My dog, my teacher
It's getting close to my bedtime, and I'm sitting here, waiting to get tired and watching Thor snooze on his favorite dog bed.
I think a lot about how much happiness Thor adds to my life. Tonight, it occurred to me that he is teaching me too.
I would generally consider myself an "extreme" person. I've gone sky diving, scuba diving, bungee jumping, and swum with dolphins. I've run a marathon. More prosaically, I literally did not turn in a single paper in on time while I was in college. I like to go hard, or not go at all. I do my best work in long, miserable slogs where I don't get up to eat or go to the bathroom for twelve hour stretches.
This had led to some wonderful things, and some things less wonderful. I have struggled with my weight most of my life, generally either focusing exclusively on my fitness and ignoring everything else, or focusing on something else and ignoring the need for healthy food or any type of exercise.
I think Thor is changing all that. You can't teach a dog a new command by keeping him up all night for an emergency six hour training session. You can't keep them indoors all week and then expect them to get all their jollies out with a massive Sunday workout. Well, maybe you can with some dogs, but Thor gets very barky after even one day without enough exercise, so I have been able to give him something I haven't been able to give myself: the gift of consistency.
Every night, I brush Thor's teeth. I started out by wrapping him in a towel and arming myself with a brush. Needless to say, Thor did everything he could short of crawling out of his own skin to prevent the brush from going into his mouth.
This past month, I took a tip from another member and started brushing his teeth with the tip of my pinky finger. I let him sit on my lap and didn't worry too much about doing a great job. I immediately noticed that his breath improved tremendously, which I took to be a sign that I was clearing away more bacteria.
In the past few days, I've re-introduced the brush. I put some paste on it and let Thor treat it like a tiny, meat-flavored snow cone. I will put it in his mouth for a couple seconds and lightly brush, but mainly I want him to know that the brush is a delicious friend, not a feared enemy.
Thor has just started to let me rub his upper front teeth with my finger a bit. He's still not crazy about the lower ones, but I think we'll get there, five minutes at a time, night after night, until Thor finally doesn't mind it at all. It might take a year, but I'm fully confident one day Thor will happily open his mouth and let me scrub his pearly whites.
This is what so much of my life needs to be about. Taking a minute to pack a snack every day. Getting in some play time with Thor every few hours. Hiking with him every weekend. I think Thor might just teach me finally that health is not about heroics - it's a little step here and there, taken one at a time, every day, until one day you look up and realize you're on top of the mountain you never thought you could climb.
I think that's enough rambling for one night. Enjoy your rest, everyone, and see you tomorrow.
I think a lot about how much happiness Thor adds to my life. Tonight, it occurred to me that he is teaching me too.
I would generally consider myself an "extreme" person. I've gone sky diving, scuba diving, bungee jumping, and swum with dolphins. I've run a marathon. More prosaically, I literally did not turn in a single paper in on time while I was in college. I like to go hard, or not go at all. I do my best work in long, miserable slogs where I don't get up to eat or go to the bathroom for twelve hour stretches.
This had led to some wonderful things, and some things less wonderful. I have struggled with my weight most of my life, generally either focusing exclusively on my fitness and ignoring everything else, or focusing on something else and ignoring the need for healthy food or any type of exercise.
I think Thor is changing all that. You can't teach a dog a new command by keeping him up all night for an emergency six hour training session. You can't keep them indoors all week and then expect them to get all their jollies out with a massive Sunday workout. Well, maybe you can with some dogs, but Thor gets very barky after even one day without enough exercise, so I have been able to give him something I haven't been able to give myself: the gift of consistency.
Every night, I brush Thor's teeth. I started out by wrapping him in a towel and arming myself with a brush. Needless to say, Thor did everything he could short of crawling out of his own skin to prevent the brush from going into his mouth.
This past month, I took a tip from another member and started brushing his teeth with the tip of my pinky finger. I let him sit on my lap and didn't worry too much about doing a great job. I immediately noticed that his breath improved tremendously, which I took to be a sign that I was clearing away more bacteria.
In the past few days, I've re-introduced the brush. I put some paste on it and let Thor treat it like a tiny, meat-flavored snow cone. I will put it in his mouth for a couple seconds and lightly brush, but mainly I want him to know that the brush is a delicious friend, not a feared enemy.
Thor has just started to let me rub his upper front teeth with my finger a bit. He's still not crazy about the lower ones, but I think we'll get there, five minutes at a time, night after night, until Thor finally doesn't mind it at all. It might take a year, but I'm fully confident one day Thor will happily open his mouth and let me scrub his pearly whites.
This is what so much of my life needs to be about. Taking a minute to pack a snack every day. Getting in some play time with Thor every few hours. Hiking with him every weekend. I think Thor might just teach me finally that health is not about heroics - it's a little step here and there, taken one at a time, every day, until one day you look up and realize you're on top of the mountain you never thought you could climb.
I think that's enough rambling for one night. Enjoy your rest, everyone, and see you tomorrow.
Comments 1
Total Comments 1
Comments
Thor is a very smart lil' guy and is doing so well. Thank you for keeping everyone up-to-date on his progress. I am waiting for my Lilly to brush her teeth on her own one day. As for my not-so-little boy, Jesse, well...he is in puppy mode and in his own little world. I just posted a new album entitled, "The Teapot," and signed him up to The Teapot Club. He is a whopping 12 lbs. at 9 months....yikes!!!! But, he is a beauty. Give baby Thor a huge poochie smoochie from his friends, Lilly & Jesse | |
Posted 05-02-2009 at 09:58 PM by GoodLifeLilly |