CYNOPHOBIA

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger

Being 18, soon to be 19, year old boy with CP has given me the opportunity to come across some interesting adventures in some of the strangest places. In fact you wouldn’t even think that simple day to day events would give me such amazing adventures.

Just like a few days ago, I was laying peacefully in my bed, when my mom came into my room and says, “Kyle, you have to get up. The people from the wheelchair company are coming to look at your chair. And they are going to be here very soon.”

So, I had to get up. We started scurrying about the house, getting dress, eating breakfast, and of course for me drinking coffee. My mom hands me a washcloth when she notices a white van in the driveway.

Yep! It was the people from the wheelchair place. We have been doing business with them for a really long time. The company has gone through many changes over the years. None of them have been very helpful to us, but unfortunately they are the only company that serves our area.

Anyway, my mom lets out a sigh and announces, “They are here!.” and went out the front door to meet them.

Apparently, the guy was deathly afraid of dogs. Sadly for him, we have two dogs.

Our dogs are super friendly and wouldn’t hurt anyone. They love when we have guests, because they greet them right at their cars. Meg is a Great Pyrenees Anatolian Shepherd mix. She is about the size of a small pony and likes to show off her treasures that she has found. As you can imagine her treasures can be pretty large. With one lick, she will soak your hand, arm, or whatever she has licked. She is a big baby, and loves to lean against you and snuggle as you walk towards the front door. And there is Frost. He is a lot smaller than Meg. I’m not sure what kind of dog he is. He could be some sort of herding lap dog, because he is quick to climb inside the car to get into your lap, and then he likes to herd us towards the front door. He will walk in front of us and will keep stopping every little bit to check to see if we are following him. Both of them can be a little annoying, but neither of them has ever been mean to anyone.

But the service man was scared and wouldn’t get out of his van. My mom tried to coax the dogs away from the van. It was a real challenge, because all they really wanted to do was to say hello to our visitor. Meg even had her special treasure to show him, but he was not interested. My mom eventually got them to come and sit with her on the porch swing. However it didn’t take long before Frost lost interest in my mom. He wanted to check out the person in the van. My mom tried to call him back, but the temptation of our visitor was too much.

Both of them headed towards the van. My mom chased them. She grabbed Frost by the collar. Meg just dropped in front of her and rolled over onto her back. As my mom held onto Frost and petted Meg, she motioned for the guy to get out of his van.

Sheepishly the man inched out of the van. My mom didn’t know how much longer she could keep holding onto the dogs. And cautiously the man walked towards our front door. Once he was inside the house, my mom let Frost go.

The man greeted us as mom came into the house. It didn’t take long before he started to talk about his own dog. I was shocked. He HAS a DOG! Then I found out it was a Pitbull Mastiff mix!

What!

That seems like one of the most dangerous dog you could have. But he just beamed with delight as he talked about his dog. He told us that her name was Dawn, because she reminded him of the morning sun. I was dumbfounded. I didn’t understand why he was afraid of dogs when he had a dog. This made no sense to me.

Finally, he was done with my chair. But when mom looked out the window, she saw both of our dogs lying beside the guy’s van. Frost was on the side closest to us and Meg was on the other.

This time my mom thought she’d be smart. She would tempt them with treats. Both Frost and Meg were excited about the treats. Frost eagerly snatched it out of my mom’s hand, but then quickly spit it out onto the ground.

He looked up at her as to say, “Yuk! What did you just give to me?”

But Meg didn’t care, she gobbled it up. Frost wasn’t impressed with the treats at all. My mom kept giving them to him and he kept spitting them out. Meg was having a great feast.
As this was going on, the man quickly and quietly left. My mom was so relieved that the whole adventure was over.

Well at least for the moment, but….HE WILL BE BACK. And I wonder what adventure awaits when he returns.

Who would have known that a man looking at my chair would have brought such an adventure! Or maybe everyday is an adventure. It is all how you choose to look at it. Writing my articles have taught me that so many times the smallest things in life can be an adventure only if you look for them.

This is Life with Kyle and I will talk to you next week