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Friday, June 22, 2012

On Being a Worry Wart Doggie Mom

Hi, my name is Sarah and I Worry.

Thankfully, I'm not the only one!  

I like to blame my excessive worry wart nature on maternal instincts.  I take care of those around me and therefore, I worry about their well-being.  Or so I tell myself to keep myself from worrying about the fact that I worry too much.


So what am I worrying about these days?  Mountain Streams (you may call them Bubbling Brooks).  Seriously.

I've already blogged about how Sadie is craisins about water.  I don't think I've shared the pre-blog adventure of almost losing Sadie because of her obsession with water.



A couple years ago, we went camping with friends and near the campsite, was a mountain stream, perfect for getting our feet wet and for the dogs to enjoy a good romp.  There was a steep embankment so we let the dogs off leash to go before us rather than potentially be pulled the 10 feet or so down to the stream.

Sadie tears off, leaps into the water, and by the time we got down to the stream/river's edge, she had already been swept 50 yards or so downstream.  It was early summer and these "streams" are the beginnings of some of Oregon's biggest rivers, full of runoff from the snow melting at this time of year.  I have never seen such a look of panic on my baby's face.  She was trying so hard to swim back towards me but the current kept pushing her farther downstream.

Luckily, one of our friends raced down the bank and was able to coax her to swim directly towards shore instead of struggling to get back upstream to me.  Though shaken up and left with a sprained tail, she was otherwise fine and harbors no ill will towards water or streams. 



This weekend, we are going camping in the same area.  There will be lots of mountain streams, full of runoff, on their way to becoming large rivers.  Sadie will swim in them.  She will be fine.  The Hubster will pick a campsite that's near a smaller, less rapid, stream.  I need to stop worrying.  But I will check out every stream we come across before allowing Sadie to leap into the water!

Don't worry, Mom.  I promise to be good!



10 comments:

  1. PS. I forgot to blog about how I'm also worried that Hurley will burn himself trying to steal tin-foil wrapped food from the fire.

    I have a problem.

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  2. Whether it's dogs or kids, GOOD parents worry too much. And for parents of boys like ours, you usually find that the strange-but-not-impossible scenarios you worry about have a good chance of coming to fruition! Max knocked over a cooler with a package of bottled water on top as he was using it as a step-stool to get to the leftover steelhead-laden tin foil on top of the grill...

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  3. No wonder you are such a worrywart - that sounds super scary! Good thing your friend was so quick to action!

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  4. I'm a worrier too. But I think if we worry and plan for an emergency or crisis, we won't have either.

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  5. I'm a worrier too :) I'd be worried about the streams too! That was a scary experience!! I hope your trip is safe and uneventful!!

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  6. I wonder if there's a 10-step program for worrying? I could be a charter member!

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  7. I worry about everything too. A couple of nights ago Sampson was breathing fast and I asked Hubby if he thought he was ok.

    I can only imagine how terrifying that was for all involved, here's hoping this past weekend was event free. :-)

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  8. Oh my goodness--that is scary! Dogs just have no concept of how dangerous some things are. Makes for stressful times for their human companions! On the other hand, it is fun to have a dog with a huge lust for life and water :)

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  9. Oh my GOODNESS!!!! I would worry too! We hope you have a wonderful time though :)

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  10. Worry-wart moms unite! I am the queen of obsessing over things I shouldn't worry about when it comes to my babies. It means we are good dog mamas! =)

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