Letting go of the leash.

Part 2 of 3

Well, hello! Blue and I took an unexpected and SUPER extended intermission between Parts 1 and 2 of this series. As I learned in yoga, it’s OK to begin again.

Reprising Our Vision.

In Dogs & Mindfulness we write about the beautiful connection between me and my dog that hopefully you find relatable and from the heart…

We share heartfelt (and often funny) stories about Blue and me navigating life together, with gentle invitations to practice mindfulness. We publish occasional newsletters—no pressure, just presence.

—These are stories to make you smile.

—These are stories to help you pause.

—This is a meditation practice to bring you back to the present moment, and it’s all inspired by the mindfulness of dogs.

Recap.

In part 1 of this series we shared about Blue and I agreeing to apply to a therapy dog team. This required us to participate in a weekend of training/testing. We shared stories around our Day 1 - morning arrival and our bus training. We also shared how incredible Blue was when I had to let go of his leash, not once, but twice. And we discussed using breath as an anchor for mindfulness.

Assisted Living.

Our next exercise of the morning was to practice our skills in a mock, assisted living environment. Members from the therapy dog team showed up to fill a large room in our school. They were the pretend residents who we were to greet and interact with. A few of the residents even had medical equipment like crutches, a wheel chair, and a walker.

As we walked around the room greeting the residents, we encountered unexpected scenarios…

- A few residents asked me if they could keep Blue.

- One stared at Blue very intently and tried to pull him very close.

- Some residents had food all over their clothing. Even peanut butter!

- And, there were yummy smells on the floor…and, all of these yummy distractions needed to be avoided!

It was a fantastic learning opportunity for both of us. I felt outside of my comfort zone. And, I think Blue was a little uncertain too. But we approached it as a team and grew from the experience.

Lunch.

Lunch finally came...an opportunity for a bit of rest for both of us. We sat in a large room that was transformed into a cafeteria. Long tables were set up so that we could sit with other humans and dogs. Blue and I found a table, and I asked Blue to “under”. Blue went under the table and went into a down. He shared the space with two of his sweet pals:

- River, a beautiful and loyal German Shepherd

- Koda, a handsome and soulful Aussie Doodle

And I shared the tabletop with River’s and Koda’s moms…

Our lunch was actually a training exercise:

- Could the dogs be polite sharing tight spaces with other dogs?

- Did the humans pay attention to their dogs to know what was going on with them?

- Could the dogs remain calmly under the tables without asking for food?

- Was there any food aggression?

Well, Blue and his friends did an awesome job! They were all polite and relaxed. Of course it did help that they were tired from the morning, so they were all happy to take a bit of a rest!

The Airport.

We had a rough start!

We were late.

I pulled into the short term parking garage not realizing it was full. Not only was there no place to park, but there were so many cars driving around that I couldn’t exit the garage.

When I finally did get out, I drove into the first parking garage I saw. But, I didn’t realize that it was actually the furthest garage out…and therefore quite a distance from where we were supposed to meet. Not my most brilliant move.

— I should note that we had been instructed over and over to be on time for the entire weekend. So, I was feeling fairly anxious about our less than ideal arrival time.

A bit of history.

When I was practicing orthodontics, I lived on a tight schedule and felt continually bound to the clock and my watch.

- During work hours, every minute of my day was strategically allocated and scheduled out so that we could make the schedule flow — moving from one patient to the next.

- We respected our patient’s time and were cognizant that people were missing school or work.

- So, it was like an orchestrated game that I was always playing in my head trying to determine the next best move to maintain that timeliness and efficiency.

My 180 degree switch.

To make it anywhere on time these days really takes a lot of intention on my part. When I stepped away from practicing…it was like a monster was unleashed from deep within. And, that monster rejects maintaining a schedule. I’m not even kidding.

It just feels like a rule that I just don’t care to follow anymore. And, it was my OWN rule to begin with!

So, on days I have to be somewhere at a certain time, I really have to focus up and make it happen.

Back to our story.

For our training weekend, I set my intentions and was determined to make it everywhere on time. So when I got stuck in the parking garage, it really unsettled me. Any attempt at mindfulness went out the window, and all I could think about was failing the weekend on account of me making us late.

We also had a second issue. Blue loves the airport. LOVES IT. He can hardly contain himself. Blue knows that when we get close to the airport that he is going to see one of his two favorite humans. Me or his dad — and might I add, not necessarily in that particular order. (Blue is crazy about his dad). So, as soon as we take the exit toward the airport Blue knows exactly where we are. And he morphs from a calm, collected Blue into an excited ball of a Blue Monster who is so excited to see his human that he just CANNOT even take it.

