“Dog Mom Monday” thoughts on a Tuesday

Life has been challenging lately, for a lot of reasons. Some good, some bad. New job, busy schedule, daylight savings, cold weather, and just having a lot on my plate overall makes it feel like I never stop moving. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I am a very go go go type of person. But inevitably the days come where I don’t have that spark. 

I woke up this morning at 4 AM to Chickie puking up the end of a bully stick she ate the day before. My alarm was set for 4:30 AM, so I closed my eyes and tried desperately to grasp that last thirty minutes of sleep before kicking off a busy Monday. The alarm came, I got up. As I do every morning, I open the bedroom door, Chief and Vinny run downstairs. Chickie procrastinates at the top of the stairs by scratching her neck with her back leg in a sorry attempt to distract me and make her getaway to where the cats sleep. She eventually runs downstairs too, barking at the top of her lungs the whole time in excitement to go outside. I let the three dogs out and turn on the coffee pot. In that moment I thought to myself “Wow, this feels like a lot”.

Did I need to bring home another puppy last spring? No. Do I regret it? Absolutely not. This doesn’t mean that I don’t feel overwhelmed from time to time as I head into a day as a full time health care professional, soon to be certified canine conditioning coach, wife, and handler of three dogs (two of them being very high energy). This morning, these thoughts crept into my mind. I was feeling like I didn’t have enough to give my dogs. Enough time, enough energy, enough drive, enough skill. I went outside to play fetch for a few minutes while the coffee brewed. We came back inside, I poured a fresh cup, and sat on the couch. Chickie sprinted through the house and tackled her duck toy then proceeded to throw it through the air for herself over and over. She spotted me on the couch, noticeably slowed down, and hopped up next to me. To my surprise, she laid down next to me and let me just pet her and quietly enjoy the moment. She rarely stops moving, and even more rarely accepts pets without plenty of playful biting. 

In this moment, I realized none of my fears or worries are founded in truth. I have the most incredible dogs that make me feel capable and loved. They have plenty of opportunities to do the things they love, and are challenged to learn and grow on a daily basis. They are fulfilled, and cared for likely even better than I take care of myself. If you’re a dog person and feel the way I felt this morning, take stock of all of the positives and try to see past the negatives. So many of us live a similar existence- we wake up, take care of our dogs and family, go to work all day, and come home wishing we had more time to do the things that fill our cup. This week, I am going to consciously appreciate my dogs for everything positive they offer to my life. I might be tired and busy as many of us are (especially heading into the busy holiday season), but I will keep putting one foot in front of the other and give myself a lot of grace along the way. I hope this hasn’t come off as complaining, because it is truly anything but. This is a reality check and my way of proving how relatable we all are. If you need encouragement, you know where to find me. Let’s get through the hard days together.