5 Things Puppies Can Remind Us About Living with Blood Cancer
There is no doubt that dogs can be a big help to a blood cancer patient. They provide comfort and joy. They can even help with a diagnosis! The very first dog trained to sniff cancer was a standard schnauzer named George.
I know this because I very recently got a standard schnauzer puppy. It’s been a long time since my wife and had a puppy; about 14 years. And while being empty-nesters means we have a little more time to devote to the dog, we forgot just how much time and attention a puppy needs. (It’s not all comfort and joy.)
Still, there are some important lessons that a puppy can teach us as blood cancer patients.
Don’t stop learning
The first challenge with a puppy is teaching her commands (sit, stay, come) and tricks (rollover, spin). It’s frustrating at first, but when she finally gets it, you can see her eyes light up, and seeing our happiness with each new command makes her want to learn even more. Everything is new for a puppy, and it’s fun to look at life through her eyes. It reminds us that there is much to learn about in the world, and especially in the world of cancer.
Exercise and remember to rest
Our puppy usually gets the “zoomies” at about 5:00pm. Dog parents know what this is – all of a sudden, the dog will run around the house, at full speed, for no reason at all, for about 5 minutes. Best to just stay out of the way, but even if she runs into you, she’ll bounce off and keep going until she’s all zoomed out. After the zoomies, she’s calmer and happier. It’s a good reminder that it’s important for blood cancer patients to get up and move every now and then. Exercise is good for us – physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Our vet told us that puppies can sleep for up to 20 hours a day. The need for that much sleep lessens as they get older, but our puppy still enjoys frequent naps. She’ll sleep wherever she is – on her bed, but also in the car, on the floor, in our laps. When she needs to rest, she rests. It’s a great lesson in self-care for all of us. There’s no shame in needing a nap, and if we get the chance, we should take it. Even better, build it into our schedules. Sleep is good.
Be cautious, but be brave
As curious as she is, our puppy knows when to be wary of something new – an aggressive child or another dog that’s barking too much, or a new obstacle in her puppy class that she hasn’t seen before. As blood cancer patients, it’s good to stop and investigate, especially things that seem too good to be true.
On the other hand, sometimes our puppy rushes headfirst into things. Or, after she’s been cautious and checked things out thoroughly, she’ll enjoy something with all of her heart. A situation might be new, but she’ll give it a go anyway, especially if we don’t seem worried about it. As people living with blood cancer, we should have the same attitude. If the doctor says something is OK, maybe we need to go into it with some enthusiasm.
It won’t be long before our puppy isn’t a puppy anymore. But we know from experience that even old dogs have that little spark of a puppy in them still. And maybe our puppy’s owners, middle-aged and tired as we are, can learn a few lessons from that.
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