Family ties

Having G in my life has added more joy than I could have ever imagined. It’s so interesting when I reflect back on the first month of this journey. There was so much emphasis on us establishing a bond. But I only thought of it in terms of having G feel bonded to me so that he would be willing to do the tasks that I needed him to do. I never considered how the bonding process would also apply to me. I must confess, it has impacted me rather profoundly. 

I simply love this dog. Not the way you love the feel of your favorite sweater or biting into a perfect slice of cheesy pizza. But that deep, visceral emotion where you couldn’t imagine your life without him or bear the thought of any harm coming his way. I am completely invested. He’s been my constant companion almost 24/7 for five and a half months now. At first it felt weird when he would follow me everywhere. Now it’s weird if he doesn’t. 

Back in late March, G was chasing a squirrel outside and he lost his footing and slid across the concrete. I didn’t realize until later when I saw some blood on the carpet that he had gotten hurt. I was simply beside myself when I saw that his carpal pads were scraped and bleeding. It was essentially the canine version of a very badly skinned knee, but I was pretty distraught over it. Some might even say that I was irrational and overreacted—and by “some” I mean my son and husband. After Googling what to do and only seeing worst-case examples, I went as far as calling Connie for advice. Her first question was whether or not I was the kind of mom who took my kid into the doctor’s office for every little thing. I had to laugh at this. Just because I didn’t end up being that mom didn’t mean that I didn’t constantly have to fight the urge to do exactly that whenever Aidan got hurt or felt sick. 

And it was in this moment that I knew G dog was family. I will always have his best interests at heart. I will always try to protect him and keep him healthy and safe. And I will always worry about him. Because that’s what I do with my family.