Despite Skitter’s near-constant skittishness, she goes all lovey and kissy if my face gets within two inches of her face. I don’t mind. I just have to wash my face about 9 times a day.
You’ve heard of love/hate relationships? Well, Skitter has a love/fear relationship with most of the things and activities in her life. As I’ve mentioned before, Skitter is askeered of loud noises; sudden movements; anything that moves by itself—be it gadget or human; all other animals; any humans who aren’t me, Mom, or Suzanne; falling leaves; leaves on trees; light; darkness; wind; rain; the vacuum; the car; the truck; the bicycle; the electric recliner; the toaster; the mailbox; and the tv being off. Those are just a few of the things that scare her. And yet, she is a happy dog.
For example, we took Skitter on our walk with us last evening. She was giddy when I got her harness down off the hook and put it on her. She was excited as we headed out the front door. There’s no denying she wanted to go with us, and she ultimately pranced the whole walk. But as she pranced, she also shook and carried her tail between her legs for the entirety of our trek. She had her tail tucked under her belly so tightly that I had to kneel down to double-check to see if it was still attached to her. It was still there, making Skitter’s undercarriage look like she had a muffler. She had a boatload of fun, despite her terror. She says she can’t wait to go with us again.