She Was A Monster

Bella, my cute little red Toy Poodle, has a few allergies and one of them is an allergy to bug bites. Not only does it create the normal bump on the skin that itches, but her fur falls out. Unfortunately it was Bella’s great misfortune to get a bite, so I took her to the veterinarian. I had learned from previous experiences that a prescription of Prednisone and/or an antibiotic does the trick of getting her healthy again thus the necessity of the doctor visit.

Although Bella doesn’t really enjoy car rides, the trip was uneventful. Then when got to the veterinarian’s office and sat down in the waiting room, it was proving to be uneventful too until the monster entered the front door.

The first thing you have to know is I am scared of dogs with big teeth and Bella only weighs 9 pounds. So Bella was sitting on my lap, resting her head in the crook of my elbow. When the monster dog walked into the office, we both perked up.

After the big black monster dog investigated the far end of the veterinarian’s office, the owner and dog came over to the chairs. Bella and I were seated facing the windows and the monster dog owner sat in a chair up against the front window.

They were too close for my comfort, but I tried not to act scared.

Until the big black dog got up and started to come over to our chair.

Bella started shaking and growling while still hidden behind the crook of my elbow. I thought, “Who does this tiny puff of fur think she is intimidating with her growl and does Bella really believe she would win a fight with this monster dog?”

I stiffened.

“That man better pull his monster dog back away from us,” I thought, but he didn’t make any move to pull the big rope that acted as the leash for this huge animal.

I pulled myself back into my chair while Bella was into a full shaking frenzy accompanied by loud, low growling and short, low barks.

Of course, I kept clicking the camera on my phone, but as you can tell, we were really shaking.

Just when I thought the big black monster dog was going to eat us and Bella was going to shake all the rest of her fur off, the man pulled the animal away. He acted like it was no big deal.

I finally could speak again.

“Your dog could use my dog as a chew toy,” I said to the man who was holding the monster close to him and patting her fur.

He grinned and asked, “How much does your dog weigh?”

Proud as a mother who just gave birth, I answered, “Nine pounds.”

“Yep. Definitely a chew toy,” he replied. “I live on 5 acres and never have to lock my doors.”

“I definitely can understand why no one gets near your house,” I replied.

Thankfully, it was then our turn to go into the back to be seen by the doctor. As we were walking to the room, I whispered in Bella’s ear, “You are such a brave and courageous dog. Nothing is going to intimidate or scare you enough to make you hide or back down.”

Bella was not going to just sit there and hide behind my arm. She was going to hold her own and it didn’t matter that there was a 160 pound disparity between her and the big black monster dog.

What is courage? According to the American Heritage Dictionary, courage is:

The state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, or vicissitudes with self-possession, confidence, and resolution; bravery.

When a huge “challenge” or trial is placed in my life path, the first thing I usually do is buckle. I want to run, hide and cry with fear. Of course, that is accompanied by terrible self-talk about how I won’t ever be able to succeed at the new opportunity or get over the pain of the situation. Although I immediately set myself in motion, I have no faith in a positive outcome. Eventually, I get it together, but that’s after I have already achieved success and no longer need any faith or courage. “Eventually” is the key word.

I need to take a lesson from Bella and emulate her immediate courage and faith in her ability to conquer anything including a big black monster dog.