Puppy Prison

Dear Patrons,
I am writing you from "Puppy Prison". It is both a pleasure and a pain. It's the way things are I suppose; a friction between emotional satisfaction and dissatisfaction. I didn't think I would be ready for a new pet so soon after loosing Alfie, but Dana the UPS driver kept showing me pictures of his dogs' litter of puppies and I agreed to look. It wasn't even a conscious decision, I just fell in love with Teddy. I visited him weekly until he was able to come home with me at eight weeks. It's been three weeks now and he's running me ragged! I'm both delighted and depleted and I have so much to learn about this process. He is a fuzzy ball of constant activity when he isn't sleeping. But one thing for sure, it's all about Teddy. This is quite a challenge to my own self-centeredness. Hey, I never had children and perhaps I'm a bit under evolved in the patience department! But I am rising to the challenge, breathing deeply and working with my frustrations.
I thought I was doing a good job with potty training because I took him outside so frequently but it seems he has now determined that he can go wherever and whenever he wants. I'm now trying to be more consistent with feeding times and bathroom intervals. Keep your fingers crossed!
My biggest frustration is his constant nipping and chewing. He seems to think that my clothes and feet are his toys. The other day at Green Spring Station I caught him with a $350 Calleen Cordero sandal, happily chomping on the toe ring. Well at least he has good taste! I was told to take inappropriate things away from him and just say "NO", but this doesn't seem to work. Then I read that puppies learn bite inhibition from their litter mates who yelp when the play gets too rough. So I am now practicing my yelps....yike, yike, yike. Whenever he bites my flesh I yelp and actually he does stop...at least momentarily. But if I yelp when he chews the fringe on my oriental carpets, will he become paranoid and think that inanimate objects can talk. I don't want to create some sort of psychological disorder! There is so much to sort out. This is more difficult than selling shoes!
So thanks for listening to my whine. I'll keep you informed. Goodbye for now from Puppie Prison. He's so cute isn't he? Kathleen Matava

Sole to Soul

Dear Patrons,
This day I find myself with heavy heart and a keen awareness of the impermanence of all things. I have lost my dearest friend of the past ten years, my feisty little dog Alfie. He was a real character a challenging combination of loving adoration and strong reactivity towards others. But I guess we all need challenges to keep us vital and Alfie provided me with many opportunities to grow. Perhaps his final gift to me is to teach me how to let go and to be more compassionate towards others. I know that my loss is just part of ordinary human suffering and others face challenges that are far more tortuous and difficult. But I am still very sad and seem to have lost touch with a trust that the sun is really still shining behind these heavy dark clouds.
In the past when things have fallen apart in my personal life I have always turned to work for solace and comfort. I would focus my reactions towards achievement and perhaps avoided the deeper nature of my situation. But this feels different somehow. I feel more in an accepting space, a place of learning how to tolerate loss and relating to others in a different way, to see them more clearly. I think Alfie may have been a catalyst for loving-kindness. Thank you Alfie for ten wonderful years of mutual devotion and for your parting gift.
Kathy Matava