She’s not a rebel

Hartley is our beautiful 85 pound rescue pup, who was “supposed” to grow to a max of 35 pounds.  She was a “lab/beagle” mix.  Isn’t that funny?!  It turns out, she’s actually a lovely mix of Great Dane, Great Pyrenees, Maremma Sheepdog, Alaskan Malamute, and White Swiss Shepherd.  So in reality, our 35 pound beagle mix could have grown to 150 pounds!

I’m thankful she settled in at 85.  

In addition to her great stature, she sheds like none other.  Though her hair doesn’t appear long, but it’s wiry and stiff.  It sticks to everything and takes what feels like a literal act of God to get it out!  As a result, she’s not allowed to be on the furniture.  In an effort to mitigate that seemingly harsh rule, we have no less than five plush and comfy dog beds positioned throughout the house.  She has warm silky blankets and lovies to snuggle with in each one.

But apparently, that’s not quite good enough. 

She’s been sleeping in Oakley’s room ever since we brought her home and conveniently, he has an empty lower bunk.  At some point during the night, after I’ve taken the time to scratch her back, rub her paws and tuck her in, she makes a break for it and sneaks into that bottom bunk.  I caught her red-handed yesterday and laughed hysterically, because she wouldn’t even make eye contact with me.  She knows better.

But here’s the deal.

She’s not a rebel.  She’s not trying to be bad.  She’s not even trying to sneak one over on me.  She’s actually the sweetest, kindest dog I’ve ever had.  She just thinks she’s a human, who likes a warm human bed.  And this bottom bunk?  It’s always available.

It’s as simple as that. 

You know that person you are convinced has malice towards you?   The one you’re certain is talking behind your back.  The one you are sure is trying to drive you absolutely mad, or turn the world against you . . .  She’s probably not a rebel either.

She’s probably not even thinking about how it’s affecting you. 

She’s thinking about herself.  Most likely, she doesn’t even realize it’s bothering you.  She’s probably doing the best she can.  She’s just a human looking for a warm place in a cold world.  It’s as simple as that.

It will help if you’ll remind yourself that she’s just a human doing the best she can. 

She’s not a rebel.

to more love,

Crystal