Thankfully, it isn’t because Robert is in the hospital or because caregiving duties have become overwhelming. (Unfortunately, my mother-in-law is in the hospital but that has been a recent development).
The reason for my absence?
This little guy:
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| Meet Taz - not usually this still! |
In fact, we had recently claimed a cat that was living on our porch which was enough for me. We fed him, named him Rambo, got him his shots, neutered him and brought him in to a warm house with other cats.
He hates it.
Rambo lived on the streets for 18 months and now he’s
trapped in a house. I recently walked in
on him trying to climb out a second story window – he was between the glass and
the screen and two steps away from flying out the window. I rescued him but realize how unhappy he is
now.
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| Meet Rambo - Not loving the indoors |
It’s the puppy. Taz
came to us by way of my daughter. She
works for RedRover which
is an animal rescue organization that helps out animals that are displaced
during a natural disaster and provides financial assistance for those who need
help with urgent veterinary care. It’s a
wonderful organization but it is not a shelter.
Just over a week ago a man came to their office with a puppy he had
found roaming a WalMart parking lot. He
couldn’t keep him, the shelters were closed that day and the good-hearted
people of RedRover couldn’t turn the animal away.
I mean, who could resist this face?
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Taz came to live with us and it has been quite the
adjustment. He is a bundle of energy and
has lived up to his name. Our
middle-aged lab, Oz, wasn’t quite sure what to make of him; after all, he was
used to smaller dogs but they were all old and not nearly as energetic as this
little guy.
It’s taken a week of adjustments (and realization the little
guy wasn’t going anywhere) but Oz is starting to come around (for the most
part). It’s not perfect (yet) but I’m
not such a nervous wreck when they’re together (well, maybe just a little bit).
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I’m adjusting but it is taking time. The whole family schedule is completely thrown off and I don’t have near enough computer or relaxation time. I’ve been so used to old dogs and cats just lazing around while I write or watch television.
It’s only been a week so there are more adjustments to be
made. I’m hoping to be able to write
another blog post in six months or so. J
Robert has only had one day with Taz and it mostly involved
Taz trying to steal Robert’s turkey sandwich.
Robert was not a fan.
Again, more adjustments are needed. Along with time.
My problem is I am impatient with adjustments but I know
they do happen and things work out – in time.
Fitting in taking care of Robert took some adjustment but now we have it
down to a routine which only gets thrown off by hospitalizations (we’ve even
adjusted pretty well to how seizures throw off the schedule).
A friend of mine wrote a blog post on Caregiving.com and
shared information about adjustments
written by Lara M. Stepleman, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist and Professor of
Psychiatry and Health Behavior at Georgia Health Sciences University. Dr. Stepleman was writing about adjusting to a chronic
illness but her wisdom applies to any adjustment. One observation by Dr. Stepleman really hit
home with me, “Adjustment doesn’t just happen once, it happens over and over.
Few, if any of us, are ever finished adjusting.”
Oz isn’t the only one who needs to adjust to the puppy and
his boundless energy. Robert needs to
adjust, I need to adjust, my husband and daughter all need to adjust.
Not to mention our cats and poor Rambo!
I have faith we’ll adjust and end up with another very happy
member of the family (who, hopefully, will eventually realize how wonderful it
is to curl up on a blanket and relax). I
have faith Robert will come to love Taz and look forward to having another
animal to pet when he visits.
I’m not quite convinced Rambo will adjust to the benefits of
being an indoor cat but we’ll give that some time too or we will find another
way to keep him happy.
In the meantime, I’ll make sure the windows stay closed.
1 comment:
Trish, you have a heart of gold!
you are definitely Forever a Caregiver to Person, Plant and Animal.
Ok, if I remember rightly you're like me, maybe not so much the plant but you try ;-)
Taz and Rambo sound like bundles of fun.
Actually Rambo sounds like a typical cat.
The adjustments you have all made with your other animals over the years are just that, adjustments over the years. It's funny how something new makes me realize I'm getting more, seasoned(?) in my days.
Change is hard for everyone. Even the fur family members.
I'm sure there is enough love in that household to make those adjustments smoothly. But you might need to keep more turkey meat and bread available ;-)
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