SOPHIE'S STORY
I came to live with my family a few years ago after riding up in a noisy ‘Rescue Van’ from the south. I try to forget the traumas of my youth, but suffice it to say that when I arrived in Minnesota men were scary. Raised hands were scary. Loud noises were scary. I met my new family and right away they seemed nice, but the bad stuff still appeared really close in my rear-view mirror so I admit I was a little jumpy.
They gave me lots of petting and treats, and pretty soon I stopped barking at the men in the family if they left a room and then re-entered. My mom says it helps that I am highly food-motivated. Even now, after living with my family for several years, my mom still asks strangers coming to the door to give me a yummy treat. She tells them I’m a little insecure, but I say the confident dogs aren’t getting all the treats so why change?
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A year or so ago my mom took me to some classes and gave me even better treats and suddenly I was a Canine Good Citizen, and soon after a Certified Therapy Dog. My favorite spot during book club or bunco is sprawled out on the floor in the middle of the ladies. My mom tells me that I am not a rug and it would be more polite to move out of the way, but I choose instead to be an island of calm in the sea of ladies.
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In fact, my ability to ‘flop and chill’ is so great that when I first came to the family my mom did a whole bunch of tests to find out if I was sick. I guess I passed the tests, but she would still study me at times and ask the kids if perhaps my expression was a bit vapid. Once one of them asked if I could be ‘addled.’ I have since decided that those are just fancy words for a ‘deep thinker.’ Which I am. And deep thinking is really not reflected appropriately on any of my mom’s fancy blood tests, if you ask me.
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When the kids come to visit, they like having me come lie beside them because I am much calmer than my dog sister, Ellie. If they stop rubbing my head, I paw at them to pay attention and keep rubbing while I fall back asleep. Since my mom is a veterinarian, she insists on keeping me lean and thus never feeds me as much food as I want. But the kids understand my true needs, and sneak me goldfish crackers and Cheez-its on a regular basis.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Karen Robb Wheeler was born and raised in Minnesota, and admits she says ‘ope’ when she squeezes by people in the grocery aisle, and ‘uff da’ when she has to kneel to look at the belly of a big dog. She had a horse as a teenager, three kids under the age of three as a frenzied parent, and has
settled in as the crazy tree-hugger, bird-watching, barks-at-squirrels-to-scare-them-away lady at the end
of the block.
When she is at the clinic, she is passionate about strengthening the human-animal bond, client
communication and preventative medicine.
On her days off, she loves spending time with her friends
and family, hiking with Sophie and Ellie, gardening, bird-watching and writing.