Last night I had the most pleasant dream, I woke up smiling and every time I think about the dream, it continues to make me happy. I'm one of those people who dream a lot but my dreams, when I remember them, are not usually what I would categorize as fun or pleasant. They are intense and weird at best and are often disturbing and unsettling. So I was pretty excited to wake up from a dream that was so enjoyable.
In the dream, I was swimming with dolphins and then one of the dolphins asked, "Can I kiss you?" and I said "Sure!" and the sweet dolphin kissed me on the cheek. The strange thing was that the dolphin was talking out loud so it wasn't just me who heard the question but the other people who were with me heard it as well. The dolphins brought us back to the dock where other people were waiting for us and when the dolphins said goodbye, again, it was out loud so everyone could hear it.
Then the dream flipped to a new scene and I was sitting on the floor of a room and a bunch of raccoons were there. At one point, one of the raccoons came up to me, stood on his hind legs and said, "Can I hug you?" and I smiled and said "Of course you can!" and he proceeded to put his arms around my neck and give me the nicest hug. Once again, he was talking out loud and all the other people in the room could hear him talking.
When I woke up, my first thought was "Wow, that was so sweet!" and then my mind wandered into that "I wonder why I dreamt about that" territory. There seemed to be a theme of them asking for permission before they touched me so I pondered that for a moment. Then a flash of insight came . . . animals like to be asked for permission before we touch them.
It is something that I sensed early on and I have tried to always be respectful in my interactions with animals but when I first began fostering Kino, he reinforced the importance of this in a big way. If you reached out to touch him, he would try to bite you so I learned very quickly that I needed to always ask before touching him. I also learned that I needed to honor his choice if he didn't want to be touched.
For instance, he has had ear infections off and on over the last 6 years and I always say, "Can I look in your ear?" To this day, sometimes the answer is still "no" which he indicates either by running away from me or grabbing a toy and shaking it violently. Sometimes if I explain why I want to look in his ear and assure him that "looking isn't going to hurt" he will allow it but not always. I know it is important to respect his wishes so I never push beyond that.
As I contemplated this over my coffee this morning, I realized that he ingrained this in me quite strongly. When he isn't feeling well, I will often say, "Do you need a hug?" and I wait to see if his tail wags. If his tail doesn't move, I said "Ok, maybe another time." If his tail DOES wag, I give him a nice warm embrace, which usually makes his tail wag even more. The important thing is that I let the choice be his.
I am still not 100% sure why I was treated to such a fun dream last night. My only thought is that the message was about mutual respect and how asking permission before touching is an important part of it, regardless of whether we are the human or the animal. What I am 100% sure of is that talking to animals out loud and receiving loving gestures from them was the coolest dream I ever had. I hope that it happens again!
Monday, February 3, 2020
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Physical Healing By Addressing Beliefs
I stumbled across a video today that took my breath away. Not only was it inspiring and amazing to see the healing that took place but it also clearly illustrates how our old unconscious beliefs can often be the driving force for what is showing up in our lives. It was really cool to see this in action, with such rapid results.
The man working with Kerwin Rae is Peter Crone. His comments about our subconscious mind and how powerful it is match my own beliefs so I got pretty excited about this.
In a nutshell . . . our beliefs have a really big impact on our lives . . . especially our subconscious beliefs . . . which can manifest themselves not only in our health but also in our careers, in our relationships, etc.
The problem is that most of us don't realize how powerful our subconscious beliefs really are (or we aren't aware of what our subconscious beliefs actually are). They steer how we speak, the word choices we make, the way we react to things and the stories we tell ourselves . . . and all of that creates the reality that we experience.
When we can take the time to pause and understand the subconscious beliefs that are "running the show" in our lives, we have the opportunity to unlock some powerful changes. I loved seeing it demonstrated in this short video and feel inspired to make sure others see it as well.
Given that I am a bit technically challenged, I cannot figure out how to share a video from Facebook here, so I am going to do my best to explain how to find it yourself.
1. Get on Facebook
2. Go to Kerwin Rae's page
3. Look for a video posted on December 13, 2019 called "Unbelievable healing caught on camera"
(the video is 8 min. and 56 seconds long). You can either scroll down his page or click on the videos link on the left side of his page
Fingers crossed that you can find the video - and that you feel inspired by the content as well!
