Mistakes I made with my Rescue Dog!

 

Phoenix & Zoe

I've been reading a lot of posts about "do-overs" and in the spirit of my favorite quote from Bark and Lunge by Kari Neumeyer: "You did then what you knew how to do, and when you knew better, you did better." (originally by Maya Angelou) I am going to do a series of posts about what I think I did wrong with my rescue dogs and what I wish I had done instead or how I'd handle things that happened now. I completely understand that there's no going back, we can only move forward but if someone else can learn from my mistakes and not make the same ones I did then it's totally worth it for me to talk about it. 

The blog posts will mostly feature Phoenix since I had absolutely no experience with reactive dogs before her. These posts will go up on Thursdays since it's also kind of a "Throwback Thursday" sort of thing. I will start this series next week. 

I'm having some nostalgia this week. It's the 5th anniversary of Chloe's death. So I'd like to focus on one of the main things that people really regret when they lose a pet: Not having photos of themselves taken with their pets. I have exactly one photo of myself with Chloe.

 Me and My Sweet Girl, Chloe

There are many reasons why people don't have photos done some of them include: not liking the camera, being rushed or worrying about how they look, etc. I can tell you that I am one of these people. If I don't have my makeup and hair done the way I like it then I don't want a camera anywhere near me! So I completely understand. I'm working really hard on getting over this and I try to get photos of myself and my pets whenever possible. I have thousands of photos of Zoe, Phoenix and the kitties by themselves but not very many with me in them. I think I have more pictures of The Doggie Daddy with the dogs than I have of me with them. I definitely plan on changing this soon and maybe at some point we can even do a family photo. 

 Vince aka "The Doggie Daddy" with Phoenix & Zoe

Me with Phoenix & Zoe

I will also admit that I spend a lot of time thinking and worrying about losing my dogs, even though they are still pretty young. We lost both of our family dogs when they were 11 years old and I absolutely regret not having more pictures taken with them. Our dog's lives are way too short compared to ours and I really want to make the most of the time we have. 

 Kahlua & Moe

Zoe doesn't like taking selfies!

So my advice for everyone is to take photos with your pets. When the time comes you will want these special photos. Trust me, I know. 

I know that sometimes it can be hard and we honestly are our own worst critics, but take them anyways. Even if your hair and makeup is not done, even if your hair is windblown and your skin is wind burnt and bright red, even if your dog has a funny look of torture on their face. Just take them.  Take the time and enjoy every moment with them! You won't regret it!

Me and Phoenix