Thursday, May 19, 2011

MAY 19th Snarling Dogs & Powerful Lessons

Hi Journal & Friends,

Yesterday something happened with Joey that shocked me... scared me... warmed my heart.... and taught me something. So, here is comes...

LESSONS FROM A PUPPY #6


Believe in yourself. 
Really. 
Then ACT on it!



Joey loves to hang out on the front screened-in porch, especially when there are sunbeams on these chilly days.


Vevie joined Joey on the porch, to catch some rays.




Since Vevie left, Joey ran into the house and brought out her Duck for company.




Bored with Ducky, she found her Bear and promptly dragged it out, too.




Ahhh... asleep in the sunbeam.



But yesterday I got a big scare when suddenly, from next door charged our neighbors 70 pound dog, barking and snarling like he was going to eat Joey alive! It all happened so fast, that I was stunned. 

Joey, inside the screened porch, jumped up and faced her attacker, braced her feet apart, head down, and BARKED WITH HUGE MENACE RIGHT BACK AT THIS ATTACKER!! She didn't back up ONE INCH!. 

Joey is only about 5 pounds, and not quite 5 months old. I guess she is too young to know she would have been "lunch" for this attacking dog. But she stood her ground, fearlessly protecting her territory, her home. And me, I suppose, since I was right there inside the door and afterward, she ran up to me to "tell" me all about it. 

I was so thankful Joey had been inside the screened porch, though if the neighbor hadn't ran over and dragged his hunk of a dog away, I wasn't too sure that it might have come right through the screen! (Jim recently bought a new little harness for Joey, which doesn't press against her throat when pulled. If needed for safety, you can actually lift her right up by it, and not choke her. Now I'm thankful he insisted... and will tell him he was right.)

Later, after my blood pressure came back down from outer space...I thought of several things.

  • Mark Twain said "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog."  Now I've seen this first hand! Joey believed in herself, and she was prepared to act on it. Yes, she might be too little to know any better yet. But the point is, she was taking a stand, and that was that.

  • I remembered the little note I had taped to the edge of my computer. It says: "What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?" Five pound Joey was nose to nose with a 70 pound attacking dog, yet she didn't budge. She "believed" she would not fail. I'm not too sure at her age if she calculated that "Oh, I'm safe because there is this flimsy screening between me and that snarling monster".  Was she foolishly naive?? Of course. But I was awed by her courage.

  • I also I realized that if need be, I was prepared to take on that Snarling Monster with my bare hands, if it meant protecting Joey. See... Joey is Jim's dog. I'm the "baby sitter". She ADORES Jim, and actually sits by the front door starting around 30 minutes before he is due home from work... she longingly looks down the street if she is on the porch, as though she knows it's almost time for her Daddy to come home. When he finally does get here, she goes nuts with enthusiasm, wagging her whole body!                         .....But Joey and I have a different relationship. I like her... she likes me. We are okay. When Jim is home, she NEVER poops in the wrong place now. Her whole world consists of pleasing Jim. For me... not so much. I still have to watch her like a hawk. We have a more complicated relationship. So... when I had the scare from the neighbor dog, I realized that regardless of my resistance, I have fallen in love with Joey, and would do anything to protect her. Anything. She is my girl, too.

  • And lastly, I want to believe in myself, the way Joey believed in herself yesterday. No doubts. No hesitation. No excuses. No fears. When we truly believe, we act. Amazing the things a scruffy little pup can teach you!




From Dr Phil's book: "What is true about you in your mind, you will live."

My verse for today: "My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song."

My quote for today: "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear -- not absence of fear." --Mark Twain

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta
=^..^=

DAY 643



9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Awww. I loved this. sniff. Deb

Dawn said...

There was a reason this lovely little pup came into your life
xXx
Dawn

Unknown said...

Such a cutie & oh so brave. The little ones always seem to put up a good show. I have a min pin that is more skittish than a germaphobe in a room full of snot nosed, coughing, sneezing, hacking kids but she will act like she is going to rip another dogs throat out... the bigger they are the fiercer she acts. Lessons to be learned I guess, lessons to be learned.

downsizers said...

It's not the size of the dog in the fight; it's the size of the fight in the dog.

Cindy said...

Attitude is everything. Glad you have fallen in love with Joey. hope you have been doing well . have a great weekend. hugs to you.

Becky Baker Horn said...

Fantastic blog!

'Yellow Rose' Jasmine said...

Wouldn't you know it?! These little critters have a way of changing our hearts and lives for the better. So glad everything turned out well.

Wendy McDonagh-Valentine said...

This was an absolutely wonderful post, Loretta!! I recently starting reading blogs again and I found yours again. I'm so glad I did!! Your puppy is absolutely adorable and apparently a real corker for her size!! :) I have been a life long overweight person. Since around 10 years old. I've had a few occasions when I've lost weight but have never been what I would call thin. I had the LAP band put in a couple of years ago and lost a little over twenty lbs. and then we decided to try for a baby. I got pregnant and had the band drained and lived high on the hog for about a year and now I'm at an all-time high of 262 lbs. When I hit 250 I couldn't even comprehend that I had allowed this to happen to myself. Now that I'm over 260 lbs. it's like I'm living in a body that even I don't know how to live in. I've been hibernating in my house all winter with a baby. When I stopped nursing her at 8 months old the weight came on almost instantaneously. I look at pictures of myself now and think how miserable that very heavy girl must be and then I remember that it's me. Does that make sense to you? I've always been happy with my face but now that isn't even something I want to look at too often anymore because it's gotten so puffy. I know this is really long but I guess I wanted just to say hi and to thank you for this blog. I've been reading it a lot and will continue to do so. I've also gone back to the LAP band specialist and had it filled again. I'm still in the process of having it filled to where it should be but he wants to do it gradually so no great weight loss yet but I'm not giving up hope. I just can't be like this for the rest of my life. : )

M Pax said...

Glad you're both OK. We had a little terrior [like Toto] when I was a kid. I was out walking him and a big dog came straight at me. That little dog stood between me and that dog and won. So, yeah, size doesn't matter.

Glad you learned you love Joey. She loves you, too.

Related Posts with Thumbnails