Foley's Tale From Rainbow Bridge: Helping Ruckus Face His Greatest Fear

 

I was very confident, despite my tiny frame, as I navigated the mortal world: I stood up to much larger dogs, and I walked with abandon, chasing everything I saw, even when they were ten times my size.

When Pocket came to live with us I experienced my opposite: Pocket was afraid of everything. I learned to be patient with her. She was like a Bond martini, often shaken, not stirred.

River Song was fearless like me, except about being alone, which made her tremble until our parents returned.

Ruby can be brave and scared at the time. There are things on her walk that scare her, like the sheep statues that are arranged on a neighboring lawn. I walked with her as an angel to show her there was nothing to fear. When we came to the offending animals I told her told her they never moved. I counseled her: "Same sheep, different day."

All dogs, not even Pocket want to be cowardly, except her Courage, who made a mint on being a big wuss, but that was mostly due to the publicist. So, when I get a prayer request from a scared person, I promptly act and teach them how to be brave.

When a prayer came in because there was something in a dog's house that scared him I said I would take it myself. I was worried about what this thing scaring the dog could be. There was a 150-pound pitbull named Ruckus. I hated to think what was big enough to scare me.

I realized the source of heat as soon as I arrived.

A three-pound kitten was sitting on the couch while Ruckus stood in a corner, wanting to go upstairs and see his parents, but when he approached the kitten, it hissed and he ran backward.

I tried to convince Ruckus he had nothing to fear. The kitty just wanted to be his friend.

"Yo, don't go putting no words in my mouth," the cute kitty, "pass by my couch I'll cut a bitch."

Ruckus trembled. 'It's going to hurt me," he said.

I told him he crapped bigger things than the darn cat, but Ruckus was not convinced. I asked the kitty if she would let Ruckus pass and she refused. The standoff continued.

I asked the kitty if she wanted to go on the counter and she answered it was her dream. That was where the good food was. I told her she could ride Ruckus' back and jump on the counter if she let him by and stopped intimidating him.

And thus, the peace was made.

From then on they would be best friends.

But I confided in Ruckus to be careful.

That kitty scared me.