How Working from Home Brought My Dog Back to Life

Did you ever wonder what life would be like in the future…only to find out you can’t even handle the present? We all have situations in our lives that come and go, challenging us to our wit’s end just to see how far we can make it. After going from 110% to 0% in just a few days’ time, my “in the gray zone” dog challenged me to give him back the life he once knew. Working from home is what helped me to do just that for him, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

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Sometimes You Forget Your Kid Self Was Awesome

Funny fact about yours truly: my childhood friend and I created a “training program” as kids that we put brochures together for. It was basically our own little business, minus the customers. I came across these brochures recently, after forgetting all about them for the last two decades.

Our “business” was called, “PYAC – Presenting Challenges Against Yourself.” (I may or may not have given my 30-something self a pat on the back after reading this). Long story short, it goes to show you learn early in life that challenges are held every day, in so many ways, and you have to keep pushing through them to continue growing your awesome self.

My most recent challenge has been that of my special needs dog. He’s been a trooper through countless medications, hospital visits, seizures, tremors, shots, and bloodwork, and the list goes on. It pains me to see him go through these things, but as my mother-in-law recently put it, “He’s lucky he landed with you.”

While I think that may be a stretch due to there being a plethora of loving pet owners in the world, I like to think more along the lines of, “I’m lucky I landed with him.” He’s taught me an unimaginable amount of faith, grace, patience, humility, brought laughter, luck, good vibes, and a wagging tail that never stops.

He’s showed me that I have what it takes when the shit hits the fan to keep going. To keep pushing. To accept these challenges life throws our way. And best of all? He’s made me all the more grateful for stumbling my way into finding not only a job that works for me but a job that lets me work with him.

Without starting my business, without quitting the countless jobs I loathed in the past, without the shitty bosses, the bad friends, the worse decisions…I would have never gotten to know him and his beautiful way of living.

 

 

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It Wasn’t Meant to Be.

We moved into our home a little over 7 years ago. I’m not sure why we decided that day to adopt a new puppy, but it felt like the right time nonetheless. After searching shelter upon shelter for what we thought would be the perfect adoption, every stop kept coming up short.

Finally, at the last minute, I found an ad online for some puppies nearby. We decided to give it a go and check them out on the way back to our new home. It was “leaf” at first sight.

When I called on the way, they noted there were a few females left, (we wanted another female since that’s what we already had waiting at home). But when we arrived, 3 tiny blonde puppies (all males!) came bouncing out in their owners’ arms.

When he set them down and I asked which was the female, he stated the only ones left were males. We thought about what it would be like with one of each and decided to give it a shot. Dozer started walking toward us, then started eating leaves immediately upon approaching them. (Told you! Love at first “leaf”).

As the others ran away to play with one another, we couldn’t get enough of him and knew he was meant to be ours. He was tiny, so tiny that his whole body was as big as his head alone is now! He curled up behind my back on the way home as we thought up a perfect name.

When we brought him back to meet our parents that were waiting for us after the move, he gushed at the attention. Dixie, our first and diva-donned little lab mix, was confused why she wasn’t going to be an only child anymore but adored him nonetheless. They’re best buds til this day, over-protective and super attached to one another. It’s beautiful.

Working from Home with The Best Company

The best company often goes unnoticed, whether they’re pacing for playtime, bouncing and barking at the postman, or just chilling with you on the couch as you write this post to your peers.

The patience I’ve gained from pets is something I can’t understand just yet. Being a pet owner was something I always was, and something I’ll always be. They bring an incredible amount of joy into my life and words can’t express the amount of love I have for them.

When Dozer got diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis a few weeks back, my heart broke. He’s been through so much already I thought, and we’ve finally got the meds stabilized for his epilepsy. He declined quickly and the vet recommended we take him right then and there to the ER. He was there for nearly a week, each day making me more and more sad that he couldn’t come home.

After his release, the doctor stated that we’d have some challenges to face on the home front. We’d need to be very present with him to make sure he didn’t fall and hurt himself, (he collapses regularly because of this disease). Investments were made with a durable baby gate for the stairs, a canvas cart to wheel him around outside, and every dog food you can think of to coerce him into wanting to eat more than just a few bites.

Medications were something we were already familiar with, but it went from 2x/day to 7x/day, and now back down to 4x/day. Challenge is most certainly a good word.

 

Have Gratitude For Goodness Sake

Throughout all this time, I’ve been thinking of how grateful I am to have found something so suited towards not only my likes but also my loves, (my pets). It’s been such a gift being around them more often to watch their growth and to assist them during the day, my life wouldn’t be the same without them.

If you’re considering working from home and are still on the fence, jump it. Take the leap and make strides into the life you know is waiting for you at home. Be the pet parent, the sister, the person you have been wanting to be, but “just didn’t have time for.” Be the inspiration to others that it really can be done, and stop participating in the rat race. If you want to pursue the ultimate freedom in life, my advice is to really go for it.

Do the things you’re told can’t be done, climb the stairway to your own success, and show everyone at the bottom that you beat them to the punch. If you don’t do it for yourself, do it for the dogs, the cats, the kids, the wives, husbands, and friends left waiting for you at home. Start working from home and stop second-guessing yourself. Take this as your own challenge presented against yourself and start seeing yourself in a new form. You got this.