The man working with Kerwin Rae is Peter Crone. His comments about our subconscious mind and how powerful it is match my own beliefs so I got pretty excited about this.
In a nutshell . . . our beliefs have a really big impact on our lives . . . especially our subconscious beliefs . . . which can manifest themselves not only in our health but also in our careers, in our relationships, etc.
The problem is that most of us don't realize how powerful our subconscious beliefs really are (or we aren't aware of what our subconscious beliefs actually are). They steer how we speak, the word choices we make, the way we react to things and the stories we tell ourselves . . . and all of that creates the reality that we experience.
When we can take the time to pause and understand the subconscious beliefs that are "running the show" in our lives, we have the opportunity to unlock some powerful changes. I loved seeing it demonstrated in this short video and feel inspired to make sure others see it as well.
Given that I am a bit technically challenged, I cannot figure out how to share a video from Facebook here, so I am going to do my best to explain how to find it yourself.
1. Get on Facebook
2. Go to Kerwin Rae's page
3. Look for a video posted on December 13, 2019 called "Unbelievable healing caught on camera"
(the video is 8 min. and 56 seconds long). You can either scroll down his page or click on the videos link on the left side of his page
Fingers crossed that you can find the video - and that you feel inspired by the content as well!
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Challenges in Communication
When babies are born, they don't understand the language but the more they hear the people around them speak, the more their vocabulary grows. They learn mama and dada to start with and as the weeks and months pass, they pick up more and more words. I believe that animals are the same way and that the more we speak to them, the more they understand.
Because of this, I have always spoken to my animals in full sentences, told them what was going on and have given them choices too. I continue to marvel at what they can understand. For instance, when I am planning to run an errand, I tell Kino where I am going and let him know he has a choice to go with me or stay home. When I pick up my wallet and keys, if he would prefer to stay home, he goes into his crate. If he wants to go with me, he stands next to the drawer where I keep his leash. On the rare occasion that the temperature is too high for him to go with me, all I have to do is explain that it will be too hot in the car and he will go to his crate.
I have always enjoyed the more "conversational" approach that I have with my animals and most days I feel pretty good about my ability to communicate. However, there are some days where our communication is not quite as clear and on those days, my boy has me wondering about my communication skills. LOL
It happened just last weekend. One of my best friends had been going through a stressful process of buying a house. She had finally found the perfect house but there were multiple bidders and the process had stretched out for days as counter bids came in and the home seller evaluated their options. She was anxious to get news and I was anxious for her.
On Saturday, I heard my phone ping and walked into the kitchen to see who had texted me. Much to my excitement, it was an update from Lori and after reading her text, I turned to Kino and said "Woo Hoo! Lori got the house!!" With that, he ran to the front door and stood expectantly, waiting for her to come in. I don't know if he thought I said "Lori's AT the house" or if he just heard "Lori" and "house" but it seemed the more I tried to clarify, the more insistent he was that she would walk through the door any minute.
I sent Lori a congratulations text and told her about Kino. A half hour later, Kino was still standing at the front door waiting for her, regardless of my attempts to explain the difference between a visit and a home purchase. I sent her pictures because I wasn't sure she'd believe that he was still waiting at the front door for her. Obviously, Lori is one of his favorite people and any time I tell him she is coming over, he excitedly runs circles around the family room as he waits for her arrival. But this was different because his reaction was based on a miscommunication that I couldn't seem to undo. Lori and I felt bad for him but we also couldn't stop giggling about it. I continued to sent her periodic pictures of him planted there, occasionally whining and sniffing the door.
I don't know how long it was before he finally gave up on her arrival but I was relieved when he finally stepped away from the front door. It might be time to come up with a nickname for Lori - either that or I need to educate him a little more about the home buying process.
Because of this, I have always spoken to my animals in full sentences, told them what was going on and have given them choices too. I continue to marvel at what they can understand. For instance, when I am planning to run an errand, I tell Kino where I am going and let him know he has a choice to go with me or stay home. When I pick up my wallet and keys, if he would prefer to stay home, he goes into his crate. If he wants to go with me, he stands next to the drawer where I keep his leash. On the rare occasion that the temperature is too high for him to go with me, all I have to do is explain that it will be too hot in the car and he will go to his crate.
