Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Sunday, June 16, 2013
papa's day
Oliver's such a great father - he's no dead-beat dad. He remains very committed to the wellbeing of his sons and daughter. He always welcomes them to eat before he eats and is eager to play or cuddle with them whenever they want.
This day is for you Oliver, a day to rest and enjoy!
Happy Papa's Day to Oliver and to my Dad, a man who is also a very loving and committed father!
Ok! Enough already - no more flashy thing!
Happy Papa's Day to Oliver and to my Dad, a man who is also a very loving and committed father!
Saturday, June 15, 2013
two years of the Budster!
Yep, it's Buddy's Gotcha Day!!
Two years of Buddy, where does the time go? He still loves his cuddles and tummy rubs. He's a very directive cat, always telling me what I need to be doing. Whether it's demanding second or third dinners or insisting that his tummy must be rubbed right then - no it cannot wait!
Happy Gotcha Day Buddy!! Love ya!
Two years of Buddy, where does the time go? He still loves his cuddles and tummy rubs. He's a very directive cat, always telling me what I need to be doing. Whether it's demanding second or third dinners or insisting that his tummy must be rubbed right then - no it cannot wait!
Happy Gotcha Day Buddy!! Love ya!
Monday, June 10, 2013
The Boys
My friend Jana is an amazing artist. She recently gifted me with this pencil drawing of three of my kitties. Can you tell who's who?
Saturday, June 8, 2013
playin' feather with the boys
How is one suppose to mow the grass when Oliver and Pierre are hanging around?
Grass mowing will have to wait for another day, as there're outside cats that need to play!
I am very enamored by Pierre, he's so curious about everything and loves to play and play!
Sorry for the sub-standard picture quality, these were all taken with my mobile phone camera. I didn't want to spoil the moment by going inside to get the real camera.
Oliver likes to stalk the elusive feather
Play - it does the heart good.
Monday, June 3, 2013
score!
Look what Hershey did!
Mike tells me he was making a sandwich and turned his back for only a second.
Way to go Hershey!! You're doing it right!
Mike tells me he was making a sandwich and turned his back for only a second.
Way to go Hershey!! You're doing it right!
Saturday, June 1, 2013
human-animal bonds
I rarely talk about my work here as it often doesn't pertain to the purpose of the blog. For those that don't know, I work as a mental health counselor, in private practice. The work can be both very challenging and richly rewarding.
Many of the people I work with have experienced abuse or neglect at the hands of human caregivers. The very adults charged with nurturing the child are the ones teaching the child that humans are not safe to look after their vulnerable hearts and souls. The child is left to devise ways of distancing themselves from the emotional pain of not being validated, valued or unconditionally loved as a means to survive. It is from this place that coping strategies are established and later in life these strategies become mental health diagnoses.
Humans have repeatedly failed them, but their pets never failed to provide unconditional love, like an overflowing spring of validation and nurture in the midst of an unrelenting desert. So many pet dogs and cats function as impromptu therapy animals in the homes of children who are experiencing emotional neglect and abuse. My heart really hurts for the children who grew up in the abuse and neglect without live-in therapy animals to caretake their souls.
I ask all my clients about their childhood pets and I am astonished to hear about the incredible bonds they had with their pets. These moments are precious to me, they are truly sacred. I'll be talking with an emotionally shutdown, surly person about the problems they are facing in their lives and after I hear about their difficult childhood experience, I ask them to tell me about their childhood pets. So often with those children who grew up with pets, I see an instant softening in their face as their heart melts. The stories start pouring out, "when I was five, there was this cat that just showed up and always wanted to be with me..." The tears, the joy, the warmth of their heart is suddenly present before me, proof that their beautiful heart and soul remain alive and protected behind a wall, built from the painful experiences of failed human relationships. Thankfully, with these individuals, there is often a pet-door in that wall which allows animals to freely access and nourish their heart and soul.
With all this said, it may not surprise you to learn that I've been growing more and more interested in the human-animal bond, particularly the role of childhood pets in the human attachment process. I'm not exactly sure how to pursue this further from a career perspective, so in an effort to explore possible options, I just signed up to attend the 2013 International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations Triennial International Conference in Chicago!!! This conference is taking place in conjunction with the 150th annual American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) conference, so it's gonna be crazy nuts!
Many of the sessions look amazing! From what I can tell, it looks like I can also attend the AVMA sessions too, some of the sessions on behavior look very interesting. This will be information overload I'm sure, but I can't wait!
Many of the people I work with have experienced abuse or neglect at the hands of human caregivers. The very adults charged with nurturing the child are the ones teaching the child that humans are not safe to look after their vulnerable hearts and souls. The child is left to devise ways of distancing themselves from the emotional pain of not being validated, valued or unconditionally loved as a means to survive. It is from this place that coping strategies are established and later in life these strategies become mental health diagnoses.
I ask all my clients about their childhood pets and I am astonished to hear about the incredible bonds they had with their pets. These moments are precious to me, they are truly sacred. I'll be talking with an emotionally shutdown, surly person about the problems they are facing in their lives and after I hear about their difficult childhood experience, I ask them to tell me about their childhood pets. So often with those children who grew up with pets, I see an instant softening in their face as their heart melts. The stories start pouring out, "when I was five, there was this cat that just showed up and always wanted to be with me..." The tears, the joy, the warmth of their heart is suddenly present before me, proof that their beautiful heart and soul remain alive and protected behind a wall, built from the painful experiences of failed human relationships. Thankfully, with these individuals, there is often a pet-door in that wall which allows animals to freely access and nourish their heart and soul.
With all this said, it may not surprise you to learn that I've been growing more and more interested in the human-animal bond, particularly the role of childhood pets in the human attachment process. I'm not exactly sure how to pursue this further from a career perspective, so in an effort to explore possible options, I just signed up to attend the 2013 International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations Triennial International Conference in Chicago!!! This conference is taking place in conjunction with the 150th annual American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) conference, so it's gonna be crazy nuts!
Many of the sessions look amazing! From what I can tell, it looks like I can also attend the AVMA sessions too, some of the sessions on behavior look very interesting. This will be information overload I'm sure, but I can't wait!
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