LESSONS FROM HERO


The official vet's verdict is in about Hero--he is borderline obese.  She advised no more weight gain for the wonder dog.  BUT I only feed him from these little dog food cans and we walk three times a day--WHAT could be the problem?  What am I going to do with Hero?



Although Hero is the one stuffing his face, so far, he does not have thumbs is not able to serve his own food.  I am the one fixing his bowl full of kibble and wet food.  Unfortunately if he comes walking into the room with his empty bowl in his mouth, I am a sucker for a hungry dog.  When He brings the bowl in and sits it on the floor in front of me and proceeds to lick the empty bowl cleaner than before, G U I L T---rears its ugly head.  I am OFF to the pantry to refill the slick as a whistle bowl.  Instead of Pablo having a dog here in the hood, Hero has a Lulu who performs upon command.  All it takes is the empty bowl trick and I am responding.


And THEN there is the begging trick!  When I am eating, he sits directly in front of me or by my side and looks pleadingly at me.  The looks says I am starving--haven't had a meal for at least ten minutes.  HOW can you eat in front of me and not offer me a bite.  The   SUCKER  shows up again!  I rationalize one little morsel won't hurt!  BUT if I give him the morsel before I have cleaned my plate--one leads to more.

WE ALL know Hero also gets a treat for every successful walk.  So we walk around the block once or twice and he gets a bacon strip.  Who WOULDN'T sit at the door and beg to go for a walk.  He knows at the end of the glorious sniff-a-thon adventure, he gets a bacon strip for producing what comes natural to all dogs.

SO the problem seems to be ME!  My choice is to be Hero's encourager or his enabler and I have sadly turned into his enabler.  I am the one to blame for Hero's over consumption.  I am providing the calories which are expanding his girth. 

POOR HERO!  His master can't say No--when No is the best response!

Who else am I enabling?  Who else am I not encouraging to form healthy habits? Who am I unwilling to say, "No!" to when no is the right response?  We are not just speaking of eating habits here--though I am a sucker for a dinner invitation--we are talking about life sustaining habits or deadly habits of sin.  Would I offer an alcoholic a glass of wine?  Would I invite a friend to skip Bible study for a movie?  Would I not speak truth when presented with life destroying problems?  Do I listen to gossip when changing the subject would be better?   Do I shirk my responsibilities towards others in an effort to stay in their favor?  HMMM---who is the common denominator---ME!  I have total control over which "en" I will be---hopefully I will have the courage to pick the best path.

13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

Roman 14:13

10 comments

  1. I had the same problem with our dog; then I went to a dog whisperer. He had to whisper because he had laryngitis at the time. He said something in my ear. I wiped off the spit from my ear and asked him to speak a little higher. He stood on a step-ladder and said the same thing. I still could not understand him, so I went up the step-ladder with him. We both fell off. So he gave me his instructions in writing. Basically he told me to make my dog work for his food.

    Now the dog washes my car, he vacuum cleans the inside to, he mows the lawn, and sometimes re-paints the house. All this for his daily meals. The exercise does him good and he has lost weight.

    Unfortunately this does not work for humans ... she threw the remote control at my head!!!

    God bless.

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  2. IF ONLY!! Hero has got it made & I am doing the work! LOL at your comment, Victor!
    Blessings!

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  3. Ummm....Lulu, with all due respect, Hero is not borderline obese....and for pete's sake, quit blaming yourself. I'm sorry, I just don't buy it that he is borderline obese. Don't mind me, I super duper hate that word obese, it needs to be banned from the English language. I have real issues with folks using that word, and it says so on my dr. report..."mildly obese". Use a nicer word is what I screamed at the dr. and the nurses.(not being funny, I truly mean it, I HATE THAT WORD--I was aneroxic when I was younger and my family always called me fat...real deep seeded issues).

    Don't worry about it, Lulu, you and him belong together. That much is obvious. I am glad you have each other, he seems to love you and you him. smiles. (and hope that doesn't sound weird, smiles)

    Have a beautiful and joyous day, friend.

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    1. I will save the subject of body image for another day, My Friend! I have my own boatload of issues over that one! As for Hero, he has gotten thick and I want him to be healthy. It doesn't seem to phase me too much though as he JUST got a treat when we came in from our walk in the rain. UGH!🌂🌨
      Blessings, My Friend!!

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  4. I love all those questions you pose today, Lulu! All that enabling / boundary stuff is music to this counselor's soul!

    ;-}

    Even though I'm not a dog fanatic, it's kinda neat how animals can teach us life lessons we need to learn.

    And if I knew I was going to get a treat every time I went for a walk, I'd be out there every day, ya' know?

    ;-}

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    1. He's out there three times a day and wants more---I draw the line at three! He is good company, Linda, and I talk to him as if he is going to answer me. He does teach me lessons and I draw analogies from him quite often.
      Blessings, My Friend!

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  5. Hi Lulu! I'm sorry to hear about Hero. Believe me, I know all about being 'borderline obese'! I loved your questions at the end of the post, they are so challenging! How many times have I done something that I think is for my good, or someone else's, only to find out that it ended up hurting me or them? A lot of it is trial and error though.
    So you've been through all that with Hero, and in your life too. Now you can move right on to victory! That's a pretty exciting place to be :)
    Ceil

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    1. AMEN, Ceil, and excellent place to be!
      Blessings!

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  6. Yes, Lulu, it sounds like little (or not so little) Hero has you wrapped around his paw. Maybe, you could wait to give him a treat after completely finishing your meal, and/or only give him half a bacon strip instead of a whole one. Oh, and adding more time to your walks could help, too.
    He is such a cutie! I do miss having a dog around . . .
    Blessings!

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    1. OH, Martha, of course you are right. I am WEAK when it comes to begging eyes!
      Blessings, My Friend!

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Your comments keep my writing and often cause me to think. A written form of a hug or a pat on the back and an occasional slap into reality---I treasure them all!