Nothing but Chaos

 

     It did not take long at all for Copper's personality to fully blossom.  This was great because it seemed that he was feeling comfortable and happy but the downside was that I was realizing his personality was completely opposite from mine.  I'm a person who values my peace and quiet greatly as well as my personal space.  The dogs I grew up with were mostly relaxed and they knew when it was playtime and when it wasn't.  My previous dog, Caine, was also very relaxed and our personalities were a match made in heaven. But Copper? He was (and still is) a wild child.  

Tissue box remains, courtesy of Copper

    Copper's personality is a bit difficult to put into words so the best way I can describe it is to compare him to Taz from the Looney Tunes.  My friends and family describe him as chaotic, unpredictable, clueless, dramatic, mischievous, and energetic.  He went through a phase where he would eat any and everything he could find.  He would eat trash from the trashcan and would even get into my clothes hamper and swallow socks or underwear. When he was about 4-5 months old he had even swallowed a squeaky toy and needed surgery to get it removed.  He had many vet visits in his early life due to him having an upset stomach from swallowing random things. Luckily, he's pretty much outgrown that phase although every now and then he'll still steal a tissue or something out of my trash.  

 

     Some of Copper's favorite things to do are chasing his tail for ridiculously long periods of time, sniffing and trying to jump on strangers during walks, and getting the zoomies every night.  There was a day recently where he chased his tail for almost 20 minutes and then immediately after, grabbed his tennis ball from his toy bin and started doing full sprints around the apartment.  He gets in trouble because of this sometimes since he completely loses control of himself.  He also gets into trouble because of his nose.  Since he's part hound, he tends to use his nose to navigate which often leads to him getting into things that he shouldn't.  His nose also causes him to get distracted very easily.  Once he picks up on a scent he doesn't care about anything else which can be extremely frustrating because he is never paying attention to anything.  Though he can be a trouble-maker, Copper is a still a very friendly and playful boy but unfortunately this makes it difficult when we go outside for our walks.  Once he sees a person walking by he starts to bounce around and get excited especially if he recognizes that someone knows me.  He just wants to be friends but he doesn't seem to understand that not everyone enjoys a big dog jumping at them and he has startled quite a few people.  He has put me in too many social situations that I didn't want to be in.  

    It can honestly be so embarrassing for me sometimes when I take him outside.  I never know how he's going to act and usually he ends up acting like a fool.  When he behaves like this in public it can be fun and silly but he can also trigger anxiety attacks for me because he draws so much attention to himself and to me.  Recently, I was walking him at night and there was two people behind me and while I was trying to move out of their way Copper saw a stray cat and lost his mind.  I felt trapped in that moment because I couldn't move forward or he'd try to run to the cat but I also couldn't turn around because he would bother the people walking behind me.  I was embarrassed, overwhelmed, and I was feeling very on edge after this happened.  When these situations happen though he always comes to me and apologizes in his own way and gives me lots of love to help me feel better.  I know he doesn't mean any harm. 

    Our differences can definitely lead to difficulties in our day to day lives but I've grown to appreciate his shenanigans in a way.  Even though he's not what I was expecting from an emotional support dog, he's still helped me in so many ways.  He gets me out of bed every morning and makes me be more active, he's helped me work on becoming more patient, and he's also helped me see that tough times don't last forever.  Copper always knows how to make me laugh and smile when I'm feeling down and he distracts me from the things going on in my head.  I really can't imagine what my life would be like without my dumb, happy boy.