The # 1 Cause of Pet Problems?

As my readers know, my house is full of “restless pet” syndrome. I had a chance to get away to Seattle for a day and took it. My father spent the day with my animals. He arrived at 9 am and left at 10 pm watched television and read. He reported, “Your dog did not bark and the birds did not make noise.” I considered the possibility that he had slept through chaos, and then shrugged the animals’ reaction as appropriate to a new person in the house.

Two days later, my dog Onyx regained her obsession with the activities of the next door neighbors and every other person and car that passed the house. Since I live on a busy street, she alerted every 30 seconds all day long. Birdie playtime erupted into an all-out fight. Feathers were yanked and my sweet but not-so-bright cockatiel was battered in the crossed beaks of Nick the angry Senegal and my exasperated African Gray.

My Dad and I took the three birds for a post-dust-up physical. The diagnosis was bruising and broken feathers. No internal injuries. The vet and I discussed the avian hormones and caging and playtime options to keep the birdie tempers in check.

On the way home, my Dad observed that he hadn’t had any discontent while he was in the house, but I seemed to be having quite a bit of trouble with the animals’ behavior. He politely suggested that perhaps the problem was me.

I admitted, as I had in last week’s column, that I had failed to give my animals enough exercise. He suggested exercise wasn’t the only issue. Maybe the problem was that I was “all nerved up.” He followed up with a suggestion that I try to do too much. I don’t know where he gets this idea.

My next book project is with the agent and may or may not sell. I haven’t heard from a client whose assignments I depend on for a living wage. I have a class coming up and I’m worried about leaving my animals. I’m working hard on my physical fitness. My yard looks like the jungle. The house needs new siding. I can’t make any progress on my novel for reasons that are not clear to me.

My father is right and irritating. Animals pick up on our moods. If I’m tense, the dog is tense. The birds are tense.

Exercise is helpful, but we also need fun and relaxation. Me. You. Our pets. It’s a whole household kind of thing.

I asked my Dad to help out by grilling salmon for dinner while I swim at community center pool. After our dinner, the birds and the dog will enjoy tiny tidbits of salmon afterward. Tomorrow I’ll focus on the new project and try to forget about everything else. Lucky for me my father can help solve the problem as well as identify it. Could your kids or your parents help, even in a small way? Maybe you’d feel better with a picnic dinner and a walk. As summer comes to a close, maybe we need more enjoying and fewer projects. Just a thought.

If you have suggestions on how to relax more with your animals, post a comment. We need all the help we can get.