Take Them Shopping:
Emma was a tiny potato at only five (5) weeks old the day we picked her up from La Grange, NC (in case you missed it). I will touch on how bringing Emma home prematurely affected her in a future post. But what I do want to point out now is that Emma was small enough, she could easily fit into my whopping sized purses. If you know me at all and have seen my bags, then you’ll totally understand this post and why the word “shopping” quickly moved to the top of her vocabulary. Stay with me otherwise as I put it into content!
Shopping is my cardio. No, really! I find it therapeutic as well as a creative outlet for my self expression. Growing up, I frequently visited the local library and bookstore to browse magazines for the latest fashion. Then, I would make whatever was in the closet (including mothers) at the time work to fit my style. Into adulthood with the financial freedom to peruse stores, it not only fulfills my extroverted basic social needs (human interactions outside of working from home), but researchers also give shopping credit for releasing mood-lifting endorphins to boost the immune system. I’m the ‘researchers’ (LOL). Seriously speaking, though not every spree is successful, just being out around people fills my bucket.
Now, back to Emma. Let’s be honest! Getting a puppy soon after losing Maggie was a hasty decision. I was still grieving a loss while trying to care for a 5-week old puppy that was too young to be away from it’s mother and littermates. Emma could not be left home alone for more that a short span of time (puppy bladder control) and I needed the benefits from a good shopping spree (IYKYK). My husband traveled most of the time so “daddy daycare” (a term I will define and use again in the future) was limited. The solution? Throw the tiny potato in my Burberry and tote her around with me – literally!
The command, “let’s go shopping”, meant she was going with me and I built on that habit by rewarding her patient good conduct with a trip to the pet store at the end to complete our outing. Labrador Retrievers are outgoing by nature and always ready to make new friends. They thrive on being around people and require social outlets. This breed could not be a better fit for me so this was a win-win! Come to find out, Emma gained from the exposure as well – increased confidence (perhaps too much and I’ll dive into this on a later post), better behavior patterns, developed appropriate manners, increased adaptability, and overcoming anxiety – to name a few.
Emma loved it as a puppy and even more so today; especially, after completing three different phases of dog training (puppy or suggestive training, intermediate, and advance for therapy). The difference is that now at 75 pounds she no longer fits into my bags so when you ask her if she want’s to go “shopping”, she hard tilts her head (an attentive listening trait) and immediately focuses on the proposal since she knows it will center around going to the pet store primarily. On rare occasions, we fit errands into the outing in which case we map out the entire agenda and share it with her in great detail. In a sense, as a way to keep her eyes on the prize, and to ask for her patience and good manners until she is rewarded. This is what its referred to as the ‘human-animal bond’ – or Joyful Bonding, as Emma knows it.
This joyful bond is a give and take. A mutually beneficial relationship influenced by behaviors essential to the emotional health of both parties. The bond is a testament to the capacity for ‘cross-species’ understanding and companionship. Those of you fortunate to experience pets on this level realize it enriches our lives with remarkable stories of loyalty and love (abundant enough for me to start this blogging site so stay tuned). There are also people who perceptively appreciate the latter and it is gratifying. For instance, and this is a true story, Emma was browsing the isles at our local Homegoods (a TJX company division) with us one day and a gentleman passing by asked if she was a female. When we confirmed his suspicion, the man mumbled under his breath “she shops like a girl!” and kept walking. We all laughed. It was amusing but more importantly it corroborated Emma’s pleasurable indulgence of the situation. She gets a thrill out of being with us and simply put, finds JOY in it!
Speaking of our local Homegoods store, we fortunately live in one of the most dog-friendly towns. How lucky are we as Wilmington/Wrightsville, Beach, NC residents to have access to stores that allow our ‘trained’ furry four-legged companions to tag along. Some establishments we visit on occasion (especially on hot and/or rainy day outings) include but not limited: TJX companies (Homegoods, T.J. Maxx, Marshalls), Home Depot, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Academy Outdoor Sports, Hobby Lobby, West Marine, Redix, New River Pottery stores at Mayfaire such as Pottery Barn, Anthropology, Michaels, Belk, Barnes + Noble, stores at Lumina Station such as Cloth + Design, Island Passage, Paysage Home, stores within Independence Mall such as Dillards and Belk – the list goes on. Of note, please check with your local stores as these policies depend on management and may not apply to your area. Let me not forget to mention (and these are a sure thing), Emma’s top picks and my healthy choices for best pet stores: Unleashed, Best Day Ever Dog Boutique, Hollywood Feed, and Family Dog Naturals – yes, we’ll even drive 25 minutes out to Leland, NC just to see her smile.
So, next time you’re feeling under the weather, sad, disconnected, want to relax, waste time, or need to exercise your active dog(s) on a hot or rainy day, TAKE THEM SHOPPING! You’ll both benefit from it greatly.
Earlier, at the top of this post, I asked you to stick with me for content. Well, this is where part of our story and inspiration for this blog begins. Emma’s company while I shopped when she was a puppy and even still when I frequent preferred boutiques today, is the tagline for this site – WHERE STYLE MEETS CANINE COMPANIONSHIP!