Nick & Heidi, faithful pets helping

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-10-2006
Nick & Heidi, faithful pets helping
3
Mon, 06-04-2007 - 9:20am
Hi gals!
When Nick is upset, whether coming out of a rage, or he hurts himself by just being careless, he seeks out Heidi, our yellow lab mix. We adopted her last Thanksgiving. It is amazing to watch her how he calms down and how patient she is. We dont know her history, we got her at the shelter, no abuse that we know of and she sleeps in Nicks room every night. Last night Nick was standing on the arm of the sofa and falling backwards onto the cushions having a good old time. Intuition took over and I had a feeling, just as I moved the coffee table, he tumbled off the couch, luckily I had moved it, or else we would have ended up in the ER, but he knocked his knee. He immediately cried for Heidi and she came running. In about 2 minutes he was off and playing again (not on the couch). I know she is stressed by his rage attacks and when he starts to have one, I put her outside, but as soon as it is over, I bring her in because I know he is going to need her. Maybe it is because we adopted her, she takes extra special care of us, or maybe she just knows Nick needs more, almost like a therapy dog. Anyone else notice this?
Christine

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Christine

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Mon, 06-04-2007 - 10:07pm

We adopted Dottie this January.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-10-2006
Tue, 06-05-2007 - 8:22am
You know they make little diapers for dogs...haha. After seeing Heidi with Nick now for the past 6 months, I think having her around has been the best thing. She really does calm him. I remember one time watching him sit on the couch and seeing him fidget so bad with his ADHD while watching a tv program. Heidi came up and sat next to him, he started petting her and visibly calmed down. It was so neat to watch. For us, getting a shelter dog was better than spending $500 on a purebred dog and Lord knows I don't have time to potty train a pup! Heidi came trained already!
Christine

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Christine

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-07-2003
Tue, 06-05-2007 - 7:48pm
Our dog is too dumb to know when the kids need her, but she IS a very affectionate dog which is nice for the kids. I used to "sic" her on ds when he was starting a tantrum, and she'd kiss him all over until he'd calm down. The dog has a lot of anxieties so likes to lick non-stop, but the kids think she loves them (she does love them, but it's the anxieties that get her licking constantly). Even tho' the dog is a big goof and has more anxieties than the kids, she's been good a good companion for them and has given the kids more confidence around animals which is good.