How I Conquered a Phobia

Originally posted in 2013

I think most people harbor a fear that borders on phobia. For me it’s snakes and small spaces. I understand why snakes give me the creeps, but small spaces? Maybe it’s the fear of suffocation or being trapped. Regardless, neither sound inviting to me.

I remember when we were kids, my brother put a pillow over my face as we played. I felt such terror that all rational thought left me; I screamed like I was dying. That feeling is still with me today whenever I feel confined.

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Skye, My Slightly Cross Eyed Feral Cat

Number seven in the lineup of my furry family members is Skye, a Lynx Point. Where do I start with her? Skye is a complicated one, the most feral of my cats, followed by Mango, another of my skitty kitties. Both are afraid of their own shadow, which is one reason I had to keep them. Let’s take Skye today.

I actually didn’t remember where I trapped Skye because I’ve trapped hundreds of cats so I had to look her up. I’m not like my co-worker, Leanne, who has a memory like an elephant whereas mine is in the hamster realm, purported to be three seconds long. As it turns out, Skye and her siblings were trapped as kittens in the Mt. Shasta area and brought to Marin Humane where I fostered her.

Leanne
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Adventures with Wally

Next up in my menagerie is Wally.

Eight years ago, when Marin Humane sent me on an errand to the Berkeley animal shelter, little did I know I’d be meeting my next dog. Now don’t get me wrong; I had no intention of looking for nor finding another canine. But as fate would have it…

When I pulled up to the facility, a man passed by walking an adoption dog, a black dachshund-spaniel mix. I’m partial to spaniels so he caught my eye. But I told my eye to quit looking, reminding myself I have more than enough pets. Well, plain and simple, my eye refused to look away.

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Savannah and Dash

So where were we? Ah, yes…continuing the countdown introducing you to my 4-legged menagerie and their various personality traits that either drive me nuts or endear me to them even more. We’ve finished with Skip, Oliver and Fat Jack. So let’s tackle Savannah and Dash next, shall we? (Yes, we shall).

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Oliver and Fat Jack

Three weeks ago I blogged about my dog Skip’s quirks and endearing idiosyncrasies when I actually intended to mention all 10 of my animals…the good, the bad and the ugly. So much for brevity. I guess you can say it’s not one of my strong suits. So I’ll try again.

Let’s see…Oliver is my oldest pet. I don’t know exactly how old because he was found as an injured adult taking refuge in a dog house in someone’s backyard in early 2011. Marin Humane asked me to foster him. Thus I inherited my first failed foster.

Oliver with his neck injury
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