Frankly my dear, the Bray family gave a damn about their dear poodle, Scarlett. Scarlett is a 4 and a half year old poodle with a wonderful personality.
Here she is:
Scarlett
I’ve never had such a large audience for a reading. Scarlett’s family of five crowded around the coffee table at Sellwood Dog Supply to hear what Scarlett would say.
First, I asked Scarlett if I could talk with her. She said “Yes”. She was excited to talk with her family, and she felt special that her family wanted to talk with her.
I did a body scan on Scarlett to see if there was anything that hurt. She is a healthy active poodle with a little darkness on her throat. It seems like something may be wrong with her thyroid, so I asked Scarlett’s family to keep an eye on it.
Julia Bray, one of the daughters, had written up a list of questions for Scarlett. The first question was “Is she happy and is there anything she wants?”
Scarlett immediately replied that yes, she was happy, but that she wanted “a little one.” I asked if she wanted a puppy. “No, a kitty,” she said. She showed me a picture of a fluffy white and tan calico kitten walking across the back yard. Scarlett was walking by her, actively mothering her.
I told her family, “She wants a kitty.” Julia’s eyes went wide. “Oh my God!” she exclaimed.
She went on to explain that Scarlett has an unhealthy obsession with their cat, Tiger Lily.
Tiger Lily has been spending most of her time in the basement, because when she comes upstairs, Scarlett will not leave her alone. Scarlett will get to the point where she holds Tiger Lily down and mouths her neck.
I started to ask Scarlett about her thing for Tiger Lily when she shouted, “Why do you keep coming in and out like that?”
I told her that I was talking with her family, and she said, “Well, at least have the courtesy to tell me when you’re leaving.”
This dog just cracked me up.
Scarlett told me that she really likes Tiger Lily, and she’s sad that Tiger Lily doesn’t like her as much. Scarlett gets frustrated when Tiger Lily ignores her. So she just ups the ante until she finds herself nibbling on Tiger Lily.
Eleanor, another Bray daughter, opined that perhaps Scarlett was trying to pick up Tiger Lily, the way mother cats pick up their kittens. I think that’s probably exactly what she was doing.
Scarlett was surprised that she could hurt or actually kill Tiger Lily with her behavior. She hoped her family didn’t think that she wanted to kill her friend. It’s common that animals don’t realize their size, and their capabilities. To Scarlett, she’s just a bit bigger than Tiger Lily.
Scarlett and I talked about how to get Tiger Lily to be more accepting of her. We talked about standing at a distance, and letting Tiger Lily get comfortable. I let Scarlett know that it would probably take a few weeks for Tiger Lily to start liking Scarlett, and that she’d just have to be patient. Scarlett said she would try, and her family agreed to put her on a leash, and support her as she tried to make a friend.
Julia said, “I’d like to know what Scarlett thinks of me.”
Scarlett really likes Julia. She likes to play ball with Julia, but Julia is not home very often. Julia confirmed that she’s going to school in New York.
Scarlett’s mom, Jane, wanted to know what Scarlett thought of her doggie sister, Raven. Raven is an older poodle, who, like many poodles, thinks she’s human. Scarlett said that she likes her sister, but she thinks that she gets too much attention.
Julia asked Scarlett what attention looks like to her. Scarlett immediately responded that she wanted to be greeted first when the family gets home, and that she wants to be told how pretty she is. Scarlett said, “Strangers tell me all the time how beautiful I am.” She showed me strangers saying, “Oh! What a gorgeous dog.”
Scarlett said, “I want to hear it from my family. They know me best.”
After promises from Scarlett’s dad, that she’d get chicken and/or cookies if she came when called outside, Scarlett’s mom asked if she’d like to try agility again. Raven, her sister, has won every title possible. Scarlett had messed around with agility before, but didn’t seem interested. Scarlett asked, “What’s the point to running around on teeter-totters and such?”
I explained that it was a race to see who could perfectly run through the course, and the winner gets ribbons, and everyone watches to see who wins. Scarlett liked that idea. She’s a big picture kind of girl. She and her mom are going to try agility again.
I really enjoyed talking with Scarlett and her family. She cracked me up. I love to see a dog with a healthy sense of self. This gorgeous girly-girl knows exactly what she wants, and she has a family that dearly loves her. I hope that Tiger Lily comes around, and stops being afraid of the lovely Miss Scarlett.
Tonight, Julia emailed me, to tell me what happened when they arrived home and greeted Scarlett.
“I was so thrilled with the reading, and I’m sad that I’m back in NY for the summer away from my little poodle. When we came in last night we all greeted her and told her how beautiful she was (before Raven), and she was thrilled!”
