What I've Learned From Having An ESA

This week’s blog is all about my dog.  But don’t worry, I’m not going to spend the entire blog gushing about how cute she is or telling funny stories.  (although if you want to see a funny picture, click here).

Today is all about the bigger picture.

Lily is actually an Emotional Support Animal (an ESA).  I’m not ashamed to admit that during the height of the pandemic, my mental health was struggling.  There were week-long periods where I never left the house.  So my doctor prescribed me a dog (which is pretty funny if you think about it).  Enter Lily.

Lily came with a lot of baggage on her own.  She gave birth at 9 months old to three puppies, she definitely has some history of abuse, and she hasn’t spent a lot of time training which means she has the self control of a rabid bear.  She just turned three last month and while she’s getting better behaved—or maybe I’m just getting more used to it—it has not been easy.

Between the lack of patience and the desire for control that I had before we got her and her chaotic puppy brain self, it has been a struggle.  I have watched countless hours of training videos trying to gain a glimpse of the secret message that will keep her from trying to attack our cat.  She FINALLY learned how to go down the stairs without taking me out last week.  The “leave it” command is our most used command.  And for the life of me, I cannot train her to chase a ball.

But Lily also brings a lot of grace and laughter to my life.  She makes me feel safe.  I can take her out alone and know that she has my back.  She is quirky.  She is playful.  She is definitely teaching me not to take life so seriously, and that sometimes it’s ok to stop and smell the roses, or in this case… other dog’s butts.

Here comes the cheesy fest… But the truth is Lily has taught me that I can do hard things and that the hard things make the good ones even more worth it.

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