The arrival ...

So my new housemate has moved in. I collected Gabi from the Dog’s Trust centre yesterday and we are in the early days of working each other out. I have found that she loves the garden and enjoys a game of chase and the chance to run around. She is also camera shy and any time I try to get a close up with my phone camera she turns to walk away. She is good, too good – as if she is wary of where she will end up next if she does anything wrong.

She has discovered that after letting her out in the morning for a toilet break I return to bed and can stay there for hours – she came upstairs with me at first and after I went down for our breakfasts around 8am and then returned she later came up to check on me then went away again.

We have a lot in common, anxiety, concern about being good and getting things right and needing to take time to decide if someone’s kindness can really be trusted. Well I like to think I have moved on from the last one but it is definitely a pattern I recognise.

It will be interesting to see how our group therapy progresses.

For now my end of term report is that things are all a bit of a haze, emotionally numb and disconnected from Easter despite needing to lead services. Oh well, it’s Friday but Sunday’s coming... sometime!  

Dog or not?

I am considering whether having a dog to chase off the Black Dog of depression would be a good idea. I live alone and the company would be good for me, I am a dog person 100% when pet options are considered – a pet needs too be big enough to give a decent cwtch (cuddle/hug). A dog would force me to surface, to walk, to feed. Pets are known to be good therapy, but is that a fair reason to inflict myself on one? Is it selfish?

Why does anyone have a pet? I suspect it is always selfish, for company, to placate the kids, sometimes even for a status symbol if it is one of those fashionable types. That doesn’t necessarily stop them being deeply loved and cared for members of the family.

There are practicalities of course, can’t be a puppy as not mentally up to the housetraining, needs to be happy to be left with others if I have to be out all day, and okay if sometimes only gets the garden instead of a full walk.  And I do have a network of people who would help when needed.

A rescue dog – two lost souls helping each other?

Or just a mad idea?