I have always enjoyed the more "conversational" approach that I have with my animals and most days I feel pretty good about my ability to communicate. However, there are some days where our communication is not quite as clear and on those days, my boy has me wondering about my communication skills. LOL
It happened just last weekend. One of my best friends had been going through a stressful process of buying a house. She had finally found the perfect house but there were multiple bidders and the process had stretched out for days as counter bids came in and the home seller evaluated their options. She was anxious to get news and I was anxious for her.
On Saturday, I heard my phone ping and walked into the kitchen to see who had texted me. Much to my excitement, it was an update from Lori and after reading her text, I turned to Kino and said "Woo Hoo! Lori got the house!!" With that, he ran to the front door and stood expectantly, waiting for her to come in. I don't know if he thought I said "Lori's AT the house" or if he just heard "Lori" and "house" but it seemed the more I tried to clarify, the more insistent he was that she would walk through the door any minute. 
I sent Lori a congratulations text and told her about Kino. A half hour later, Kino was still standing at the front door waiting for her, regardless of my attempts to explain the difference between a visit and a home purchase. I sent her pictures because I wasn't sure she'd believe that he was still waiting at the front door for her. Obviously, Lori is one of his favorite people and any time I tell him she is coming over, he excitedly runs circles around the family room as he waits for her arrival. But this was different because his reaction was based on a miscommunication that I couldn't seem to undo. Lori and I felt bad for him but we also couldn't stop giggling about it. I continued to sent her periodic pictures of him planted there, occasionally whining and sniffing the door. I don't know how long it was before he finally gave up on her arrival but I was relieved when he finally stepped away from the front door. It might be time to come up with a nickname for Lori - either that or I need to educate him a little more about the home buying process.
Saturday, November 2, 2019
Match or Mis-match?
Back when I was a corporate trainer, I taught a lot of courses on personality and operating styles. One course in particular had participants look at their own operating styles to better understand themselves and then look at the operating style of someone they were wanting to partner with in the workplace. Based on style differences and similarities, they could come up with an approach that would allow them to work more easily together.
One of the elements of this particular tool I taught that seemed the most difficult for folks to navigate was the concept of "matching" vs. "mismatching." Some people are natural matchers. They are the person who listens to another person speak and looks for things they might have in common - ways they "match" . . . this is the person who might say "oh you grew up in Arkansas? I have relatives who live there" or "oh wow, one of my best friends also went to University of the Pacific"
Mismatchers, on the other hand, look for where they don't match. They might say, "I'd never want to live in Arkansas" or "I don't think you get a really good education from small schools like that" - they in affect are often looking for where they can "disagree" with what someone else has said. Mind you, these folks are great to have on a project team, because they can help identify possible pitfalls to solutions and implementation plans. They can however be difficult to find common ground and a sense of ease with.
I remember one draining workshop I taught where I had a mismatcher in class . . . if I said "here's a tool you can use in these types of situations" he would say, "I can think of a situation where that wouldn't work." It took a lot of energy on my part to keep shifting things back to the positive because each time he "mismatched" what I said, more of the participants began to get on board with him and feel less hopeful that the course material would help them improve particular work relationships. A mismatcher's energy can spread like wildfire, which is why it can be so problematic.
I decided to write about this because of the huge increase I have seen in mismatchers lately. It used to be they were a very small percentage of the population but that seems to have changed in recent years. Get on any social media and you will find yourself saturated in mismatchers . . . people looking for where others are wrong, where what is being said is contrary to their own beliefs, etc.
The thing is that I believe we have control over whether we match or mismatch. It is a choice we can make every time we go into an interaction with another person, whether it is in person or on line. We can choose to listen with an ear towards where we agree or we can choose to listen with an ear towards where we don't agree. It is up to us. And in those cases where we can't "match" what someone else is saying, we also have the choice to not say anything. (I'm in a group for Empaths that is supposed to be for support, to help each other navigate the world a little easier and I am shocked by how many mismatchers are in that group too. If someone says, "I am having "x" experience with how I absorb energy and I'm looking for tips for how to better manage these situations," it is shocking to me how many people reply with "I don't have that experience." My feeling is, if you don't have that experience, keep scrolling and let the folks who CAN relate offer some suggestions.
I obviously have a bias here or I wouldn't be writing about it. (smile) It is no secret that I would prefer to see people look for commonality and points of agreement and I would like to share why.
