Helping Doc to Face her Fears
Two days after Doc brought me home at the ripe old age of 8 ½ weeks, she helped me to confront my fear of going down the steps into the back yard. There were only three, but to this little puppy, it looked like a giant cliff I needed to maneuver. I can still remember what she said to me, “ Walter, if you want to overcome your fears, you have to confront them.” After much cajoling and a few treats to bribe me, I went down the steps. Through Doc’s encourgement and patience, I was able to overcome. Today it was my turn to help Doc overcome her fear.
Everyday after we get home from work, Doc and I head out to take a walk. Yesterday there was a pause in our plan. When we came down our street, there were two big Canadian Geese standing in the front yard. It is nesting season, but usually they are in the back down by the pond. After we pulled into the garage, Doc cautiously went to the mailbox while I stayed in the car watching to see what might happen. The geese looked at her and didn’t move a muscle, they were standing their ground. She even went to fetch one of the trash cans to bring from the curb and even that noise didn’t bother them. Those geese were gangster.
Doc got me out of the car and quickly took me in the back door, telling me not to even look at those birds. I asked Doc why she was so cautious and she said she has been chased by geese and when agitated they will attack you. With a wing span of up to six feet they are nothing to mess with, she said.
After we got inside and Doc got us both a snack and she changed her clothes so we could go walk, she looked outside and those geese were still there. I frankly didn’t know what all the fuss was about, but I respected that Doc was nervous about those birds. She realized we didn’t want to stay captive in the house so she had me go to the front window. She then opened it and told me to bark, hoping they would fly away, but I still have puppy brain and didn’t understand the mission, so I just wagged my tail in silence. By now, about 20 minutes had passed. A big trash truck came down the street, cars came and went and still the geese remained. At one point they became so comfortable they laid down and took a nap. Doc was so worried about taking me outside and walking past them that I heard her tell a friend on the phone that we were being held hostage by a pair of geese.
Finally, about a half hour later, Doc didn’t see them anymore and went out front to make sure the coast was clear and hallelijah, we were free! We headed down the street and were enjoying the beautiful spring weather and as we came around the corner, guess what we saw? The geese were in the middle of the street. I now knew it was my mission to help Doc over come her fears. As the geese started approaching us, I looked over, stared them right in their beedy little eyes and gave them a low growl. Those geeses got the message and started honking and moving in the opposite direction. Doc was so impressed and thankful, I heard her let out a big sigh, and then she patted me on the head. “Good job Walter.” I was so proud of myself, because it was the first time I helped Doc and showed her how she needed to confront her fear and to also trust me. Human’s can learn a lot from their dogs if they pay attention, even if they are only eight months old.