Fear of what we don't understand

If you think about it, why are so many of the creatures that make us cringe physically unappealing?

Perhaps its the best self-defense nature could have given them. Snakes, bats, spiders, creepy crawler bugs; all considered physically unattractive, so our natural reaction is to avoid touching them.

How many times are we told not to touch a butterfly because if we remove their wing coating they won't be able to fly properly? Or those fuzzy woolly bear moth caterpillars we love to "pet" causing the poor things to recoil in fear. When something is visually beautiful we tend to be drawn closer and want to touch.

In nature too much attention is often a threat to their existence. To really look at the face of an insect, spider or bat is very fascinating. They look like aliens for a good reason.The intent is for them to look like a threat to the onlooker so they are left alone. Why would they want to mess with something as giant in size comparison? They are usually more than glad to turn tail and get away from us. So why do we have the need to crush anything that moves?

Fear of what we don't understand. When we don't understand something we get on the defensive.

According to David Bodanis in his book "Secret House" the typical clean and tidy home still houses many, many spiders. These beneficials prefer to stay hidden in the dark corners of our cabinets and basements and quietly give us a hand in keeping those insects at bay who can do us harm. No one wants visible spider webs on their living room walls but to spray liberally with poisonous insect spray just seems ludicrous.

Same with rat and mouse poison. Why purposely place these threats to our children and pets while killing every garter snake or black (rat) snake you see under your bushes? Snakes only try to look scary when disturbed because they are startled and need some sort of defense. The best way to deal with any frightened creature is to just slowly back away and let it get away from you. What better way to keep those mice from moving into your home once the weather turns cold than to just leave the garter and black snakes do their job. The only time you'll probably ever see them is should they be minding their own business sunning themselves on a warm day. Snakes sense the size of their pray by the heat given off and are no threat to anything too large to eat. These two beneficial snakes pose no threat to humans. Just leave them alone or if in the house have them safely removed to the outdoors.

black or rat snake

garter snake

Further research tells us that snakes are one of our teachers of transformation. According to Clea Kanaan in her book, "Sacred Land", snakes remind us that though life may change the way it looks, it is a coiled spiral of rebirth. Just as the snake sheds its skin, there are times when we must shed and change either spiritually or physically and remove ourselves from comfort zones. Accepting change, awakening creativity and passions is definitely a boost for personal growth.

In the end we finally shed this life altogether.

It's instinctive to swat or jump when we feel something crawling on us or recoil when we walk smack into a spider web. But let's get a grip when it comes to those planned attacks of stepping on every scurrying ant or using bug spray like its only going to harm its intended target. Man or beast we all breathe the same air.

Below are three non-aggressive common spiders around our homes and gardens:
If interested here is a post for more information about some common spiders

grass spider

garden or orb spider

barn spider

"Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as important to the child as it is to the caterpillar"
George Miller

Yankee Doodle Noodle

May 18, 2014 had marked the fifth anniversary of the passing of our beloved Yankee.

May 18, 2009 Our last day

Comfort to a new rescue

Our Yankee was one of those dogs who was just at the right place at the right time.
Turned over to the humane society at 8 months his outcome could have so easily turned out differently.

 We came into his world on day eight of his stay and were told he was scheduled to be euthanized the next day due to lack of space.
Probably due to no fault of his own he was supposedly given up because his previous owners hadn't the time for him.

It amazes me how the behavior of a dog is often its death sentence and a relief for the owners to be rid of the "problem" when so many issues could have been avoided with proper guidance.
The definition of discipline is guidance and supervision not punishment. A dog's home and the people in it are his entire world so of course all they want is to please and be loved.

It was obvious from day one with Yankee that he had very inconsistent training. The only thing he was confident about was he knew his name, so we didn't make an attempt to change that and confuse him any further.

Though his paperwork said he was housebroken he obviously was not. So where was he for eight months, tied to a box when no one was home? A quick learner we got through that without too much trouble.

He was what is called damaged goods. You know how when a person talks they sometimes move their hands around? Imagine how sad it was when we realized what was happening below. There was this dog cowering with squinting eyes. Now what was done to him in his short life?! He never really got over that instinctive reaction to sudden arm movements near his face.
I have a feeling he snapped at someone's child and that was the last straw. He couldn't be trusted around other people's children which was so very annoying whenever we had company. He had to be away from the action as well as us and this always resulted in a very sad, distraught dog.

He was around five years old till he finally listened without it being a deal. He came when called and got over that game of running away when we approached him. Maybe it took that long for him to really believe we weren't going to hit him when he did come back.

At the age of three we adopted a puppy from our son's preschool friend. That little dog, Smudge, was the happiest little girl. Yankee adored her and they spent every waking moment together. Dogs are not meant to be alone and it is wonderful when a large part of their lives isn't spent just waiting for their owners to return.

We knew from Yankee's first vet check-up that we may have to deal with joint problems later in life. His one back leg was a bit straighter at the elbow joint than the other one. We managed to keep him at an acceptable weight to prevent undue strain on the joints, however wear and tear on his hip joints from hip dysplasia slowed him down by age ten.

Herbal supplements, massage and finally the drug Procardia kept him going for two more years.
We prayed we wouldn't have to play God and decide when his time with us would end. It was heartbreaking to watch how anxious he would get when he couldn't get up fast enough to get outside and realized he soiled himself in the house. By the end he was in diapers not just at night but all the time, so if I wasn't right there to help him up at least he wasn't laying in a mess.

Our most heartbreaking day was May 18, 2009 when he could no longer hold his weight at all. Moments like that become surreal and we just go through the motions of what has to be done.
Thinking back on the days when Yankee could do backflips against the door and fly across the lawn with agility, it would be selfish on my part to let him live in a body that has become a prison.

Happy times