Day 968

Our Gus is the “Worry Wart” of the four-legged pack! If there is a strange noise, an unanticipated movement or just about anything out of the normal routine, his anxiety becomes evident. The rest of the Goldens simply find joy in the “barking process” while Gus barks to ask for help and support from his humans. Whoever coined the phrase “Scaredy Cat,” never met our Gus!

Not that I am afraid of my own shadow, but I have a healthy respect for things that go BUMP in the night. My tendency is to expect the worst when I am startled and then I am pleasantly relieved when it was really nothing after all.

My adrenaline “pump” is like a gas pedal. Instead of gently pushing with my foot, I do tend to FLOOR IT and then assess the cause. This has its pros and cons…just ask my family!

The pros are that I act immediately if there is a reason for concern. I also quickly move loved ones out of harm’s way. Finally, predicting the worst allows me to prepare to meet my fear head on and quickly make plans tor a safe path forward.

The cons are quite evident. Overreacting to a perceived threat is sometimes not the best choice…once again, my family would be nodding in complete agreement with that statement.

So, for myself, I am learning to take a deep, cleansing breath before I react to anything with my usual panic mode. For Gus, well, there just might be a new phrase, ”Scaredy Pup!”