Another 'Small' Thing to be Thankful For

Today Chris got his eyes examined and Mercy came to the appointment with us. As we were leaving, I took Chris and Mercy over to the waiting area while I went to the counter to pay the bill. Normally I don't let go of Mercy, but the room was almost empty and there were several doors to go through before going outside. There were only two people sitting in the waiting room and I could sense that they were dog-friendly. Besides, Mercy was really into 'lapping' him today for some reason, so I made sure he had a good hold of her while she sprawled across his lap and I went over to pay the bill. As I waited for my card to be ran, I looked over at where they were sitting (about 20 or so feet away) and I heard a lady asking him what his dog's name was. I automatically tensed - I always dreaded that moment, because I knew he would probably not answer, or if he did it may not be understandable. He would probably stim or get up and run to me. Now that he was 12, it was awkward to say the least.
But then I heard it. In a clear and almost confident voice he told her his dog's name. He was smiling like any friendly 12 year old, patting and hugging Mercy when the lady asked him if they were best buddies and once again he answered her clearly: "Yes!" His tone may have been flat, but his face was lit with joy.
I don't think I have ever seen him interact with someone he didn't know that easily and naturally before. So this year I am thankful for one of my biggest blessings: a lovable, silly, 70 pound dog with a coat and a heart of gold- as well as all of the people that made it happen.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Still Amazed....

Just when I thought I was getting used to our incredible dog Mercy, little things happen that simply blow me away. Both times I wished I had a video handy to catch it.
As many of you know we have two 4 Paws dogs. Along with Mercy we have one of their breeding dogs, a beautiful but energetic rough coated collie named Keeva. We are currently working on a bad habit she has of jumping up - especially on Chris. Well, apparently Mercy has sensed our frustration and has on two occasions literally taken matters into her own paws. Two times when Keeva has jumped up on Chris, Mercy has actually come up behind her, wrapped her paws around her middle and pulled her off of him. The first time I saw it I thought she was just horsing around and playing, but the next time I noticed that her expression was not playful, it wasn't aggressive either - it was just 'determined'. Once she removed the troublesome dog, she stood next to Chris as if to tell Keeva "Knock it off". Then the next day I was sitting on the couch with Keeva laying over my lap while I brushed her. Suddenly Keeva starting licking my face in her 'extreme doggie kissing' mode and it is actually hard to breathe when she does this - she is SO quick! It is something you almost have to see to totally understand. If you have ever seen the Marmaduke cartoons where his owner is sprawled on the floor getting plastered with dog kisses you might have an idea. I was laughing, trying to breathe and trying to tell her to stop when Mercy came out of nowhere and 'pulled' her off of me like I was in mortal danger! What makes this really hard to believe is that Mercy is so passive she will let Keeva take all of her food and any of her toys - but when it comes to her 'peeps', Mercy is standing her ground. She reminded me of a school marm watching over the playground.
But that wasn't all, this is by far the most touching. The other night her boy was away from home without her and he was having a very bad day. He called me on Facetime (this is a video call for those that don't have IPhones) and began to get upset- he was headed for the 'meltdown zone', he had been having a very high anxiety day. All of a sudden Mercy was right next to me with a confused expression and looking for her boy, ready to comfort him. Finally she saw his face on the screen and began to lick the phone and to paw at it. Even miles away her magic was taking hold, the crying slowed and after a sniffle I heard her boy ask while starting to giggle: "Is she REALLY licking the phone?"
Small things true, but still amazing.