Today is a good day! We got our consult from Dr. Overall for Rogue yesterday. Right on schedule with what she said to expect, even though you all know that I’ve been dying to hear from her sooner. LOL

I have to admit, the first thing that she wrote had me in tears. She said, “This is one of the most anxious dogs I have ever seen on video, and she is distressed so much of the time.” Honestly, I felt like a total loser for letting her continue like this for so long. I just kept trying to train through it, hoping it would get better when I should have sought medication for her. After dwelling on that thought, (which wasn’t productive at all) I got through the rest of the consult which outlined her recommendations for the medication and protocols for modifying her behavior. I really think that with the combination of these two things we have a good chance of improving her quality of life.

So, receiving the consult and having a plan to work forward with makes it a good day, but I have another reason too. Something clicked in my brain today, and I thought I’d better write it down so I don’t forget it. I was thinking about what I enjoy about working with the dogs. Of course, I love competing with the dogs in their various sports. But when I really get to thinking about it, the times I have the most fun with the dogs is when we are training. I think it’s because it’s a learning process not just for the dogs, but more often for me. I really enjoy that. I love to learn new things, and I got to thinking what an opportunity Rogue is giving me to learn. The last thing that Dr. Overall said in the consultation was that “these are the dogs who show you the type of person you can–but never expected–to become”. I’m sure that even though I’m beginning to see the trueness of that statement that it will take on even more meaning as time goes by.