Meeting Neal & PIPER

Jeff,TAZIE,Neal,PIPER

Last week was another busy one for TAZIE and I.  If I am going out of town, I like to get there about 24 hours before any meet up has been scheduled. That gives me plenty of time all around, from any unplanned stops on the way to my destination, or just recovery/unwind time from the drive.

The plan was for Neal, his Wife, PIPER and Karen to meet in the lobby of the hotel I was staying in on 23JAN. TAZIE didn’t get quite as excited as she did last time when she saw Karen, which was good. One of the things that I have been trying to work with her on is her response to meeting new people and people that she hasn’t seen in a while (to include other animals).

I was pretty surprised at how big PIPER is, definitely was not expecting a dog that size. TAZIE and PIPER did their sniffing, and that was basically it. There was no past experience with either one of them, so there really wasn’t much excitement on TAZIE’s part. She was able to get her sniffs out of the way, and move on. We walked around the parking lot for a minute and then went back inside the lobby to talk about our experiences with the animals, the organization and with PTSD.

It took me back to some of the first meetings I had with some of the guys down at Stewart. I could remember how wound up I was, how anxious, how it was really difficult for me to open up and let someone I had never met into a very personal side of my life. We talked a lot about our dogs, about how they have helped us, the differences they have made while we are trying to get some sort of normalcy back into our lives. PIPER and TAZIE both did great at the hotel.

We decided to go across the street to Ruby Tuesday to eat dinner. That sounded like a much better option given the choices between a food court at a mall and Ruby Tuesday. One of the things that Neal has been working with is getting PIPER so stay laying down in a restaurant. I think it was good for him to have TAZIE there with him, because the dogs learn from one another, they pick up what the other is doing and they tend to emulate that. TAZIE was at one end of the table with me, and PIPER was at the other with Neal. It took a couple of minutes, but both dogs settled in nicely, and just hung out with us while we talked some more.

Jeff and TAZIE

It is kind of odd how some things work out. Learning about some of the things Neal struggles with, of course one of his triggers had to happen while we were sitting and eating. A police vehicle made a stop right outside of the window. The blue lights were flashing in the restaurant, so we did what we could to minimize their effects. We closed the blinds, and we weren’t the only ones that decided some of the blinds needed to be closed. Other guests closed the blinds near them to minimize their flashing.

The next morning we met at Panera Bread Company. I got there pretty early, grabbed a seat and squished TAZIE back in a corner near a window. There were some folks that I don’t think had ever seen service dogs, so I could hear comments from other guests, had a couple of people ask a few questions, and realized that once everyone got there the seating choice I had made was probably not the best. There was no way we were all going to fit at this table I was sitting at. We made adjustments and discussed our next meeting for the end of February.

Thursday was my Mom’s birthday, so it was another night out for TAZIE and I. We went to an Italian restaurant where some other folks

take dogs to do some public access training, so seeing a dog there was not a big deal. TAZIE was perfect again. She went right in under the table, she didn’t hardly move, didn’t make a sound, and even startled a couple of ladies that came and sat at the booth across from us. I

guess looking out of the corner of your eye and seeing two eyes staring at you from underneath the table can be a little shocking, but it is what it is.

On Friday my Dad and I spent about three hours at the Toyota Dealership. TAZIE was a little off of her game while we were walking the lot looking at cars, she wasn’t obeying me on the first command, and it was a little frustrating. It was the first time that she had ever been in a situation like that, so I suppose I can cut her some slack. I really hate just sitting and waiting, and that is basically what it is like when making a deal on a vehicle. You talk to the salesman for five minutes then they are gone for ten, rinse and repeat. At one point someone came behind us and dropped their keys, TAZIE was a little startled and swung her head to see what the noise was and that startled the person who dropped their keys more so than it did TAZIE. My Dad and I had a pretty good laugh at his reaction, I guess some people just assume that any dog is going to bite when you get close to them.

It was a very busy week for the both of us, maybe one of the most active weeks I have had in years. None of the things that I did this past week would not have been possible if it wasn’t for her. Each new experience we have together makes our bond stronger, and I am forever grateful for that.

Sunday at my recovery meeting pretty much wrapped the week up in good form. The men that I have been attending this meeting with I have known for years. One of the discussions that we had was about letting people make their own mistakes, not correcting that person, and accepting them for who they are. One of the traditions states that I cannot compel anyone to do or say anything. This goes back to acceptance, to tolerance, and means that people are allowed to make their own mistakes. My responsibility is to share my experience. I can remember when I first started attending these meetings, people obviously disagreed with what I was sharing, but I was never called out on that. I was allowed to share what I felt, the beauty of the program is the acceptance that I can now look back on and see.

That just allowed me to keep coming back, to learn from others, to share with others, and to begin my recovery. There is something to be learned from an individual that has 20 years of sobriety, just like there is something that can be learned from a person with 20 days. My recovery from PTSD is no different, it is our shared experience, feelings, thoughts that bond us with one another. It is that bond that will continue my recovery.