All the Comforts of Home...at a Kennel?

This is Millie. This picture was not taken at the kennel, but in the comfort of her own home (hi Beth!). Millie is a constant surprise to me. When she arrives, she looks at her owner with "are you kidding me?" in her eyes. She refuses to make eye contact with me for the first day. This improves the next day to a look of disdain.

It's sort of like Martha Stewart Goes to Prison. She just can't accept that she's here...with....dogs (shudder!).

But, by the end of her stay, Millie is bringing me toys to play, acting coy and wagging her tail. Of course, once her owners return (hi Beth!), I'm chopped liver - it's back to disdain and ignoring me.

And that is how it should be.

Home and your people - there's not substitute for the real thing. I can do my best, but really I'm just a stand in. I'm okay with that. When I long for a real and tangible love, I don't want a disappointing substitute - I want what's real.

Thresholds, Part Two

Meet Dooley.

Too bad Dooley doesn't want to meet you. It's nothing personal, he's just, you know, one of "those" cats.

Dooley's past is somewhat unknown, but what is known is rather sad, so give him a break. He was a stray in the little town of Ada and a couple fed him, though kept their distance due to his constant hissing. Apparently Dooley didn't get the memo about not biting the hand that feeds you (or hiss). A friend of the couple called me and asked if I'd "remove" the cat (the couple had a poor grasp of English).

Expecting a fearsome cat, I was surprised to find instead a three month old orange cat, who was terrified but curious of people. Since he wouldn't let me near him, I put some canned food in the back of a crate. When he cautiously entered it, I quickly shut the door and locked it. Of course, Dooley was indignant. Though I planned to ship the kitten to the local shelter, he eventually changed his attitude toward me and I was charmed.

It's been seven years and Dooley still has not forgiven me. After a full day of sniffing around the pond for frogs or stalking grasshoppers, Dooley waits at the door to come in for the night. However, crossing the threshold into the house, even with the guarantee of food and a comfy place to sleep for the night, is extremely difficult for him.

Perhaps I should be impressed that Dooley has always remembered that important lesson of "once bitten, twice shy." After all, isn't it good to be discerning? Yet after seven years of nothing but doting on him (except for that minor incident of dental work at the vet's office), it seems that forgiveness is in order.

It made me wonder if there are people and situations in my life I need to recognize and forgive. If Jesus keeps no record of wrongs against me, why should I keep it against others? What about you? What keeps you from entering a safe home, where you can be fed and loved? What will it take for you to get past it?

"This is Not a Buffet!"

Every now and then when I open the run for a dog to go outside, the dog makes a bit of a detour. He may decide to run into another dog's run and sample any uneaten food. Or, he may stick his head in a bag of food that does not belong to said dog.

I give them a lecture on this not being okay.

They don't seem to care.

Sure, it's good to be curious, to try new things. However, sometimes, "things" are just not our business, and we need to focus on the task at hand, which does not involve what goes on in someone else's backyard.

While we must be concerned and caring about our friends and neighbors, being overly involved in their details is not our business. "It is not a buffet."

Thresholds!

Upon arrival at the kennel, a peculiar thing sometimes happens. The dog doesn't want to go through the doorway. Perhaps it's not so strange. When that door opens, the sights, sounds and smells certainly overwhelm me, not to mention the hypersensitive senses of a dog (as mentioned in a previous post).

Yet, it is the door itself that seems to cause hesitancy. Once the dog goes through the doorway, they are fine. This same thing happens as the dog walks into an outside run from the hallway - a hesitancy to cross the threshold.

Why is it difficult to make that next step?

Fear of the unknown. It is common to man and beast. One of my high school teachers would question us, "What is the fear of the unknown?" "Something we don't know." "So it is nothing?" "yes" "Then why be afraid of nothing."

Simple - maybe overly simple - but that always helped me - why be afraid of something that is nothing?

Making the "next step" of our lives is hard, since we often don't know what will happen. Yet, it is necessary to experience change and the refining and blessing that awaits us.

What thresholds are you afraid to cross? What keeps you from making the next step? How can you overcome the unknown fears you have?

Nathan Alan Willoughby - The Westwood Rescue for Good Cats

Once Nathan and Alan had left the large black and white cat at the rescue, he got comfortable. The people who volunteered at the old Victorian home-turned cat rescue were friendly and patted the cat soothingly.