It is because it allows conversations to be constructive, which can be lead to people working together, lead to identification of a next step and to a next step after that, they can open the door to more conversations, solution generation, and problem resolution. The only outcome I see of mismatch conversations is anger, frustration and someone being shut down.
We are at a time now in our world where we are in dire need to solutions, resolutions, new ways of doing things . . . and mismatching is just not going to get us there. Would you be willing to look at yourself and observe if you are going into conversations as a "matcher" or a "mismatcher?" If you are "mismatching" do you know why? and Would you be willing to try going into conversations with the mindset of "matching?" You might be surprised at how dramatically it can shift the content and the outcome of the interactions you have with others.
One of the elements of this particular tool I taught that seemed the most difficult for folks to navigate was the concept of "matching" vs. "mismatching." Some people are natural matchers. They are the person who listens to another person speak and looks for things they might have in common - ways they "match" . . . this is the person who might say "oh you grew up in Arkansas? I have relatives who live there" or "oh wow, one of my best friends also went to University of the Pacific"
Mismatchers, on the other hand, look for where they don't match. They might say, "I'd never want to live in Arkansas" or "I don't think you get a really good education from small schools like that" - they in affect are often looking for where they can "disagree" with what someone else has said. Mind you, these folks are great to have on a project team, because they can help identify possible pitfalls to solutions and implementation plans. They can however be difficult to find common ground and a sense of ease with.
I remember one draining workshop I taught where I had a mismatcher in class . . . if I said "here's a tool you can use in these types of situations" he would say, "I can think of a situation where that wouldn't work." It took a lot of energy on my part to keep shifting things back to the positive because each time he "mismatched" what I said, more of the participants began to get on board with him and feel less hopeful that the course material would help them improve particular work relationships. A mismatcher's energy can spread like wildfire, which is why it can be so problematic.
I decided to write about this because of the huge increase I have seen in mismatchers lately. It used to be they were a very small percentage of the population but that seems to have changed in recent years. Get on any social media and you will find yourself saturated in mismatchers . . . people looking for where others are wrong, where what is being said is contrary to their own beliefs, etc.
The thing is that I believe we have control over whether we match or mismatch. It is a choice we can make every time we go into an interaction with another person, whether it is in person or on line. We can choose to listen with an ear towards where we agree or we can choose to listen with an ear towards where we don't agree. It is up to us. And in those cases where we can't "match" what someone else is saying, we also have the choice to not say anything. (I'm in a group for Empaths that is supposed to be for support, to help each other navigate the world a little easier and I am shocked by how many mismatchers are in that group too. If someone says, "I am having "x" experience with how I absorb energy and I'm looking for tips for how to better manage these situations," it is shocking to me how many people reply with "I don't have that experience." My feeling is, if you don't have that experience, keep scrolling and let the folks who CAN relate offer some suggestions.
I obviously have a bias here or I wouldn't be writing about it. (smile) It is no secret that I would prefer to see people look for commonality and points of agreement and I would like to share why.
It is because it allows conversations to be constructive, which can be lead to people working together, lead to identification of a next step and to a next step after that, they can open the door to more conversations, solution generation, and problem resolution. The only outcome I see of mismatch conversations is anger, frustration and someone being shut down.
We are at a time now in our world where we are in dire need to solutions, resolutions, new ways of doing things . . . and mismatching is just not going to get us there. Would you be willing to look at yourself and observe if you are going into conversations as a "matcher" or a "mismatcher?" If you are "mismatching" do you know why? and Would you be willing to try going into conversations with the mindset of "matching?" You might be surprised at how dramatically it can shift the content and the outcome of the interactions you have with others.
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Ten Years Later
Today is the ten year anniversary of Lucky's passing. It's hard to believe it's been ten years, as it doesn't really feel like it has been that long. Over my coffee this morning, I thought about what I might do to celebrate her today. The only thing that seemed fitting was to go to the beach - to her favorite beach - not the one I go to now - but the one we went to week after week, year after year while she was alive.
I spent some time going through pictures this morning. I couldn't help but notice all the pictures I had of her at the beach. It truly was her most favorite place in the world. Given all the fears she had of noises (motorcycles, baseballs hitting bats, etc), the beach was always the one place we could go where we didn't hear anything that frightened her.
