FOUR life-lessons my PUGS taught ME

The view out my window is lovely today.  The water looks blue (and that doesn’t happen all too often as the Arkansas river is muddy water!) and the sky has this woven pattern of pale blue and white ribbons.  The snow is almost gone and the wildlife on the bird sanctuary in the middle of the river are fluttering about, busy with the days business.  There’s even a lone individual trying to catch tonight’s dinner!  On my window sill sits a little bird, watching the same scene unfold that I am watching.  The river’s peaceful and serene calm, quiet my spirit whenever I sneak a peak, which I have to be honest, I do quite often throughout the day.

As you might have noticed in the right hand column, I have two cute, little pugs.  They have been an incredible joy and comfort to me these past 7  or so years.  As I was taking them for their morning walk, I started thinking about the life lessons I have learned from them, especially the black one – Dekker.

Dekker has Cushing’s Disease, so he and I have a special bond.  We get each other, if you will, because of the obstacles we both must overcome every day.  But… even the ever spirited, Bronte has taught me a few things.  So, today, I thought I would share four life-lessons my pugs have taught me.

First, when your tired, REST.  It is amazing to me how easily my dogs will find a quiet spot to lay down and take a nap anytime they need it.  It they’re are tired, then it’s time to sleep.  Who cares what time of day it is?

Second, relationships are very important.  Bronte was the  first one to bring this home for me.  I got her first and when she was about three months old, she became very depressed.  The suggestion I was given by the vet, was to get another dog for her.  I thought, you got to be kidding me!  One dog is enough.  I don’t think I can take care of two dogs.  I was assured, however, that it is actually easier to have two dogs because they take care of each other.

So for Bronte’s sake, Dekker became part of our family!  It took us about a month to become fully integrated, but once we did, it was great.  Dekker was the best thing that ever happened to Bronte.  Not only did she now have a companion throughout the day, but she got to have one of  her cousins come live with her.

Dekker has re-enforced this lesson for me as well.  The past 3 or 4 nights have been challenging for the little guy as his illness is flaring up right now (we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of his herbal treatment).  When Dekker is having a challenging day, he will usually find a corner to go off to and be alone.  A couple times a day, however, he seeks me out and climbs up in my lap.  It is incredible how peaceful he is as he lies there.  It is as if all his problems disappear once he climbs up in my lap.

I have come to realize that relationships are crucial for me.  These illnesses are much easier to handle with the help of my many friends and the road is a much more enjoyable one.  Doing this without my friends in my life, would be a very lonely existence, and one that I fear would probably challenge me beyond my limits.

Third, boundaries are a good and necessary thing.  Bronte has started to get on in years and has moments now where she just wants to be left alone.  Poor Dekker just doesn’t understand.  It actually became quite a problem for all of us because Bronte was biting Dekker to get her point across.  I finally created separate places for each of them during the day, and at night, they now have a divider in their crate which gives Dekker the closeness to Bronte he craves, and yet, allows Bronte the alone time she needs.

I have discovered in my own life that if I do not set boundaries, other people’s life can spill over into my space, and at times I can become quite overwhelmed, sometimes even crashing (this is a severe flare-up that will land me in bed).  I have had to learn to also set boundaries in areas where it might seem like I am being controlling or too cautious, such as asking my friends permission to allow me the ability to change my mind with any plans we make, if for any reason I no longer feel well enough to participate. It is only about control in the sense that I need to be careful with my energy levels because in the end if I don’t, it is I who pays for that mistake.

Interestingly, my friends have a word they use for my bad days when they call and I don’t answer.  They say I have gone into my cave.  Basically, I have found a corner to go off to and be alone to rest and recuperate.  Thankfully, I have wonderful friends who understand the situation.

The fourth and last life-lesson my pugs have taught me, is to take time out of every day, and have a little fun.  Even if it is just a few minutes of talking on the phone, or an hour spent playing scrabble with a friend, those infusions of fun help me to de-stress, relax, and create wonderful memories that carry me through the really bad moments.

So, there you have it – four life-lessons I learned from my adorable, little pugs!

Determined to continue forward.