Now, perhaps he’s just blessed with limited memory (I might have to run him through the games/tests on Dognition.com to find out.) But I don’t think that’s it.
I think Bob has the gift of resilience – to be able to adapt to change, to redirect his loyalties, and to love the one you’re with.
As you know, I adopted Bob from the Humane Society a couple
years ago. At a time when I was emotionally bleeding out. God knows what stress
pheremones I was spewing out at him. I gotta think he had his own stress spew
going. At 1-1/2 years old, his first family dropped him off. Into a place of
concrete and chain link and strange, stressed, noisy dogs. And never came back.
Yet, he toddled up to me in the meet-‘n-greet area with no residue of such loss, such hurt.
Yet, he toddled up to me in the meet-‘n-greet area with no residue of such loss, such hurt.
It only took him maybe 36 hours to adapt to my home. I
should say, the house. “Home” no longer applied. And when we moved to an apartment a year later
– OK, the first night he barked at every noise, but by Day Three he pooped
right on the sidewalk like any self-respecting City Dog. (I picked it up of
course – see earlier post)
Granted, he has his moments of separation anxiety –
reference yesterday’s howling. And, as soon as he hears my key in the door, he
gets a bit excited. And does a number on the wall/molding. (Eh, might hit my
security deposit. Or maybe just some spackle & paint.)
But generally, Bob is content with his
not-so-new-anymore-life, as long as he can curl up in contact with his mom from
time to time.
While I’m not emotionally hemorrhaging 24/7 any more, I
still have spells of missing my old life, flawed as it was.
Be Like Bob Lesson – Change can be good. But ya gotta leave
the baggage behind.
Good Lesson. Thanks Bob.