In honor of this day, I decided to share some pictures of Lucky at her most favorite place.
Here is Lucky the very first time I took her to the beach. (and the day I learned why you DON'T want to let your dog drink sea water)
Here is Lucky coming out of the water after doing a little body surfing. Over the years, she became quite the skilled body surfer.
Here Lucky and I are walking on the beach. (I giggled to myself when I realized I still have those shorts so I decided to put them on today)
Here were trying to get the perfect picture for our Christmas card. (thanks to one of my childhood friends who was out visiting us from New Jersey that week).
Today when I first arrived at our old beach, it felt so good to be there again. Standing at the top of the staircase I was flooded with so many images of our countless afternoons there. I noticed the energy felt calmer and more peaceful than the stretch of beach I go to now. It just felt like home. When I got to the bottom of the staircase and walked towards the surf, I was given the honor of seeing some dolphins frolicking in the water. As they came up out of the water and splashed down again, they looked like they were having their own little celebration. I couldn't help but smile.
Lucky Rose
July 12, 1995 - October 15, 2009
I spent some time going through pictures this morning. I couldn't help but notice all the pictures I had of her at the beach. It truly was her most favorite place in the world. Given all the fears she had of noises (motorcycles, baseballs hitting bats, etc), the beach was always the one place we could go where we didn't hear anything that frightened her.
In honor of this day, I decided to share some pictures of Lucky at her most favorite place.
Here is Lucky the very first time I took her to the beach. (and the day I learned why you DON'T want to let your dog drink sea water)
Here is Lucky coming out of the water after doing a little body surfing. Over the years, she became quite the skilled body surfer.
Here Lucky and I are walking on the beach. (I giggled to myself when I realized I still have those shorts so I decided to put them on today)
Here were trying to get the perfect picture for our Christmas card. (thanks to one of my childhood friends who was out visiting us from New Jersey that week).
Today when I first arrived at our old beach, it felt so good to be there again. Standing at the top of the staircase I was flooded with so many images of our countless afternoons there. I noticed the energy felt calmer and more peaceful than the stretch of beach I go to now. It just felt like home. When I got to the bottom of the staircase and walked towards the surf, I was given the honor of seeing some dolphins frolicking in the water. As they came up out of the water and splashed down again, they looked like they were having their own little celebration. I couldn't help but smile.
Lucky Rose
July 12, 1995 - October 15, 2009
Thursday, September 26, 2019
The Joy of Squeakers
In all the years Kino has been with me, the one thing that has remained constant is the complete and utter joy he gets from the sound of a toy making a squeak. To be honest, it brings me joy too - to see him so happy makes my heart feel happy too. I can't help but laugh when I see him marching around the family room with a squeak toy in his mouth, as each step produces another sound from the chomp of his jaw.
Of course, after a while, most of the toys stop making noise . . . and Kino's level of joy diminishes a bit. One night I found him searching through his toy basket, biting each toy until he found one that would make the desired sound and leaving a big pile of "quiet" toys outside of the basket . . . and I got an idea . . . maybe it was time for his toys to have "squeaker replacement surgery!"
I got on line and researched the little noise makers, reading reviews and trying to determine which ones might be the most durable. When the package arrived, I determined who would get the first transplant surgeries and got to work.
I am not much of a seamstress but I gave it my best effort. Since the weather was nice, I parked myself in a lawn chair outside with all the necessary "instruments" and a few hours later, all the "surgeries" were complete.
Kino was over the moon! He spent the next several hours biting each one, back and forth, back and forth until all the toys were sopping wet from slobber. Later that night, I got him to chase the ball for a bit but shortly after we started, he stopped mid-run . . . stood there for a minute . . . then ran back over to the pile of stuffed toys. It was like his brain said to him "But wait, we have new squeakers in the stuffed toys!"
Seeing how happy the rejuvenated toys made Kino, the next week, I decided to get even more adventurous and re-stuff the toys that he had inherited from Lucky. Since she unstuffed most of her stuffed toys, there were a lot of floppy toy carcasses in the bottom of the toy basket that I just hadn't had the heart to part with in the nearly ten years she has been gone. My trip to the craft store for just the right stuffing was followed by several more hours of "surgery" - and since I was putting in such a big effort, I decided to put more than one squeaker into each of the re-stuffed toys so that if one of the squeakers gave out, at least the toy would still make noise.
