Drop Off

Today is Seumas' big day for his surgery. Luckily, I watched the episode of the dog whisperer earlier this week where Cesar takes in three rescue dogs from Hurricane Katrina to help rehabilitate them and in part of their physical healing process they all go in together to get spayed and neutered. So I followed Cesar's instructions for helping to make this the most positive and least stressful experience possible. We stuck to our morning routine as much as possible. Don got up and let the dogs out and then put them in bed with me where they got to snuggle for another 30 minutes or so. Then I got up and got ready for work like I normally do. when it was time I took Seumas for a big long walk to help him burn off energy, take care of his business, and get into a nice calm relaxed state before entering the vet.

When we arrived at the vet he did quite well, he was very curious about all of the other animals in the waiting area - sniffing cats in boxes and socializing with the other dogs. However, I didn't factor in the Friday morning rush. We had to wait in the little waiting area about 20 minutes or so before we were helped so Seumas had lots of time to absorb all of the weak energy from all of the other spooked animals in the office and by the end he was quite frightened himself and wondering what was going on. He became little hunch puppy with his tail between his legs and his big spooky eyes really unsure of what was happening.

And this was the hardest part. Cesar says never nurture an animal when they are in a weak state of mind because it only reinforces their fears. Instead, remain calm and assertive like nothing is wrong and allow them to learn to deal with the situation (assuming there is no true danger). It was the hardest thing in the world to not pick him up and shelter him when he tried to crawl up my leg for protection. But I maintained my "jedi cool" (as Kristy put it) and projected a confident energy that he had nothing to be afraid of. It felt so cruel but I knew that if I were to rush in to the rescue and cater to his fears that it would be more about making myself feel better than doing what was actually best for him.

So finally I filled out the paperwork and accompanied him during a quick check up and then they said to come back between 4 and 6 to pick him up. I plan to be there by 4:01. I am only trying to hold off until about 1:00 or 2:00 before I call the vet to check up on him. Now that he is out of sensory range I can express all the anxiety I want until I go back to pick him up again and see that he is all right.

Out of all of us, Cordy is taking it the hardest. When I stopped off at home to change for work she was running all over the house looking for Seumas and panicking. I could still hear her inside the house whimpering frantically when I was pulling out of the driveway. Poor Girl.