I used to have an irrational fear of large dogs. Perhaps it stemmed from a scary experience as a kid on my bike involving 2 large doberman on the loose. The dog anxiety hit full throttle when I became pregnant with twins. During our nightly walk I started arming myself with a large steel flashlight torch because I was irrationally anxious about a potential dog attack. The fear has stayed with me ever since.
Then one night I had a vivid dream of a dog I’d never seen before. I was following it on a path and it stopped and turned around as if to say “come on – what’s the hold up”. The dream was so vivid it intrigued me and I researched dogs until I found out the dog in the dream was a Tibetan Spaniel. The breed is highly intelligent – a very suitable option for our family but rarely found around my home in Queensland, Australia. I eventually found a puppy just in time for my daughter’s 8th birthday. We drove 4 hours to the Bundaberg region to collect her from the breeder which was a great opportunity for my husband and I to re-charge and re-connect.
We are really happy with our choice as she has been an easy puppy to transition into our home. She comes with me to the office with me most days and enjoys school pick up. She is happiest when she’s at home with our children.
Taking her to puppy school and beginning to really understand dog behaviour has alleviated my fears. I’ve seen that most dogs are like friendly children.
3 benefits of owning a puppy
1. Increase Happiness & Decrease Anxiety
This puppy has increased our family’s happiness exponentially. Just to come home and “be here now” with the puppy is an exercise in letting go of our worries and being present in the moment. She makes us laugh and brings us huge joy, happiness and laughter with her funny personality.
2. She helps us get creative
The kids say she makes them “happy and creative”. She has her own Instagram account which gives us another fun interest. Sometimes we dress her up in funny outfits or simply take a pic of her in a picturesque Australian landscape. It’s a great way of creating family memories.
3. She enriches our work culture
My husband and I run family a real estate agency. Not only has she become the office mascot appearing in our team photo and my videos but she enriches the culture at work too. I often see members of our work family taking sneaky snapchats and Instagram pics of her when they think I’m not looking.
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