Animal Therapy
I recently uploaded a blog on the benefits of petting animals when exploring happy hormones and thought it very fitting to introduce you to our new family “hormone” booster! Bobbie, our female golden retriever came into our lives and family less than two weeks ago, and already, has raised the energy and mood of us all!
For some years my children have been nagging me to get a dog, even though we have a full house with two feline companions, Boss and Tiger. I don’t know what changed or by what force I ended up giving in, but when my beautiful friend, the dog whisperer, told me of a breeder, who had nine puppies I jumped at the chance to visit.
When we went to the breeder’s house, I can’t tell you why, but I knew instantly which puppy would be ours. It helped that she was the first one climbing up the enclosure to greet us. She came to us last week and is settled in very well. There has been the odd poop and wee here and there, but my Husband is now managing his incontinence….
Bobbie has charged the air with a vibrance, a youth, a freedom, much needed after a year of darkness. She is brimming with love, always wanting to be around us, play with us, leap on us. We are giving her a routine early on, which she has fallen into with hardly any effort. At night she sleeps in the kitchen, enclosed by baby gates (these bring back memories!) and she seldom makes a noise, sleeping soundly on her cushioned bed.
The cats haven’t given her quite the welcome we have. So far, they are two feline David Attenboroughs, sitting on shelves, or tables, quietly but keenly watching Bobbie’s every move. If Bobbie happens to get too close (she is very keen to make friends) they metamorphosize into four-legged toilet brushes, the hair on their backs like hedgehogs. So far, there hasn’t been any swiping, but I must be on guard all the time. Bobbie just wants to play, but the cats are too busy perfecting the art of doing absolutely nothing.
Puppies are very hard work, the energy they have, while uplifting, can be draining. It really is like having a baby again. However, I’ve always had the mindset that if something is worth having, its usually hard to get! I know how happy the children are, and I feel a spring in my step, my heart feels more at peace. I know that part of this is the dog therapy. Animals are spiritual, and possess the most beautiful souls, dogs give love unconditionally, and this is rare in human connections.
Surrounding yourself with animals and nature is one of the best ways to raise your mood, and what better way to get your 10,000 steps in than by walking a dog in the outdoors! Although judging by the strength already of Bobbie, there might be more of a slide than steps, I can visualise her fully grown, being used as a human lawnmower, as she runs across fields at 30 miles an hour, with my body attached to her lead, horizontal, flying through the air, picking grass blades from my teeth.