Kino almost seemed overwhelmed when I presented all the toys to him after they came out of "post-op." It was as if he was thinking "How could one dog be so lucky?" and for a while, he just laid there and stared at all the "refreshed" toys. I wondered if maybe he was hesitant because they were Lucky's toys but eventually, I heard the sound I had been waiting for - a cacophony of squeaking coming from the family room.
For the time being, Kino has a whole lot of squeaking toys to bring him joy! And as always, his joy brings me joy! I would say our project was successful!!
Of course, after a while, most of the toys stop making noise . . . and Kino's level of joy diminishes a bit. One night I found him searching through his toy basket, biting each toy until he found one that would make the desired sound and leaving a big pile of "quiet" toys outside of the basket . . . and I got an idea . . . maybe it was time for his toys to have "squeaker replacement surgery!"
I got on line and researched the little noise makers, reading reviews and trying to determine which ones might be the most durable. When the package arrived, I determined who would get the first transplant surgeries and got to work.
I am not much of a seamstress but I gave it my best effort. Since the weather was nice, I parked myself in a lawn chair outside with all the necessary "instruments" and a few hours later, all the "surgeries" were complete.Kino was over the moon! He spent the next several hours biting each one, back and forth, back and forth until all the toys were sopping wet from slobber. Later that night, I got him to chase the ball for a bit but shortly after we started, he stopped mid-run . . . stood there for a minute . . . then ran back over to the pile of stuffed toys. It was like his brain said to him "But wait, we have new squeakers in the stuffed toys!"
Seeing how happy the rejuvenated toys made Kino, the next week, I decided to get even more adventurous and re-stuff the toys that he had inherited from Lucky. Since she unstuffed most of her stuffed toys, there were a lot of floppy toy carcasses in the bottom of the toy basket that I just hadn't had the heart to part with in the nearly ten years she has been gone. My trip to the craft store for just the right stuffing was followed by several more hours of "surgery" - and since I was putting in such a big effort, I decided to put more than one squeaker into each of the re-stuffed toys so that if one of the squeakers gave out, at least the toy would still make noise. Kino almost seemed overwhelmed when I presented all the toys to him after they came out of "post-op." It was as if he was thinking "How could one dog be so lucky?" and for a while, he just laid there and stared at all the "refreshed" toys. I wondered if maybe he was hesitant because they were Lucky's toys but eventually, I heard the sound I had been waiting for - a cacophony of squeaking coming from the family room.
For the time being, Kino has a whole lot of squeaking toys to bring him joy! And as always, his joy brings me joy! I would say our project was successful!!
Monday, September 2, 2019
Stuffed Toys
When Kino first came into my life, I was shocked to discover that his approach to stuffed toys went beyond any other dog I ever had. Sure, I was use to the toys being ripped apart and I was used to piles of "guts" (stuffing) everywhere as well as annihilated squeakers but unlike any other dog I know, Kino had an additional step to his process . . he was determined to swallow everything he pulled out of a stuffed toy.
This was a concern to me, not just because it was pretty gross when it come out the next day, but I worried about what would happen if all that "stuff" got stuck in his stomach and/or intestines. I talked to him about it and explained that he needed to leave the "guts" on the ground so that I could throw them away. I supervised him with the stuffed toy . . . applauded him each time he spit out the stuffing but the second I came near him to pick the stuffing up, he gobbled it up and swallowed quickly.
So I informed him that he wouldn't be allowed to play with stuffed toys anymore. (It's the approach I have had the most success with Kino . . . using consequences and rewards). Every so often, I would give him another chance . . . reminding him that he couldn't swallow what he pulled out . . . and each time, he seemed even more determined to swallow the contents as quickly as possible. The box of stuffed toys would get put away for another stretch of time. This went on for years and I wondered if he would ever learn how to play with a stuffed toy without swallowing the contents.
The message finally got through to him on his 5th birthday. One of my friends bought him a big green stuffed turtle. With trepidation I gave it to him . . . not only did he show me that he no longer wanted to swallow the contents of a toy, he didn't even want to rip the toy! He was happy to bite on it, slobber on it and "talk" to it. I took it as a sign it was safe to pull out the box of stuffed toys that had been hidden away and he was equally good with all the "old" toys. He had "matured" so much he didn't try to rip any of them open. He seemed content to just make them squeak and use them as pillows and occasionally use them to entice me away from the computer. A whole new world of fun opened up for Kino!
