It was one of those weeks that seemed to fly by. The never ending list of “to-do’s” made me forget what day it was half the time. I got caught up in work assignments and the usual tasks that we encounter being on the road, like finding a grocery store, doing laundry, and washing dishes outside in the dirt. Yep, we had no hookups at our campground again.
But in all of the week’s commotion, I was such a crazy dog person that even I had to step back and notice the crazy in all of its glory. Some weeks, I try not to be so crazy, I recognize the crazy and I try to temper the crazy. Some weeks, I don’t care. This was one of those weeks.
Life is hard for all of us in different ways. We all have different pressures and stresses. But for those of us that have dogs, we have to recognize that our dogs have no idea why we are so stressed. They don’t know when we leave to go to work where we are going, they only know that we are gone. Our dogs don’t know when we go to buy groceries that we just have to do this! But I make sure to tell them every time I leave where I am going and when I will be back. Was that my craziest confession for the week? Not even close. Everyone does this though. Right?
Nope. Here it goes. Despite having one of the busiest weeks I have had in awhile, I found myself “missing” my dogs…even though they were right by me. I found myself smelling their fur, looking in their eyes, trying to remember every single detail about them. I found myself admiring their paws, their noses, their eyelashes. They were beautiful. How was it possible to miss someone when they were right by me? I was losing it. It was like the more hectic my week got, the more I realized that everything filling my time was taking away time from what and who mattered most to me.
Some may say that I need to go get some help. And if I followed this advice, my help would be to go to a shelter or rescue and get more dogs. Seriously though. There is no help for me. I used to feel guilty about loving my dogs so much. I used to look at other dog owners and see their ability to detach from their dogs when they had other things to do. I used to look at other dog owners who didn’t hurry home because of overwhelming guilt when they had been gone an hour. And I wondered why I couldn’t be more like that. And I used to think that they were the ones who had it together, that they were balanced and I was crazy. I still think that. But in a good way.
Life is not about “to-do” lists, working, and rushing through life. I believe that sometimes we use our lists to not feel emotions as strong as we should. If everyone took a few minutes to “miss their dog” even if their dog was sitting right by them, how much better would your day be?
Love, for me as a dog person is so strong that I can’t imagine life before them, or after them. I think that is why this week I decided to give into the crazy. They may not understand when I tell them I miss them, even though we have been together all day. But I know they will understand how much I love them. And that is my crazy confession for the week. Being crazy in love with my dogs is not such a bad thing. And I confess…if you think it is a bad thing…I don’t care.
-Rachael Johnson, Girl Person, 2 Traveling Dogs
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Oh! I’m right there with ya GP! My babies are my world and if that makes me crazy, so be it 😁
Dearest Miss Rachael, you are not crazy. I tell my baby every day where I’m going, and as far as the going to work part, I swear, he gets it. He’s different those mornings when I’m running around and I always say, “Baby, I gotta go to work” and then he knows. And when I come home, he’s chilling and waiting. And on Friday nights, when I get home, I tell him “Doods!! It’s the weekend!! And tomorrow is cheese and chip Saturday!!” And he knows, I swear!! Every Saturday morning, he and I lay in bed and eat cheese and chips, and then nap, and wake up and maybe eat or nap some more!! To the point, where, when it’s the weekend, he’s just glued to my side, like he knows, it’s relax time. And, this morning, I swear, he looked especially adorable and I kept whispering to him how beautiful his eyelashes were and where did he get those? And he stares into my eyes and it’s my favorite times of the week!!! You’re not crazy, you’re beautiful!!! And the babies know it!!! I believe they also feel less of our “stress” when we speak in soothing tones to them and I also sing made-up songs to Doods on the weekends, so he knows it’s fun time too!!! Love you, loved the blog, as always. xoxoxo <3
Thank you! You have made my day 🙂 I love my rescue dog so much. we at first did not get along. he was a stray and a fear/ nervous biter. But we pushed through it. I now cannot wait to get home to him. He is there through my health issues and a very painful emotional time in my life. we both have our bad memories but he is my world. our favorite part of the day is when he lays on my chest and we just think and usually i feel the stare and we look at each other and just sigh and enjoy the peace and quiet. other people just shake their head but to me he was a God special gift to me. His name is Jax which means God has been gracious. I named him correctly.
Well, GP….if it’s ANY consolation, you are not cray-cray…..NOT in ‘our’ dog parent/grandparent loving universe, at least. I FIRMLY believe, if EVERYONE on our little blue planet love dogs ( or any animal) as much as we all on TTD ‘adventures’ ,there would be PEACE ON EARTH!!! Dogs unite people. We all have CRAZY in us, embrace & own it…hey, my ‘crazy’, besides my beloved dogs….I have goldfish that like to be ‘rubbed’ on the tops of their heads….I do that. They are Goldie & Hoover…’.Hoover’…because he sucks the food flakes like a vacuum.
Fur kids…darn autocorrect….
In you, I find a kindred soul. My Harley Dogidson is up there in years, so I know I am on borrowed time. This coming February she will have been a part of my life for fifteen years. I wouldn’t trade one second. I get the guilt. After losing my mom and youngest brother three months apart, she was what kept me going. Harley was (and continues to be) my rock.
She’s deaf now, and arthritic, but that beautiful, goofy girl is still making me laugh. And yes, still making me feel guilty. Would I change anything? Only that our time together be longer.
Merry Christmas, and love those due kids like there is no tomorrow!
I do the same and when life gets so busy I feel I don’t have time to do the things my dog’s enjoy, then well priorities shift and I make the time. I’ve been known to cancel appointments because I haven’t spent enough time on the floor snuggling and playing with my dogs and the guilt is too much. LOL. And if others don’t get that, well then that’s their problem. 😉
I’m a crazy dog person too, and I don’t care! Like you, my girls and I have traveled to all 48 of the continental U.S. States, and I generally take them with me any time I leave the house if I can. Every minute I spend on this Earth is better spent if it is with them! And when I’m not with them, mostly it’s because I’m volunteering at my local animal shelter…or at work.
I totally get this, GP! I have a SITTER stay with our two when I’m working just because I don’t want them to feel I abandoned them! (They were dropped off at the county pound, then picked up by a rescue who realized they were a bonded pair and kept them together. And they’re an older bunch as well.) So I’m in tune to the abandonment issues here. But they are safe here at home and they surely know they are lives. And if anyone ever mentions I’m that silly dog owner, I proudly admit that I sure am!!