This blog is written by My Michelle.
I think most of you who follow Richard's blog, know that we have a new member in our family, our 1 year old cocker spaniel, Lily. She is the light of our lives and brings us much joy and laughter, but she also definitely has a bit of the "dickens" in her and at times, thinks she rules the house. She has wiggled her way into our hearts, and in turn, she has a special spot for each one of us and treats us each differently. Our son Josh was the one to carry her home in his arms from the breeder, and she always has a special attachment to him. He's kind of like the big brother who lets her get away with everything and brings her treats. She anxiously waits for him to return home from work each day. Jon she treats like a playmate - he's the one who plays "ball and fetch" and she always brings him her toys to play "rough and tough" with. Our daughter Sophie is the calm one in the household, and Lily loves to lay on her bed and watch out the window while Sophie is busy doing her Opal and Fern Design work. Richard - well she loves to nap with him - if he's laying down, you can often find her curled up in a ball by his legs and with her head on his foot as she watches out for him. Me, well I'm not quite sure - sometimes I think she thinks she's the mom and the boss - we are working on that, Lol.
As Richard's health declines, the stress level in our home has also gone up quite a bit. Rare is the time when I can just sit and relax and hold Lily on my knee. She misses these times and rightfully so - what is a dog to do? She is also very empathetic and sensitive to our emotions, and so as we are a little on edge, we definitely see this in our dog as well.
We had a bit of a wake up call yesterday. Our usual groomer was ill and unable to take on her clients and we needed to find a temporary groomer for a month or two. We had an awesome referral, they had an opening and away we went. It was a very busy day for us that day, and Lily was kind of shuttled back and forth and then dropped off at this new groomer. I had taken the 1 hr to take a bit of a break for myself - Richard had Sophie and Jon looking after him, the nurse was due and I thought I had a small window for a little self care. Well things did not go so smoothly as planned. My phone didn't stop buzzing - Richard's IV was acting up, the nurse had been and left and the IV was still buzzing and Lily's groomer was leaving me messages. Needless to say - Richard needed me at home to fix the IV and pump, Lily needed me to bring her home, and the groomer was not complimentary at all. Lily had a bad day.
I was quite hurt at the time, that the groomer had been so harsh with Lily and that Lily had this bad experience with this new groomer. She has always had great reviews and done well with her regular groomer. We had taken great care to get her used to grooming and being clipped from the time she was a small puppy. What was going on? Then, as I reflected, I realized she was acting out because our life was kind of spiralling a bit out of control. Too many new people, too many changes in routine, too many rapid transitions and too much stress. Nothing is more wonderful than when life is settled, and Lily is happy and content, behaving and by our side. We need to get that back. We need to get all of our emotions under control and actively work to get some serenity back in our lives, especially now.
They say you can learn alot from your dog, and well I certainly have. We need to live in the moment, we need to enjoy treats now and again with no guilt, nap when you are tired, go for walks every day, slow down, love unconditionally, and lean on those you love.
We love you Lily, thank you for being there for each of us. It's a heavy load you bear.
Love Michelle (PS I am the boss by the way) XOX
