Journal Prompt-What was your last "Bad Day" and what did you learn from the experience?

My last bad day was worse than bad it was awful.  It all started with a dog that I knew I could not handle but ended up watching her anyway and, the day went drastically downhill from there.

I have had animals all my life.  As a kid, we had horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and probably others that I can't remember.  

I love animals, but every once in a while, one comes along that you know you are best to avoid and, you do so.  We had a mix of personalities in our horses, none of which I would call friendly but several I loved and rode, I understood them and knew how to handle them.  Yes, I still came away with bites and also bruises from being bucked off and a few kick marks, but I accepted the challenge with them and, it was all in a day's work.  There was one horse I knew to avoid, Trigger.  Trigger had been abused, and it took a skilled understanding rider to handle Trigger, and that was my dad.  I could pet Trigger and spend time with him, but I knew I could not ride him, so I did not.  I knew my limits and abided by them.

We have always had dogs in our family.  There are two dogs that I care for on a regular basis.  My own dog Brodie.  Brodie is getting older and leans toward being a bit grumpy, but I know how to handle him, and I understand him, so all is good.  Roxy is my daughter's dog and she stays with me a lot.  She, too, is grumpy, but I understand her also and enjoy my time with her.

We have a fairly new dog in the family, Tilley.  She is sweet, and I enjoy being around her, but I knew I could never watch her.  She struggles with separation anxiety when separated from her owners, and I knew I did not have the skills to deal with those issues.  I could be around her when her parents were there and love on her and give her treats, but I knew I could not watch her.

So, where did I find myself on this awful day?  Watching Tilley.  I knew I shouldn't have done it, but here I was.  I had three dogs and a four-month-old baby to watch.  Roxy and Brodie were resting, baby Jane was sleeping and, Tilley was whining and pacing. 

After her parents left Tilley found herself in an unfamiliar home, and she began frantically calling out for her parents.  She would pace around the downstairs crying, and then she would run up the stairs search for her parents and cry.  When I would sit with her and pet her, she would calm down, but as soon as I stopped, she began her frantic search for her parents.  After trying to calm her several times, I knew I had to turn my attention to baby Jane.  She was awake, and near crying, so I left Tilley and went to her.

Tilley has a shock collar to keep her in line.  You have options on the collar.  You can shock her or warn her.  I have never actually shocked her, but I have warned her at times.  As I was holding the baby Tilley began her cries again.  I hit the warning button I don't know how many times.  After the warning, she would stop for a second, and then she would start back up again.  I did not have the guts to actually shock her.

Being at my witts end with her I made the decision to leave the house.  I knew she has been known to damage things when she feels trapped, but she had the run of the house, so I did not see that happening.  I knew my dog Brodie was not fond of her and had growled and snapped at her, and I did not know what would happen with them if I left.  It was so stressful for me that I remember thinking I would deal with any aftermath later.

So, I grabbed a half-sleeping Jane and went outside.  We found a shaded area, and she fell asleep in my arms when she woke up, we walked around the neighborhood.  I did dread going back to the house, but eventually, we had too.  Luckily for me, Tilley's parents were home, and she was calm.  Sadly I was still a bundle of nerves.  Many negative consequences that I regret came out of this experience that I never wanted to have.  Yes, it was a very bad day.

What did I learn from my experience?  Know your limitations and stand by them.  Don't set yourself up for failure doing something you know you are not ready or able to do.  Listen to your gut.

KathieyV