My Dog ate a Sock and All I got was a Vet Bill

For years I have heard of people whose dog ate weird things. Some of them ate those things over and over. I judged those people. I thought – HOW could that happen? Can you not pick up? Should you even have a dog? BAD PARENTS (shaking finger) Bad Bad parents!

And then, it happened to me!

I have no doubt people are thinking – HOW could that happen? Can you not pick up? Should you even have a dog? BAD PARENTS (shaking finger) Bad Bad parents!

I am there with you!

The first time Marshall ‘ate something’ and it turned out to be a sock, we decided Diane at DogTrain might be right and he needed to be crated except when we were ‘eyes on dog’. After the second ‘returned sock’ we started diligently blocking Marshall from the bedrooms during his ‘free time’ because he is both fast and stealth (that’s no hoodie ninja – it’s a sock ninja). After the third sock, we started to put our socks in a special place (out of doggie reach, or so we thought). After the fourth (and I am DETERMINED it’s the last) sock, Marshall will be fitted with a basket muzzle!

Since Marshall has been a part of my life, I have spent more on X-Rays than I have in the previous 25 years of being under Dalmatian ownership – COMBINED! I’ve NEVER had a dog eat weird things (OK, there was the incident where Wrigley ate a plush toy on Christmas Eve, but we saw it happen and immediately peroxided it out of him). Just in case you’re not up to date with ALL the details of my life, Marshall arrived in my life late in March 2011 (yep, barely a year ago).

Tonight as I was lying awake trying to figure out how I can pay the veterinarians bill for the sockectomy; I tried to find a life lesson in this whole experience. I needed to take something away from this experience (something more than a bill I can’t pay) and it came to me by way of an ancient proverb – “Do not judge your friend until you stand in his place”. In actuality, judging others is part of life. It is something neither you nor I can escape – no matter how many times we vow we won’t – You’ll do it. I’ll do it!

I think the key is to judge with compassion.

Here is something I have been trying recently. When I am in a situation where I want to rain down judgment on someone, I try to stop and imagine a time when I may have behaved as they did (i.e. I try to remember when I was in their shoes). Perhaps I spoke too sharply. Maybe I acted badly. Possibly I took my bad day out on an innocent by-stander. Or I carried my irritation from one encounter to a totally different situation. If I can successfully insert myself into the other person’s shoes, it is amazing how compassionate I can become! Since, I can always find a way to forgive and justify my actions.

Try it! You might be surprised at the outcome.

If you would like to donate to Marshall’s Sockectomy, I am sure Dr. Gigliotti  would appreciate getting paid. His office number is 910.362.9955 or you can send dollars via paypal….just click the button below.