PTSD And Pets

[LiamM]

Ah, I love the relationships I have with my animals. Last year I raised chickens, and it was one of the best experiences. Whenever I would walk over to their coop they'd run over to me to say hello. I had this one hen who always flew up on my shoulder whenever I walked into the coop to fetch eggs, check food and water, etc. They were always there for me and always excited. There's really deep appreciation for that, to have them always be happy for my company.
I also lived with a cat (she's in my avatar pic) who always seemed to know when I had a rough night -- be it little sleep or nightmares -- and would climb up to cuddle next to me. It always made me feel a little better.

I feel like there really isn't anything that compares to a strong relationship with an animal companion.

 

[Iam]

Tlight! Wow....I haven't seen you around in awhile, but then I can't really say I have been looking for anybody of late. Sounds like you have a lovely new horse even if he did spook. Smart to wear a helmet.....I should too, but....ah well, I never claimed to be smart. Both my horses are pretty rock solid, but you just never know what will throw them into a bucking tailspin! I did get thrown knocked out when I was training my main horse. You'd think I'd learned my lesson and that was 9 years ago LOL! The lab in my profile photo is Clancy. He is an 8 1/2month old British Lab and soooo mellow, though still a pup. I am training him to be a therapy dog and plan to work with Hospice once we're certified. We also have a 14 yr old lab that has always been mellow. I think the brits are different that way. The 9 yr old lab we had to put down last spring was a 100 lb bouncing Tigger! I have to admit though that his happiness was contagious ;o) So good to hear from you Tlight. I hope all is going well.

Wow Liam, we raised chickens as a kid and I never remember them bonding with any of us. I do remember putting them to sleep by hypnotizing them haha! That's pretty cool that yours love you so much. My mom gave my boys 2 one day old pigeons that they removed from the nest in their attic when they covered the hole the mother got thru. They sure bonded with us.....would fly with us when we went on walks. One was best friends with our cat. He would waddle out to the curb with the cat when I left in the morning and land on my head when I got out of the car when I got back ;o) Animals give unconditional love and that is something that I find healing.

 

[Iam]

Oops....somehow hit reply and didn't mean to. Oh well.....all the best to both of you. Merry Christmas!

 

[Happy Head]

I just adopted a dog in June and it's the best thing that's happened to me in years. It's funny, but I'm so calm and relaxed any time she's around. When I walk her, people smile which makes me smile and I don't have to talk to them! I always feel better after our walks. She also wakes me up from nightmares and knows when I'm stressed and lays at my feet... they have a sense about that I think.

 

[maddog]

I have a black labrador who has the dual roles of being my pet and my working dog. I am blind and she is my guide dog, and as such she goes absolutely everywhere with me. Honestly I haven't left her for more than about half an hour in the 18 months I have had her.

In so many ways she is one of the best things to have happened to me, certainly since the PTSD took hold. She gives all of the unconditional love and acceptance and stable reliable tolerance that everyone has already written about in this thread, and she has also become very critical for me in managing flashbacks, nightmares and other symptomatic anxiety etc. She is really my primary grounding object and I have schooled myself for a long time now to look to her for reassurance that I am safe and in the present as soon as I am able to consciously do such a thing when I've been triggered. She's interminably patient as I cling to her at times and is very stable when I am distressed. Initially she would tend to become quite distressed and reactive herself if I was distressed, but she seems to have become accustomed to it now and now behaves as though nothing is happening, which is much healthier and more constructive for me.

Unfortunately there is a nasty downside to having her, and that is that one of her key benefits, ie, the fact that she goes everywhere with me, is also a real problem. She attracts public attention to an unbelievable level, both because she is a pretty and attractive looking dog, and because she is a guide dog, is in public places where dogs normally are not found, and attracts the kind of perverse fascination that people display in blind/disabled people generally. Sorry to be blunt, but it's true.

Needless to say we are endlessly bombarded by questions, interruptions, intrusions and, in many cases, very distressing invasions of personal space and privacy. I *hate* the public attention that she brings and deal appallingly with the advances of strangers into my personal space, which is one of my most consistent and distressing triggers.

Right now this problem is close to dabilitating for me. It's hard to admit that the thing that adds so much value to my life, both logistically through her role as a guide dog and on a more emotional/psychological level, is also such a constant stressor and attraction for triggers.

I know that learning to manage my anxieties with the public is yet another challenge that lies ahead of me, but gosh, it's hard to deal with .

Maddog

 

[soulofLC]

Hi Maddog, when I have seen trainers training guide dogs, they often have a sign on the dog or on them that says: "Guide dog in training; please do not touch or pet or talk to" or something to that effect. You could get one and put it on your dog each time you go out! Or on you...just a thought. Then you look like you are working, so perhaps they will be more likely to leave you alone.

So many people do not realize that they are not supposed to interact with guide dogs. This may come under advice, but it's pretty harmless, I hope!

 

[Iam]

Exactly what I was going to suggest Soul.

I find that many people do understand as I hear them telling their children not to approach us as "the dog is working right now". There are also a TON of people that ask questions.

I know they have patches that you can sew on that say "Dog working pet or approach." Problem is.....some idiots won't even see the patch...grrrr. Sorry that it is such a problem Maddog.

 

[maddog]

My dog has a sign on her harness which says "ignore, working dog" in rather large block letters, and yet so so many people either don't see it or blatantly ignore it- I swear some people will read it outloud as they're reaching to pat her, or will alternately stand in front of her, making kissing noises and saying "oh, I know I'm not allowed to touch you..." Of course this form of interaction is just as distracting and intrusive as physical contact.

Thankfully my dog is, for the most part, very good at ignoring such intrusions, but sometimes it's impossible, and this doesn't help my own anxieties and terrified irrational reactions either.

Honestly I had no idea how triggering this stuff would be for me, and the absolute constancy of it all sometimes makes the world seem like an endless nightmare of invasion and threat.

I think my dog is definitely the stable one of the two of us.

Maddog

 

[soulofLC]

Gesse, why am I surprised? We are only created equal in God's eyes. I am sorry this happens to you and is disruptive. I can only guess at your discomfort.

I guess it is bad form to use the sign, "Beware of Dog." LOL, but seriously...that would stop them. Of couse, it might stop you from getting where you need to go as well. HUGS maddog

 

[maddog]

I have seriously considered a sign on her harness which reads "don't pat me... my handler bites!"

Maddog

 

[soulofLC]

I say go for it! LOL LOL

 

[kimba]

My two dogs and three cats are people replacements for kids which I never had and at my mid-forties most likely never will. I have no trouble admitting it and am so grateful for them. If it weren't for them getting me up every morning, I wouldn't be here. I am convinced of that. We are all very happy being house-bound together. As I get further along in treatment, maybe we will feel like sharing with someone but for now, being in a routine with something stable in it is enough.