Month: July 2016

Jack Continued…

~ lisagangone ~ Leave a comment

Well we continue to make progress. The groundhog is still with us as he ate all of my lettuce again! I have officially given up on growing lettuce and will go to a farmers market. The rest of my garden is flourishing which makes me happy. Jack is getting better around other dogs when walking. We even walked parallel with another dog and owner and I was able to have conversation! Yay Jack!

Jack loves to be out in his fenced area. This helps me out a lot and I am so happy he has adjusted to this. It helps when there is a storm or if it is too hot to walk him. He loves to run and jump. He has so much energy. Sometimes I think he has so much he has no way to get it all out.

What happens to you when you have too much energy? For me this usually happens when I have too much going on or if I am stressing over one particular issue. Finding a healthy release can be tough. This blog has become one of my releases. Meditation is another. My vegetable garden is a big release for me. This year I am doing a ton of yard work. The physical release of working in my yard has really helped me. There have been other years where I do not even want to deal with it. How do you release your energy without it overtaking you?

The biting well this is still going on. We have a consultation with a trainer who was referred to me. So we shall see what he has to say. My neighbor who is a trainer told me this was called mouthing. It can be quite daunting at times. This is my first experience with a dog doing this. I am sure there are times when Jack is frustrated and has no other way to voice this. Other times I know he is playing but it gets to be too much. I am hoping this trainer will be able to help.

This brings me to how do you act when you are frustrated? For me it does not always come out very nicely. Most of the time I am more frustrated with myself than with others. I work on not beating myself up for my mistakes but do my best to learn from them. My attitude at times needs adjustment along the way when I am in a state of frustration. Attitude adjustments are always are process for me. Working out of a state of mind is a process for me. For Jack he seems to let go pretty easily. Why can’t we humans do the same? Oh the clutter in our brains gets in the way sometimes.

Animals really have no control over their environments. Can you imagine living this way? Having control as human beings is a large part of our comfort. When chaos ensues some of us thrive on it while others retreat. Imagine not having control?

As always I would love to hear your experiences.

Until next time…

~Lisa

Jack…

~ lisagangone ~ Leave a comment

 

Well Jack continues to get better. He now loves his fenced in area and loves to run! He is having fun I can see it in his eyes. He has even done his business in there. Yay for me! He does have some incentive though-there is a groundhog living under the garage and his area butts up against that side of the garage. Where as I do not want him to hurt the groundhog; if the groundhog moved out maybe I can actually pick my vegetables in my garden instead of him picking them for me. I am walking him a little less but am being cognizant of ensuring he gets at least two good walks a day.

It has taken Jack a little over two months to get the concept of his area. This leads me to have some awareness’s of my own. How long does it take me to adjust to new things in my life? Hmmm what about you? If it is a welcomed change hey no problem. If it is an unexpected or forced change well that is another story. I need to assess my awareness around this new change, go through some acceptance and acknowledge it, and then take an action whether it is to embrace this change or find another solution. All of this takes time just like Jack needs his time to adjust to change. As a pet he does not have the ability to change his circumstances. This shows in his behavior. I can truthfully admit my behavior is not always so great when it comes to change or even accepting something, which is out of my control. Sometimes I forget about those things I need to be doing for myself. Just as Jack has had his obedience training, I need to train myself.

How do you train yourself to be accepting of change? I would love to hear how others embrace change. I am sitting at my desk facing my vision boards and my reiki boards. I tend to gravitate to these to help me focus and work on solutions. For Jack when I am not home I made him a playlist on my ITunes. He has a mixture of music to help him relax and not worry about where I am and how long will he be stuck in his crate (I call it his bed not that it makes it any better for him.) He is not quite ready to be left free roaming about the house yet. There are just too many temptations for him to chew on. And he has chewed on quite a bit.

Jack has an issue with motion of any sort. He reacts very badly to the vacuum even when it is not running. So much so he broke the on/off switch thankfully in the on position. Needless to say I sweep a lot but that is quite the challenge too. But since he loves being outside I am having my “a hah” moments and doing some of this when he is outside. When you are struggling what are some of your “a ha” moments?

