of consideration.

Maybe I’m a slow learner. I still have issues, but then we all have issues.  I am learning more about this challenging virtue called commitment everyday. We should try to see one another in a more forgiving light. Illuminate what's right. Focus on the good. Overlook the petty, the superficial, but still give it all proper consideration.

Roxy is teaching me great lessons about commitment. That little bitch bit me yesterday.  It was an accident, but what I really need to look at, is how much of it was my fault. It can be hard to look in the mirror when something goes wrong, but more times than not, it is the last place we are willing to look.

I am going to try harder to be a better mother to my furry little pumpkin. For me, that means learning to say “No” and meaning it. She is my little love muffin. I made a commitment when I brought her home. For Roxy and I, it is, "Till Death Do Us Part."  Gosh, I hope she does not eat me in my sleep.