Ask Aunt Foley

Dear Aunt Foley:  Why did God create fleas?  We hate those things - Tashi, Tiara, and Trixie.

Dear Tashi, Tiara and Trixie:  Among the many lessons I have learned on the immortal side of life is that all beings, even fleas, have a reason to live.  But the reason why is only known by the wisest and oldest of our inhabitants, who live high up in the mountains.  To get your answer I packed some kibble and some water then began to climb high above the River.

It took me a few hours to get to the top of the mountain and I entered the cave where the wise man sat.  I stopped to drink some water and then I stood before him and asked why we have fleas.  He explained to me that fleas have an important role in nature.  They balance life.  If there are too many of any species then the fleas carry diseases to help reduce the number of that specie.  Without the flea one specie could eradicate all others.

Having received your answer I turned and prepared to start my journey back down the mountain when I paused, turned, and walked back into the cave.  “Hey, old wise man?” I asked.  He looked up.  “Are you telling me the only purpose fleas have is to, at best, kill people, and at worse, make their lives torturous hell?”  He nodded.  “Then what did you go create Al-Qaeda for?  Admit it, the flea is an evolutionary mistake that we are now stuck with, and, when you found it was killing things, you said ‘Hey, let’s just say that’s the purpose.’”

He studied me:  “Do you think you have all the answers little dog?” he asked.

“I think mine make more sense than yours,” I said, standing very straight.

Trixie is our February 17, 2013 Pup of the Week

We all have secrets we keep from our Mom and Dad. We don’t mean to keep these secrets but there is no way for us to tell them. These secrets have to do with our lives before we came to live with them.

Parents don’t have the same problem. They are always telling us about what happened in their lives, usually when we are alone with them and they are feeling blue. But that’s what we are there for. We look up at them with our sad brown eyes and listen with our big ears. Somehow that makes them feel better.

But we can’t do the same. Dogs do have the wonderful ability to live in the moment. We are in our forever home so it’s we convince ourselves we have always been in our forever home. But there is a little bit of memory inside of us that we can’t suppress. When something bad happens that little memory of our old life explodes and for a few days it makes us The Dog Who Lives in The Past.

This happened twice to our friend Trixie in the last two weeks.  Trixie was found wandering in a Wal-Mart parking lot and brought home by her new Mom, our Aunt Linda.  She is a wonderful Mom and Trixie could not have found a better Mom, or better siblings in Tashi and Tiara.

But on this day her Mom tripped going up the stairs and landed on the dogs including Trixie. None of us know what traumas Trixie faced in her former life but when her Mom landed on her Trixie got hurt, and then scared.  She ran under the bed and would not come out for her Mom at all.  She did, after lots of coaxing, come out for her Dad.  But she was scared of her Mom.  Aunt Linda was very upset, trying to get her baby to come to her, but poor Trixie was so scared she snapped at her Mom when she came near.  They were both broken hearted

Trixie spent her time with her Dad and ignored Aunt Linea until finally Aunt Linda called Hannah Banana’s Mom Kim.  Thanks to Aunt Kim’s good advice Aunt Linda began playing on the floor and giving treats to Tiara and Tashi while their Daddy ignored Trixie. Seeing her sibling playing with their Mom, Trixie began to trust her Mom again. One good walk alter and everything was back to normal.

But less than s week later Trixie got very scared again.  It was time for her to be spayed.  She was nervous when her Mommy dropped her off at the doctor’s office.  Then she woke up not knowing where she was, with her Mom nowhere to be found, and in pain. The Dog She Used to Be took over again.

When Trixie got home she looked for a place to hide, finding it under the couch.  She would not eat or drink, she just lay under the couch and cried.  She even refused to take her medication.  The next day her Daddy lifted the couch, her Mom threw a towel over her, and they took her back to the vet.

Trixie had been so scared and afraid to move she was covered in doggy droppings and needed a bath. She also got a shot of Tramadol and some Cittrine for her upset stomach.  She was then taken home and put in her crate so she could not hide again. The doctor suggested some Prozac for her but her Mom felt like she needed it more.

The next step was to place the crate in a playpen with pee pads spread out under it. Safe inside the pen Trixie came out for water and food. The next day she allowed her Mom to wrap her in a towel and hold her.  Every day since she has made a little progress.

It is going to take while for Trixie to lose The Dog She Used to Be and occasionally that pup will pop back up, but now her Mom knows how to handle her, and how to send the The Dog She Used to Be away so Trixie can enjoy being the Dog She Was Meant to Be.