Last September, I noticed that Felix, my 7-year-old Chihuahua mix,
started to look forlorn. It took him a few extra moments to launch
off the couch for a walk. When I brought out treats, he would comply
with sit, shake, twirl and beg, but his eyes were not big, offering
his trick repertoire like normal. Then I noticed he periodically
would lift his leg on the table by the front door. Of course, I never
caught him in this act, but I knew it was him. It had been five years
since his adoption, when he went through a period like this.╩
Granted, Felix did not always look upset. He still ran through his
agility course with a big smile, did his zoomies on walks, and played
with Luca. Though, coincidently during this period, he started to
become a little more distant with my cleaning lady. A person does not
win Felix’s trust easily. It takes a lot of patience with the “I
trust you, I don’t trust you” dance until you are in Felix’s
inner circle. When you are in his circle, you can pet him, snap on
the leash or have him snuggle up in your lap. He became such great
friends with my cleaning lady that he would allow her to pick him up.
But now, he was more standoffish with her, looking at her with that
untrusting eye.
I asked Felix over and over what was wrong. He never had a satisfying
answer. “I don’t know,” he would say. “I just feel off. It’s
not pains in my body.” Or, “I just felt like peeing by the door at
that moment.” Or, “I don’t want to go to her right now. I
don’t want her to touch me.” It was frustrating and worrisome. I
had him adjusted by a chiropractor, upped his CBD oil, and made sure
I gave him extra attention each day.
In November, my purse was stolen out of the house while I was on a
walk with the dogs. Then I noticed little things went missing or were
misplaced. Precious jewelry that had been in my family for
generations was stolen out of my key safe. Only three people knew of
that safe. Ella, my cat, said she had seen an old friend of mine go
into my closet. Long story short, it turned out that my cleaning lady
and my old friend teamed up to steal. The day I fired my cleaning
lady, my front gate mysteriously locked shut. Even the locksmith
couldn’t open it. I took it as a sign from Spirit that my home is
now secure. The next day, Felix was completely back to normal. It’s
been a month now and he has not peed once in the house. He offers his
trick repertoire without being prompted and launches himself off the
couch at the slightest hint that we are going on a walk.
The odd thing is, I felt like Felix too. After I fired the cleaning
lady and had the locks changed, I felt strangely happier. I did go
through a period of shock that people I trusted for so long betrayed
me, but I also felt a relief from all the stress that I didn’t even
know I had.╩I found that interesting.
I asked Felix if he knew she was stealing and he answered, “I
didn’t know she was stealing but I felt a pressure of discomfort in
the house. Seeing her, I felt uneasy in my stomach. When you fired
her, I felt as if the air was cleaner. I just felt happier. I learned
that the way you feel in general can have something to do with the
character of people around you. People should be more discerning
about who they care deeply about. I have done a lot of work on
learning how to be brave around people. If I feel “off” around
someone now, there is probably a reason. Trust only people and
animals who want to become wiser about themselves. Trust your
feelings and surround yourself only with people whose stories you
don’t question. Don’t hate others, or react badly to others č
just peacefully love the ones who deserve to be loved. That is what I
am going to do.”
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