"Let's take him to the Red Room," said Cornelius, the rescue coordinator. "He's a regal looking fellow, don't you think? With a name like his, he deserves royal treatment."

The Red Room, though Nathan Alan Willoughby could not tell colors, was an upstairs bedroom that housed five other cats. There was a queen sized bed with a red chenille coverlet. Two cats slept on it. Another cat looked out the window from the back of a plush chair. One cat stopped batting a catnip mouse about when the door opened. The fifth cat....well, he was using the litterbox, much to his embarrassment.

"Here you go, kits, another friend for you," Cornelius put Nathan Alan Willoughby in a small wire cage, then he left. Each cat came up and spent a little time sniffing at him, then hissing. Nathan Alan Willoughby decided he too would sniff, then hiss. It didn't seem like a friendly way of making new friends, but what did he know of it? He'd never met any cats that hadn't immediately run from him. At least these cats looked at him.

By the end of the day, Nathan Alan Willoughby was released into the rest of the room. A few of the other cats growled and hissed, but mostly they just continued what they were doing, which was mostly sleeping or looking out the window. Nathan Alan Willoughby walked about the room, sniffing at the different toys on the floor, and most of the furniture, which he suspected was also in the theme of red for the Red Room.

Next to the bed, there was a nightstand with a clock, book, and lamp. This seemed peculiar, since cats aren't big readers, can see quite well in the dark, and really have no use for time, unless it is time to eat. However, the homey look made the cats look like they'd fit in to the homes of the potential adopters. To the cats it didn't matter - a soft bed is a soft bed.

Nathan Alan Willoughby surveyed the room carefully. This was a far cry from the dumpster. There was food in a bowl, with water next to it. He wouldn't have to look for it in the smelly trash or fight off rats for a morsel of pizza dough. Here he could have what he needed.

He curled into a ball on the bed and looked at the two other cats sleeping nearby. They seemed content enough. He glanced out the window and could see rain hitting it, beginning to freeze as it drizzled down. The room was warm. As Nathan Alan Willoughby drifted off to a deep, relaxing sleep, he couldn't help but think he'd been rescued just in time.

Dogs and July Fourth

It's a summer holiday. Plans include friends, family, food. What about Fido? (by the way, I've never watched a dog named Fido, but I'm still waiting)

Even if you try to ignore the holiday, chances are very good that firecrackers are being set off by your neighbors days, if not weeks, before and after July 4th. Likely, they send your dog hiding under the bed, behind the sofa, or perched on your shoulders.

It's good to have a strategy to deal with the boomers that drive your dog bonkers. When the days approach, you may set up a room that is away from windows where you can set up your dog's bed, toys, and a radio. While your dog may not have a preference of rap, rock or talk radio, turn the volume UP! If your dog will not tolerate being confined, at least put on the radio.

Some dog owners bring their dog to the kennel for the specific reason they will be away from fireworks. Here at Good Shepherd Boarding Kennel, there are few people setting off fireworks. Yet, I plan to let dogs out a little earlier than normal so I can get them back inside before the blasts begin. Then, the radio volume goes UP! Over the years, I've not found dogs cowering in the corner from the sounds.

As you stir the potato salad, don't forget a strategy for your dog this July 4th!

Making adjustments

Sometimes when a dog comes to the kennel for its first visit, it may cower in the back of its kennel run. Until it adjusts from the comforts of home to the sights, sounds, and smells of kennel life, their fear determines their behavior.

How do they overcome this fear? Most often, the calmness of the other dogs shows them that there is nothing to fear. Once they experience a routine similar to that of their home life, get pats on the head and yummy treats, they realize it isn't so bad after all! Pack mentality and experiencing familiarity break down the fear barriers!

Dogs seem more adaptable than humans some times. When I am faced with a new situation, it takes me a period of time to stop and realize that while it may be strange and unfamiliar, it doesn't have to overwhelm me. Mostly, I need to remember that what is immediate is not eternal. In other words, it's not going to last forever.

What about you? What fears do you need to overcome? How will you do so? Do you need to see others experiencing and succeeding that which seems overwhelming to you? Will your fears disappear once you jump in and experience it for yourself?