The Ever-Best Day
A long-overdue “hello” from Ava here! That’s me. I am Ava. Ava the Pocket Pittie. Ava Jean the Beauty Queen. Ava the Scaredy-Pup. Wait, what? Scaredy-Pup? That’s not my another name! Well, lately, it kinda has been, I guess.
A couple weeks ago, I started acting real scared when mama tried to drop me off at school. I love my school. I always have. They do belly rubs, tell me I am pretty, and give me treatos. Oh, and I get to play with my furiends! What’s not to love?
Mama was at a loss. She didn’t want me to miss out on play time and she knew no one at school would make me scared on purpose. I am well-loved at school, by doggos and hoomans both! So, what to do? Well, mama had to think outside da box-thingy. See, mama says I am “special” and my hooman friend at school says I am “extra”. I am sure that means I am an extra-special doggo, right? Of course, it does! Anywho, mama talked to a lady who could speak doggo! Wow! Like, here I am chillin’ at school, and some lady says “hey, Ava, what happened to make you a scaredy-pup?” The lady’s name is Jann and I told her that I got scared one day when a couple other doggos said mean words to each other. The hooman jumped in to tell them they were not being nice doggos and I felt like I was yelled at too. It hurted my fuzzy feelings. I know the hooman was just being in charge, ‘cause hoomans help doggos to stay furiendly when playing but I felt like I was a Bad Doggo. And that’s how I came to be a scaredy-pup.
Well, mama was a little ‘fraid then too. Most hoomans can’t speak doggo. And most hoomans would think that other hoomans who say they can speak doggo are more extra-special than me! But, mama wanted to do what was best for me, so she told Megan-Owner what I had told Jann. To mama’s surprise, Megan-Owner wanted to hear all the details! Megan-Owner set out a plan to make me more comfortable and boost my confidence! When I went back to school, all the hoomans there reminded me how much they love my extra-special self! I got to spend extra time with my favorite furiends in da yard. I got to play BALL! I love to play ball! It was like da best day ever of da ever-best days! Megan-Owner said the hoomans will keep telling me how much they love me and maybe I get to play ball and stuff more often. If that happens, I will forget all about being a scaredy-pup!
Mama’s note: I am forever grateful to the staff at Dog Culture for always taking care of my extra-special girl. The next time I took Ava to school after her “ever-best day”, I am happy to say she walked in on her own with little tail wags. She was clearly still unsure, but I began to see the pep in her paws again. Unfortunately, she did regress the time after that, but I know without a doubt that Megan and her mighty band of mutt-lovers will continue to work with her to restore her confidence and her love of school. Whether or not you believe in animal communicators, (and yes, I do) what Ava “told” Jann is more than possible because Ava tends to feel things on a deeper level than other dogs; she is very sensitive. Because she is so perceptive, I do realize that she could be picking up on my personal anxiety, which has been extremely high for a few months now, and that is what is causing her timid behavior. Either way, the plan Megan has put in place will go a long way in boosting her confidence. Megan is making sure Ava gets one-on-one attention from various attendants and giving her time in the yard with her favorite dogs (almost typed doggos – I have been transcribing for Ava for too long!) until my girl can get back to her old self. This is something they didn’t have to do. They could have told me they didn’t have time to deal with Ava’s issues. I would have understood, even if I would have been broken-hearted for my baby. But they didn’t. They said, “how can we help” and then went out of their way to actually do it.
Loving Ava has come with its share of hurdles, frustration, and destruction but I wouldn’t have it ANY OTHER WAY. Trust me – I am not known for my patience, but I AM known for understanding mental illness, and Ava’s anxiety is an illness. Her output of love far outweighs her faults and I am one lucky dog mama!
