Animals Assisting Their Guardians

About six months ago, I had a communication session with one of my animal clients Mae. During the session, she mentioned to me that her mom had been very serious lately so she had been doing things to try to make her mom laugh.  Unfortunately, either her mom didn't notice or she would be irritated with Mae's antics, rather than seeing the humor in it.  She asked me if I could talk to her mom about it.

Of course, I was more than happy to pass the message along.  Mae's mom was tickled to hear that her girl had been trying to lighten her up a bit and she promised that she would make an effort to pay more attention to Mae's attempts at humor.

In the last six months, I have received several emails from Mae's mom telling me about the things Mae has done to make her laugh.  These emails make me smile from the top of my head to the tips of my toes because I can tell what a positive impact it has had on Mae's mom.  Her mood has been lighter, she laughs more often and in general just feeling happier.  Even on the morning when she had made her bed and Mae stuck back into the bedroom and knocked all the pillows off the bed . . . she admitted that in the past she might have been irritated but that morning she just sat down on the bed and laughed, giving Mae a huge hug and thanking her for humorous antics.

I had a session with Mae today and when I asked her if she had any messages for her mom, she said she was very grateful that her mom was now noticing when she was doing things to make her laugh.  She said in the past, it wasn't quite as much fun to do funny things, because her mom didn't always notice but now that her mom has been noticing, it has inspired her to do it even more often.  She asked me to thank her mom for noticing.  I could tell it makes Mae feel good to know that she is helping her mom enjoy life more.

Our animals are attempting to help us all the time.  I have written about some of the more serious things they have done to assist their guardians, helping them learn and grow or helping them through illnesses by taking on some of the issues but it's nice to know they also help us sometimes by providing comic relief.

Are your pets trying to do things to make YOU laugh?   I'd love to hear if they are.

Managing in the Heat

Where I live in California, we've had a record number of heat wave days this summer and I have been challenged to keep Kino cool enough.  It's not just the fact that he's a long coat, he has an intolerance for heat and overheats very easily.  He also has a fear of water and refuses to even get his paws wet.

My last shepherd had malignant hyperthermia (which means they can't cool themselves off no matter how hard they pant), so I'm pretty used to the routine . . . ice water, ice cubes, fans on in whatever room he's in, etc.   Somehow, it hasn't seemed to be enough with Kino and regardless of what I do, he still pants and seemed miserable in the heat.

Fortunately for Kino, a friend of mine gave me a cooling scarf that is commonly used by athletes to keep themselves from overheating.  She bought one for herself because the AC wasn't working in her office building and she picked one up for me too.  I knew right away that it would be better used on Kino, but would HE be open to the idea?

Going into the kitchen, I followed the instructions (wet it, ring it out, snap it a few times).  While it was clear Kino didn't love the "snap it" step, I asked him if I could put the scarf on him and he started wagging his tail and happily let me tie it around his neck. I'm not sure if he knew it was going to cool him off or if he just thought he'd look more handsome with a scarf around his neck . . . I was just glad that he didn't mind wearing it.

I noticed a change immediately.  Within two minutes, Kino's tongue was no longer hanging out of his mouth and he was more animated, wanting to play again.  The next day he was chasing balls and he pooped out before we even got half way through the bucket, which is not like him at all.  I got the scarf and put it on him . . . and immediately he was ready to start chasing balls again.

We've gotten in the habit of putting it on after exercise, during exercise, (although, if he's chasing tennis balls, it won't stay on for long and I have to put it back on him a few times) and before bed if it's a warm night.

All I have to say is, "Should we put your scarf on?" and he will run straight to the kitchen wagging his tail all the while.  I'm so relieved we have another way to keep Kino cool and comfortable.

If you have a dog who has trouble in the heat, I highly recommend one of these scarves.   Hopefully your dogs will enjoy wearing them as much as Kino does!