Jan 24, 2024
Hello, I’m Dr. Harley (aka “Canine-tor” Harley). I’m the resident treatment canine right here at Austin Pets Alive!, offering a much-needed listening ear, emotional enhance and calming presence to the people operating laborious to get canine like me followed. My days are beautiful jam-packed and I by no means know what they’ll deliver. Infrequently my shoppers provide with a vintage case of separation anxiousness, whilst different instances I’m only a sounding board for his or her domestic dog drama. I am getting requested at all times what it’s love to be a four-legged therapist, so I’m pulling again the curtain to provide you with a glimpse into an afternoon within the lifetime of Dr. Harley. (All names were modified to care for shopper confidentiality.)
7am: I like to sleep on the place of job, since I love to be right here for my shoppers in any respect hours of the day. Once I get up, I do a handy guide a rough yoga regimen (downward canine is my favourite pose), have a pitcher of chilly water, and fill out my day by day gratitude magazine.
8am: First shopper arrives. Marvin has been coming to peer me for a few years to regard his ongoing pug dependancy. He’s a person of few phrases, however turns out to get pleasure from my comfortable tail wags, puppy-dog eyes, and coffee well-timed woofs. Earlier than we whole our consultation, I gently remind him that he’s two months in the back of on cost. (I gladly settle for all usual cost strategies: pets, toys, treats, “excellent boys.”)
9am: Fast smash to handle trade. And I don’t imply bookkeeping…
9:35am: Bethany arrives (5 mins past due, as standard). We had a big leap forward in her remaining consultation, however I will inform she’s deflecting as of late. All she needs to do is speak about me: Am I potty educated? After all. Do I am getting scared when left domestic by myself? Nope. Do I believe myself adventurous? Sure. Do I desire a domestic to name my very own? Completely!
11am: Neatly-deserved lunch hour. I love to get out and stretch my legs to unlock some rigidity between periods. I catch up with a human friend to play a rousing recreation of fetch (which I’m beautiful excellent at, if I do say so myself.)
12pm: My subsequent consultation is particularly satisfying. Natalie has what’s known as OPD, obsessive petting dysfunction. In different phrases, if she sees a canine, she has to puppy it. And puppy it. And puppy it. Individually, I to find not anything improper with this, so I’ve selected to make use of the vintage Gestalt apply of exaggeration, the place I urge her to puppy me as a lot and as ceaselessly as she needs to inside the confines of my place of job. It’s operating truly properly for me—er, her, I imply.
1:30pm: Persisted schooling and compliance coaching. Consistent with my manager, considered one of my shoppers reported that I wasn’t respecting their private house sufficient. However it’s now not my fault I’m 65 kilos of natural snuggly softness.
3pm: Stroll-and-talk consultation with my shopper, Enrique. I’m looking to lend a hand him get better from an upbringing through which he wasn’t allowed to have canine. I to find this in particular troubling and remind him in a joking (but in addition critical) way that he may at all times undertake me.
5pm: Shut out the workday by way of visiting my very own therapist. As a result of all excellent therapists have a therapist, finally.
7pm: Netflix and kick back whilst chowing down on some dinner. I’ve been truly into this new dog-umentary collection in recent years, so I binge watch a couple of episodes to unwind after a protracted day.
9pm: Mini meditation and quiet mirrored image time. Head to my crate to catch some Zzzs, dreaming of that stunning adoptive domestic Bethany requested me about as of late.
About Dr. Harley: Harley is the unofficial emotional enhance canine for the Conduct Staff at APA!, sharing the place of job house with many shut group of workers and volunteer pals. At 10 years outdated, he’s the very best aggregate of mature gentleman and sprightly younger soul, with a keenness for fetch, tennis balls, and massive sticks. His leisure pursuits come with smell paintings, begging for booty scratches, and flashing his trademark grin. He’s a very good at-home better half who’s simply as satisfied to snooze on a at ease canine mattress as he’s to move for an out of doors journey. He’s recently in search of a foster or adoptive domestic, and you’ll be able to meet him by way of emailing [email protected].