Over time, they do get rips and tears in them though. Since I don't want him to be tempted into his old ways by stuffing coming out of the holes, I stitch them back up. Somehow I began using simple hospital terms to explain things to Kino. When I noticed a stuffed toy with a rip in it, I'd say, "uh oh, he's going to need surgery" and I would place the toy on the top of the refrigerator. I began referring to the top of the refrigerator as "pre-op" and once I had 4-5 toys that were ready for "surgery" I'd pull out the sewing kit and fix them all up. It's to the point now where if I say, "uh oh, he's going to need surgery," Kino immediately looks at the top of the refrigerator. :-)
The first time I sat down with the pile of toys in need of repair, Kino was a little pushy. The moment I finished the first one, he came over and tried to pull it off the table. Not wanting him to be so impatient, I told him that the toys had to stay in "post-op" until they recovered from their surgery. It makes me giggle every time I say it, but Kino respects that and now leaves the toys alone, until I tell him that they've recovered from their surgery.
It took a lot of time and a lot of patience to help him learn that it's not good for him to swallow the contents of a stuffed toy but it was well worth the effort. I get to feel the peace and calm inside knowing we aren't going to be rushing into the emergency vet for a different kind of surgery for Kino. To see the tremendous joy he gets out of playing in a new way with his toys is an added bonus.
This was a concern to me, not just because it was pretty gross when it come out the next day, but I worried about what would happen if all that "stuff" got stuck in his stomach and/or intestines. I talked to him about it and explained that he needed to leave the "guts" on the ground so that I could throw them away. I supervised him with the stuffed toy . . . applauded him each time he spit out the stuffing but the second I came near him to pick the stuffing up, he gobbled it up and swallowed quickly.
So I informed him that he wouldn't be allowed to play with stuffed toys anymore. (It's the approach I have had the most success with Kino . . . using consequences and rewards). Every so often, I would give him another chance . . . reminding him that he couldn't swallow what he pulled out . . . and each time, he seemed even more determined to swallow the contents as quickly as possible. The box of stuffed toys would get put away for another stretch of time. This went on for years and I wondered if he would ever learn how to play with a stuffed toy without swallowing the contents.
The message finally got through to him on his 5th birthday. One of my friends bought him a big green stuffed turtle. With trepidation I gave it to him . . . not only did he show me that he no longer wanted to swallow the contents of a toy, he didn't even want to rip the toy! He was happy to bite on it, slobber on it and "talk" to it. I took it as a sign it was safe to pull out the box of stuffed toys that had been hidden away and he was equally good with all the "old" toys. He had "matured" so much he didn't try to rip any of them open. He seemed content to just make them squeak and use them as pillows and occasionally use them to entice me away from the computer. A whole new world of fun opened up for Kino!
Over time, they do get rips and tears in them though. Since I don't want him to be tempted into his old ways by stuffing coming out of the holes, I stitch them back up. Somehow I began using simple hospital terms to explain things to Kino. When I noticed a stuffed toy with a rip in it, I'd say, "uh oh, he's going to need surgery" and I would place the toy on the top of the refrigerator. I began referring to the top of the refrigerator as "pre-op" and once I had 4-5 toys that were ready for "surgery" I'd pull out the sewing kit and fix them all up. It's to the point now where if I say, "uh oh, he's going to need surgery," Kino immediately looks at the top of the refrigerator. :-)
The first time I sat down with the pile of toys in need of repair, Kino was a little pushy. The moment I finished the first one, he came over and tried to pull it off the table. Not wanting him to be so impatient, I told him that the toys had to stay in "post-op" until they recovered from their surgery. It makes me giggle every time I say it, but Kino respects that and now leaves the toys alone, until I tell him that they've recovered from their surgery. It took a lot of time and a lot of patience to help him learn that it's not good for him to swallow the contents of a stuffed toy but it was well worth the effort. I get to feel the peace and calm inside knowing we aren't going to be rushing into the emergency vet for a different kind of surgery for Kino. To see the tremendous joy he gets out of playing in a new way with his toys is an added bonus.
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