 

Until next time…

~Lisa

Just Jack…

~ lisagangone ~ 2 Comments

Well it has been two months since adopting Jack. Each day he is improving. Let me explain why. Jack is from North Carolina. He was rescued off the streets. He is a little over two years old. He still has puppy in him and a bunch of survival skills from living on the streets. I sense he has been abused as well. A retired couple adopted him and returned him because they could not handle his energy. This is how Jack came to me; he was sent back-rejected. Bottom line Jack has had a rough beginning in his life. I am determined to change this. Sometimes I question my determination because of where it takes me sometimes.

Jack is a collie/shepherd mixed breed. He is a herding dog and in his eyes he needs to herd me and this has been difficult. I am his pack. There have been times in the past two months where I have “lost” it when it comes to his biting. I was talking to an old dear friend last night that went through the same thing. She told me to hang in there because it does get better. It already has but I still want this behavior stopped yesterday. Progress not perfection. Since he was on the streets he has food issues. I cannot eat with him in the room or even in the house. Ugh… It is getting better I have been able to prepare food somewhat. Hopefully we will tackle this before winter arrives. I think he is in a constant state of what if I don’t have any food? He does not quite get the concept he is being taken care of. Hmm this could relate to me on so many different levels. What about you? Fear of the unknown it can be debilitating and when you have no control over your circumstances such as a dog that fear can fester and come out in behaviors that are not so enjoyable to the recipient.

I have this really big fenced in area for a dog pen. It takes up most of my backyard. At first he did not understand the concept of having his own space. I needed him to walk him in there daily for him to understand. Now he goes in there and hangs out. Not quite getting the concept of doing his “business” but we will get there.

On a positive note I am walking between three and four miles a day. I am in pretty good shape thanks to Jack. My nutrition is great but I had not been exercising. He gets me walking in my neighborhood. I have met a few neighbors I did not know; thank you Jack. Having a dog can boost your social life in your neighborhood. Unfortunately he has taken to jumping after ongoing cars. Another dog owner who is a trainer recommended taking treats to distract him. It has helped. Movement affects him. Movement can affect anyone who has experienced abuse of any kind.

It was recommended to me to blog about Jack. What I can tell you is the last few months have been difficult and enjoyable all at once. I am having awareness’s along the way. Everything can parallel in ways we would never think of.

So I ask you this. This blog may be about a dog but what I wrote about can be relatable if you take the time to reflect upon it. What can you reflect on, be aware of, and say yes this makes sense…

 

Until next time…

Lisa~

Our Past Propels Us to the Present, Then to the Future…

~ lisagangone ~ Leave a comment

The past propels us to the present, which then propels us into the future. Ah, the past it can be so convoluted yet just what helps us move forward to the present. Life has not always been good for me. I have had my share of struggles just as everyone else has. I choose to acknowledge my past, learn from it, and see where it takes me. I have written a little bit about my past so here it comes again. But in this light I will write about what it has given me. What has your past given you? A friend posted a blog on Facebook this morning challenging the “Everything happens for a reason” quote in a blog. Sometimes I believe that but other times I know it is me who has brought me to a particular point. Whether it was me being in fear of “what might happen if I take a chance” or struggling and losing myself in hanging on to something that will eventually go away of my own making or of things out of my control. Thank you Mom for reminding me of my past. It has me reflecting of how far I have come from this past experience.

Today I choose to acknowledge what part I played and how I thought if I just tried harder and worked harder I could fix this! I am smiling right now because there was nothing I could have done to change the outcome. The only change I could have made to change the outcome was to walk away. But I was not ready for that step. I needed the proverbial kick in the butt to move me in a new direction. What kicks in the butt have you had to move you in a new direction? It is funny in a philosophical funny kind of way of where this experience has taken me. This experience has given me the opportunity to be open in ways I had never imagined were possible. I was still fearful but had made peace with my fear and welcomed what was to come.

The people I have met in the present have been propelling me to my future. Those little miraculous steps of taking a chance brought me to these people. I have so much gratitude for this. My present is nothing like I imagined it to be. I still have struggles; who doesn’t? But today I surround myself with people who care, who have similar experiences, and can help with solutions. How is your present propelling you to your future?

The future, well it is still uncertain. This is okay because I can work towards my goals and dreams without hesitating about the future. I look forward to the future because it is always bringing me to new possibilities. I can acknowledge my fears then send them on a coffee break as my business coach tells me. What do you do to send your fears on a coffee break? How has your past, present, and future changed your life?

Until next time…

~Lisa