Bestest Friend and I are doing a blog project. Every day we will write a blog post on a pre-determined theme chosen by a random noun generator. The theme for the twentieth day of the month is "Message." I have decided that I'm going to write about the last photo message I sent via text.
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We have a friend who has cancer and he was having surgery, so I took a photo of her to send to him as good luck. The surgery seems to have gone well, although it seems like the poor guy has had all the possible side effects. They aren't unexpected or uncommon, but it just seems like it is all of them.
This was actually a good example of something I didn't know we needed to train on with Hannah until it came up. First, she's scared of the letter board. You'll notice there's a lot of space between her and the board and her ears indicate that's she not happy about this situation. Why is she scared of it? I have no idea. Okay, the other thing is that I could not get her to back into a corner. When I first envisioned this photo, I imagined Hannah in a corner with the letter board propped against her. Well, obviously she wasn't going to let me prop the scary letter board on her, but I thought I could at least put her in a corner so it would be easier to prop the board against the wall, but she was not having any of it. So. Two things we need to work on so that she's more comfortable with all the things in our house AND I can get the photos I want. Ha. Poor Hannah. Her work is never done.
Maybe just leave it out and about for awhile?
ReplyDeleteWe'll probably just do some positive association training with it, rather than passive training like that. Bring it out and give her a treat when she notices it. Then give her treats as she gets closer and closer to it.
DeleteAwww poor Hannah! The world is so full of new and scary things! What a trusting and obedient sweetheart she is, though, to pose next to such an obviously treacherous object for you!
ReplyDeleteThe treachery of the letter board is well known!
DeleteAll I know is that if I were sick it would have made my day to get Hannah's get well picture. Hannah is a very brave girl.
ReplyDeleteMy friend did get to go home the very next day after his surgery, so I'm pretty sure Hannah has the magic touch.
DeleteHow odd. I could tell right away that Hannah was stressed. Poor baby.
ReplyDeleteMaybe leave the letter board out, but not in a traffic area, and every once in a while put a high-value treat near it. Praise her when she retrieves the treat. Keep moving the treat closer and closer until the treat is right next to the letter board. That might do it.
Yes, we'll definitely do some positive association training with the letter board. I was so surprised that she was scared of it! I really wonder what happened to that poor dog before we adopted her!
DeleteFirst of all, best wishes to your friend for a complete recovery. My sister had cancer three years ago, and went through surgery and chemo, and the whole thing was a nightmare with all sorts of unexpected problems and side effects. But she is FINE now- your friend just has to hang in there and get through it.
ReplyDeleteHa, that's so funny Hannah is afraid of the letter board. She does look funny in that photo. But she tried! She's a good girl.
Oh, this is the last surgery in my friend's treatment after chemo, radiation, and two surgeries, so I think he's done now. Fingers crossed that in another month or two, this will all be behind him.
DeleteShe was so mad at me for making her sit next to that evil letter board! Oh, well. I'll work on making it less painful for her.
The trials and tribulations of being Hannah. I'm smiling here. Hoping your friend is doing well.
ReplyDeleteHe does seem to be doing well, thank you! Fingers crossed for his long-term recovery.
DeleteLove this - and I'm sure your friend appreciated the gesture. It means a lot to know someone cares...
ReplyDeleteHe seemed very pleased by the photo and is home doing well now.
DeleteYou are awesome for sending this to your friend. I'm hoping he feels better. I really like this picture, even though Hannah seems afraid. My day would have been made, without a doubt. ❤️
ReplyDeleteI do hope it made him smile a little bit before he went in for surgery. It's such a stressful time!
DeleteHer expression is amazing. Like "what is THAT." Both of my dogs have been afraid of large black garbage bags, like if someone has put something out on the curb for donation in a big back, they both would stop in their tracks and would require coaxing to keep walking.
ReplyDeleteAll the best to your friend. I hope these side effects move along quickly.
A couple of years ago, there were some black trash bags on the side of the road and Hannah kept jumping away from them and acting like they were the most terrifying things on the planet. I touched them with my foot and asked her to touch them with her paw. She would not do this. A guy came out of the garage and I told him that she was scared of the bags and he told me there was a deer carcass in them and she could probably smell them. YOU THINK?! Poor dog. I made her touch dead things. Sometimes there's a REASON they're scared and I do try to respect that.
DeleteThe letter board, however, is NOT one of those things.
I am glad the surgery went well and hope the side effects are SHORT living!
ReplyDeleteOh Hannah <3
I hope the side effects are a thing of the past very soon!
DeleteOh, your baby looks a bit cautious, but also so, so sweet! I hope the photo brought comfort to your friend and their side effects clear up quickly.
ReplyDeleteShe's such a cautious dog. I guess it's my job to get her to be a bit more of a goofball with no worries!
DeleteOh sweet Hannah - it's very clear she is leery of that sign! What are my humans doing to me! ;) But this was super thoughtful and I bet your friend appreciated knowing you were all thinking of him!
ReplyDeleteI hope it made him feel better, even if only for a short time. As you know, it's so hard with health stuff because it's all so uncertain.
DeleteCracks me up that she is afraid of the sign! LOL!!!! Oh Hannah!
ReplyDeleteWhy? Why is she scared? No one knows.
DeleteSending all sorts of good thoughts to your friend. It seems like some people just get the worst of it, right?
ReplyDeleteHannah. Her face. You can tell she's not so happy about this GOSH DARN BOARD that might hurt her at any minute....but she loves and trusts you, so she's pushing forth.
I'm hoping my friend pulls through and can just go on with his life now. He's such a lovely man and it's terrible that this has happened to him, but he's in good spirits and at the end of his treatment!
DeleteI hope this is, indeed, the last surgery. It would be wonderful if your friend could reach the end of this particular journey and (maybe) get back some of their life.
ReplyDeleteAnd, oh, Hannah. You never know what those signs will do - so it is best to be wary, for sure. :)
My friend just went to the Humane Society yesterday and adopted a puppy, so I think he's counting on his health to be back to 100%! I'm so happy for him!
DeleteAHHHH! That is the BEST news! I love that now that he's done with treatment one of the first things he did was adopt a dog. He sounds like a wonderful person. :)
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