Thursday, November 4, 2010

Halloween....scary for some, but not my Maroo!


I remember Maroo's first Halloween last year...he still was adjusting to meeting new people although he had come miles compared to the first few weeks after I had first brought him into my life. For many dogs Halloween can be a stressful night because not only are you dealing with a constant flow of visitors coming to your door...but most of these visitors are in costume! Through a dog's eyes this can be a very frightful experience and not in the spirit of a ghost and goblin filled Halloween neither! Since dogs primarily work on their two major senses when greeting strangers....sent and sound. Sight can be at a disadvantage when these goblins are dressed in costume. The majority of my pack will bark with gusto non stop until they feel safe and secure that this 4 foot "Frankenstein" is of no threat to them from a dog's point of view.

This past Sunday evening with Halloween upon us, the air was filled with much anticipation for both four legged and two as the events were about to unfold! Bowls overflowing with shiny wrapper filled candy...the scents of Autumnal candles through the house...frightening music playing non stop...yes it was Halloween in full bloom my pack and you were all about to experience it once it again...With thrills and chills as the doorbell rang and those little monsters and demons waited patiently for a handful of chocolate delight! Normally I would rotate bringing each dog with me to greet the Trick-r-Treaters at the door ..but with some of my girls still in "season" I was limited to which pack member I could share this experience with....I choose Maroo this year to be my doorway companion to greet the children since he has always felt safe around those just as innocent as he is...But innocence in costume might not paint the same picture as a greeting under normal circumstances. Since Maroo is my smallest and lightest Tibetan Terrier there is never a problem with me picking him up and holding him against my chest if necessary. But I filled my pockets with doggie treats none the less... just in case I needed an advantage if he became afraid.

With both pockets and bowls filled with treats for both four legged and two...I sat waiting as each ghoul approached the house. Maroo stood guard with me, not barking but almost a gleeful scream when he would see these visitors come close. Not once did he back away or stand behind me as he has done so many times in the past. Boldly he stood guard and checked out each visitor with sniffs and licks as they uttered those famous words "Trick or Treat" To my amazement he did not show once ounce of anxiety and if I did not know better, he was actually enjoying the job of handing out these treats! A few times he would stand up on his back legs and do his little prancing routine as much as to as to say..."look at me, I'm a kid too"...lol!

This evening proved to me once again just how far my little man has come since the days when walking on a leash in public was an issue for him....I never pushed this issue with him and decided at the start that I would just let time be our guide and allow things to happen when he was ready to accept new situations. If he was unable to, no sweat....he had more than enough entertainment just staying in the dog yard and house with my other dogs.

I was so proud of Maroo this Halloween, I think he enjoyed it more than I did....In my wildest dreams would I ever expect him to be so brave on such a horror filled night...Halloween is not for the weak of heart...only those brave souls can endure the thrills and chills this evening delivers....the sounds, the scents, the sights of pure evil had nothing on my Maroo....he just licked this horror away with a heart filled with love...and the courage of a lion :)

1 comment: