Beeps

My human knew, before she adopted me, that I wore an electronic collar (I don’t now). She asked a lot of questions because, as a retired trainer, she’d seen the long-term effects of vibrations, beeps, and shocks.

At first, I was scared of the microwave ding. However, what comes out of that humming and dinging box? FOOD! My human helped me learn to love the sound of the bell by pairing it with snacks, even before she shared her steamed broccoli and cauliflower.

Garbage truck blares? Well, I sat in bed with my human curled around me, giving me treat after treat after treat until I relaxed and the pickup pulled away. Now, I barely care about garbage and recycling days.

And, she turns the volume down on her laptop if she has to chat with a help desk to help me, of course.

It’s the random, unexpected beeps that still throw me and my human.

We were recently on the sofa. My human was busy working while I enjoyed an afternoon nap, belly up, snore-warble-sighing, when this super loud beep came from the kitchen.

My human went to inspect the noise. At first, she thought (and worried a bit) that the warning was coming from the carbon monoxide detector. I fearfully followed her. I watched nervously while she got on the floor and stuck her ear right on the dreadful sounding device, seemingly thinking hard about what to do next, waiting for the alarm again. 

After a few minutes, my human realized the beep-pause-pause-pause-beep came from an old ADT box with a dying battery.

Phew, she thought.

But when she turned around, I was nowhere to be found, which is quite odd, especially when she’s in the kitchen because I never want to miss a snack, ever.

I heard her walk upstairs, saying my name, even though I was sitting on our bed, so scared my teeth chattered from my trembling. My human told me softly and gently, “You’re safe,” over and over again while she held me (physical touch soothes me).

After a few minutes, I felt good enough to lie down and rest. Then, after a few more minutes, I stretched out against my human while she tenderly stroked my side and worked. 

So, my message today is, when something scares you, soothe yourself the way you’d comfort your dog(s), with gentleness. Please always communicate your concerns with compassion for yourself and others, remembering that your feelings matter just as much as everyone else’s emotions. And, when you’re really unsure, anxious, or downright petrified, find the person (or people, if you’re lucky) who loves you, even when you’re a super grump, and let them help.

Speaking of help, my human is always looking for ways to do more for homeless pets, so she’s opened up her Dog Pro discount program to foster parents, because the world and helpless animals need more people who do the fantastic work that foster parents do. It may be small (for now), but every little bit of good can spread more good.

May your day and weekend be filled with love and light, and your heart be open enough to experience it all.

Love, Mabel Sweet Good Girl