Ways past emotional abuse shows up in my current dog ownership responses

As a sensitive young woman with a sensitive dog, figuring out where some of my difficulties stem from—and how to be kind to myself—has gone a long way.

This upcoming week I’m marrying the single greatest person I’ve ever known. No words feel appropriate except an all-caps EEEEK!

I could literally not be more excited to enter this next commitment with Sean (and to have our cattle dog involved in the celebration). It’s been a delightfully smooth planning process. And I think the lack of constant stress about minute details might be part of why I’ve had so much time to reflect on my previous relationship.

Here’s some journaling on how emotional abuse as a teenager has colored my dog ownership journey as an adult.