Well, Blue and I finally make our way to the rest of the group standing outside at the portico. Blue is pulling on his leash like he doesn’t even know what a leash is. And, why is it even on him to begin with??? All he cares about is finding his dad…

We need a moment.

We were divided into two groups:

- One group was to walk around outside of the TSA security check point and greet people.

- The other group was to get in line to go through the TSA security check point. And, this was an exercise that I was a little concerned if we would be successful even if we were completely calm and settled.

I was so grateful to learn that we were placed in the first group where we could just walk around and greet people. I knew that would give Blue and me time to calm down and catch our breath.

But then…the same drill sergeant from our previous bus story made a last-minute change and moved Blue and me to the TSA group. So without time to reign in our energy, Blue and I had to attempt going through airport security.

I took some deep breaths and hoped for the best.

TSA.

As we approached our turn to go through the security check point, I took Blue’s collar and leash off. I took hold of Blue’s bandanna and continued to move forward in line.

When it was my turn to walk through the scanner I asked Blue to “down” and “wait”. I had to keep my back toward him as I walked away. Only once I was through could I turn and face Blue.

- Blue knows “down” and he knows “wait”. And, I was praying that he would choose to perform both of those behaviors at that particular point in time. The truth is every now and then he can be a tic defiant and give me the “furry finger” — a term I’ve heard from our beloved professors.

So Blue was on one side of the scanning machine and I was on the other. Probably separated by around 30 feet…OK, maybe it was closer to 10 feet. Blue and I were locked in with each other through intense eye contact. The TSA agent gave me the OK to call my dog. I calmly called Blue, and he came right to me.

Though I was experiencing an inner chaotic storm of uncertainty, Blue had his listening ears on (sometimes they fall right off) and did what I asked. He turned his gaze and focus on me. And we officially made it through TSA!

Finishing our day.

We concluded the afternoon by practicing meet and greets, walking up and down stairs and practicing manners on elevator rides.

When we were dismissed from the airport…Blue and I were both exhausted! Still, we dug deep and took an emergency trip to Starbucks — Blue for a pup cup, me for some coffee…a true blessing from God.

When we got home, I swear Blue told his dad how crazy his mom was for making him do all of this hard stuff all day long..

- I imagine Blue saying something like…“that b**** is crazy!”

True story…I really do think Blue tattles on me!! And, in fairness to Blue…I do tend to take him for a lot of adventures that push us both outside of our comfort zones.

Removing the leash.

I didn’t just relinquish Blue’s leash like I did earlier that same morning…this time I had to remove it.

— I had to walk away with my back turned. And, both of us had to trust.

— Blue had to be with those big emotions of the moment, and so did I.

— Blue fixed his gaze on me. And when I turned around to face him…I felt like the luckiest girl in the airport as that sweet boy locked his eyes on mine.

Once again, Blue invited me to be present with him.

An anchor.

In our last edition we talked about using the breath as an anchor to connect us to the present moment.

In this edition, we wanted to introduce drishti as an anchor. This is a fixed point of a gaze which can anchor your attention and help you connect with the present moment.

I first learned about drishti through my yoga practice. So, for example, if I’m in tree pose, I might pick a spot at a distance and focus my gaze there.

- By fixing the eyes, it helps reduce distractions and develop concentration.

I’ve been reflecting on Blue’s drishti. Not just at the airport that day…but every day I’m with him. He fixes his gaze on me when he is hungry, uncertain, wants to play, wants to make trouble, and wants to be loved and spoiled. And sometimes I feel like he fixes his gaze on me just to tell me he loves me.

Mindfulness.

At the airport that day, Blue reminded me about drishti. When I focused my gaze back at him, I could feel my body soften and relax a bit. It helped me get out of my head and connect to that moment.

Once again, in simple moments with Blue, he teaches me about being present.

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Have you ever shared a gaze with your dog - or any animal - and felt a true connection? How did you feel in that moment?

We would love to know. You can share by posting a comment or replying to this email.

What We Are Loving:

- Blue has been loving his daily, Woof Pupsicle. It’s a dog toy that you can fill with yummy treats that have to be retrieved. I’ve been trying different recipes and pre-freezing them. Then, at mid-afternoon I will put one in his bowl. It gives him a little mental stimulation as the bewitching zoomies hour approaches.

- We now have a rule in our house. It’s called: “you take it, you wear it”. I personally love this rule. Not so sure that Blue is on board. But because he has such an affinity for taking stuff and playing “catch me if you can”…well, it seems only fair that once we catch him that he should wear it. And, naturally we should then take photos to document the infraction. We plan to start posting some of these photos on our Instagram page @dogsandmindfulness. So feel free to check it out on occasion.

In closing this edition, Blue and I wanted to share our gratitude for your interest in our newsletter. We love writing and sharing our stories.

Thank you for following along!

Until we write again,