I’ll be the first to admit it: I had a hard time bonding with Chester for the longest time. Yes, he was a great puppy. But he was just so much work. Yet we had a dog, before him, on trial adoption that I did bond with instantly.

Why was it so difficult with him? I think I’ve found some insight lately. After being away for a long weekend, while the dogs were bonded, we came home and Lola immediately got very sick: continuous vomiting, lethargy, mildly dehydrated. It was pretty scary.

And yes, I had to clean up lots & lots of vomit all over the house (sorry to you squeamish folk). But I never got frustrated — and I think that was one of the key differences: Chester, for all that he was often sick one way or another, never, ever acted sick. He always had plenty of enery — while constantly sucking away all of my energy, or so it seemed.

And yes, eventually we did bond. Until now, Lola hasn’t been nearly as much work. Even though she wasn’t housetrained, she is well on her way and it wasn’t as hard with her as it was with Chester.

I found with my cats, my bond definitely strengthened when they got so sick. It’s sad that it takes something like an illness to make you aware how very much you love them, but there you go. Taking care of a sick animal can be a very bonding experience.

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