3 Human Self-Care Lessons from an #OverIt Maltipoo

Fergus is a 7 pound Maltipoo with a frail constitution and many peculiarities. 

She is a naughty princess-queen who prefers to nap on multiple soft textiles piled as high as possible (ie: fluffy pillow on top of fluffy blanket on top of velvet couch). She is our one and only baby and rules our lives with an adorable fluffy iron fist.

Here are just 3 examples of her being #OverIt with some human lesson we can take from them.

1. When she refused to walk for charity. 

Last Spring my non-profit did a fundraiser walk-a-thon and I used Fergus' adorable picture to aid in getting donations. She was happy to oblige her photo but when it came to the actual walking she had about 30 minutes in her before she completely refused to move one more step. Unluckily for us, at that particular moment we were on the side of a very steep hill & tired from walking too. But we carried her 7 pounds of fluff all the way to the end of the line, that damn queen.

Human Lesson: When you've given so much of yourself to something or someone else that you just have nothing else to give. In those instances you might not be able to move forward if you don't ask for a little help (from TWO mommies if you're lucky).

2. When she went to the dog park and refused to play with any dogs.

Notice  missed-connection dog friend in the distance.

Dog parks in San Francisco are not fenced. They are also right next to busy streets. Example: Duboce Park is directly next to Muni train tracks. Is that the best place to put dogs running off leash? Fergus is a very fast runner and has horrible recall (when you call your dog and they actually come to you) because she's a strong willed lady that will not be summoned for. All of this means that she can't freely play with dogs off leash unless she's at a fenced in dog park. Since her mommies are lazy we found the closest possible dog park, a little patch of gravel in the Castro. As we approached the park she seemed giddy with excitement. We went in and the welcome wagon of dogs came rushing towards her. She froze up immediately and started running as far away as possible. This was followed by 20 minutes of me and Mary trying to coax her to engage with the few other scragglers away from the group before we realized she was throwing up and drooling from sheer terror and just took her home.

Human Equivalent: When you have plans that seem super fun and you get all geared up to go to that party or event and then you walk in and INSTANTLY regret it. Your stomach goes all queasy and you just want to lock yourself in the bathroom or run back home. Too many times I've found myself in this situation and stayed. But I encourage people to take a note from Fergus (not the drooling part) and don't fake it. If you're not into it, go find a corner to people (or dog) watch or better yet, just leave. Unlike Fergus, you can drive or pay for an Uber home.

3. When she glares, scoffs and turns her back to us because we're being too loud and/or annoying.

Fergus is the QUEEN of side-eye. When she's displeased with something she let's you know. If she's on her pile of cozy textiles and we laugh too hard or go on too loud of a rant about the Kardashians her eyes fly open and then minimize to little glaring slits. Sometimes if it's really bad she'll do the first part and then adjust her position on said pile of textiles so that her butt is to us and her head is a safe distance away from our foolishness.

Human Equivalent: When your roommate, partner, spouse, office-mate, sister, brother, mother father, is being the absolute worst most annoying person and you just need your SPACE. Ear buds are the human equivalent to the textile pile. Although not quite as cozy, they are much more effective in drowning out unwanted foolishness.

If only we could live a life of luxury like Fergus, minus the risk of being blown away by wind gusts and fear of plastic bags.

*Photos by the best co-mommy a girl could ask for Mary