Bella's Psychiatrist

 

I think it is more than coincidental that Lance and I adopted two special needs dogs.  One had a physical injury, but with a costly $4000+ surgery, we were able to give our boy relief.  As sweet as Buddy may be, he is also not the brightest tool in the shed.  He is lovable, but a little dense.  Bella, on the other hand, is incredibly bright.  I have owned dogs my entire adult life, and Bella’s intelligence is noticeably different and advanced.  I think this does her a service and disservice because with intelligence comes a keen and at times slightly dysfunctional sensitivity.

 

We adopted her on August 10, 2011, and she was the perfect dog.  She was extremely fit and completely trained.  As time progressed, she gained weight, which we all know is due to her Daddy’s overfeeding her.  He spoils her.  She also regressed and almost daily pees and poops in the house. It began with occasional accidents to more reoccurring to basically a daily habit.  It also started with just urine, but then progressed to feces.  It became a huge contributor to Lance’s stress and frustration as he was the one who cleaned it up regularly.  We purchased a 500 dollar industrial carpet cleaner, and regardless of how efficient this cleaner was or is, it could never remove the odor of the urine.  We could not sit in the living room because the smell would be unbearable.  We religiously burned candles in our unsuccessful efforts to obliterate the smell.  There were times that Lance would punish Bella because he could not handle it anymore.  He asked me once, “how can you remain so calm?”  I told him, “Because I know it is not her fault. She is suffering terribly.”  Bella is a special needs dog.  She has psychological problems.  You can easily observe her suffering, and it is painful to watch.   

 

We finally took Bella to see an animal behaviorist.  Seriously, this is a term for psychiatrist.  There are only 50 animal behaviorist in the country.  It is a specialty, and it cost a sh*tload of money.  No, Dr. Schwartz did not talk to Bella if that is what you are thinking.  She spent two hours observing Bella and asking us in-depth questions about her behavior, routine, etc.  It was intense.

Ok, so here is the hilarious part.  This is something out of a comedy film.  We sat in her office, and it looked like a typical psychiatric office.  Ten minutes into the appointment, a loud fart echoes in the room. Dr. Schwartz immediately responds, “excuse me.”  I felt embarrassed that our Bella would fart like that, but hey….Dr. Schwartz works with animals, and I’m sure she is accustomed to dog farts.  Did you know labs are notoriously known for farting? Google it.   Anyway, five minutes pass and then again, another fart.  I hear Dr. Schwartz say excuse me again.  I then realized that this was not Bella farting at all.  It was the doctor.  I looked at her face, and it was completely focused on the business at hand, which was extracting information from us about Bella.   So the appointment continued for two hours, and Dr. Schwartz entertained Lance and I for the entire two hours with an orchestra of farts.  Seriously, she farted about 15 times during that entire two-hour session.  It did not interrupt the session.  She continued as if this was a normal thing for her.  It was not even awkward.  It was if she was coughing, something very normal.  Finally, Bella farted, and Dr. Schwartz looks at us with concern and asks, “Do you think she needs to go to the bathroom?” Lance and I were dumbfounded.  Maybe the doctor had to go?  I think that would have been a more suitable question.

Ok, back to the seriousness of the situation.  Dr. Schwartz was good. She was amazingly good at her job.  She was very thorough, sensitive, and provided us with an abundance of useful information.  Dr. Schwartz said, “you inherited a disturbed animal.”  The diagnosis? Bella has separation anxiety, general anxiety, possible PTSD, claustrophobia, and compulsive disorder.  None of this surprised either of us.  Bella is going to be placed on Prozac and Xanax.  She also needs to lose weight, increase her exercise. She also needs structure to help with the anxiety. She needs to be trained the five basic commands. She needs to be walked on a short leash.

I know most people think we are crazy, but Bella is disturbed.  She shakes uncontrollably.  She has this depressed look on her face every time Lance leaves her or if she is left alone.  She has hurt herself.  She needs help, and we love her dearly.  She has been good to us and for us.  As strangely as this may sound, she is fits in our family.  Bella belongs with us.  I hope we can relieve some of her suffering.  We love that dog with all our hearts.