When Love Bites

When Love Bites

The first week that One Fine Man and I were home from the hospital after his skiing accident in CO, our little Pekingese pup, Teddy, would not leave my husband’s side. Ted knew something was not as it should be with his master and he appointed himself as bodyguard.

Ted lay next to my husband’s injured leg, getting up only if One Fine Man got up. At first, Ted cocked his head at the crutches but after a thorough sniffing, he accepted their presence. He watched with quizzical interest as I changed the dressing on his master’s wound. Ted relinquished his happy-go-lucky “let’s go for another walk” mindset because it seemed now he had a real job. He lost interest in walks, toys, and everyone else UNLESS they got too close to One Fine Man’s left leg. For hours at a time, Ted lay next to OFM.

Every visitor was treated with suspicion. When our pastor and his wife came by the first evening we were home, Ted was on guard. He sat on the floor between our guests and his master. When our pastor moved forward to pray for One Fine Man, Ted was on alert, jumping to all fours and barking. Ted was “no respecter of [visitors]” and this behavior was repeated with each friend who dropped by.

Although Ted is not usually allowed on our bed, I made an exception and let him stay at One Fine Man’s side. One evening, it was getting late and I walked to the bedroom to get Ted for his nightly trip to the mailbox. There he lay at One Fine Man’s leg. As I went to scoop him off the bed, he bit me! Never had Ted bitten me before. I was shocked. And bleeding! As I rinsed my finger under the faucet, I felt my anger and confusion growing toward Ted. Why would he feel the need to protect One Fine Man from ME? Miffed, I banished Ted from the bed forever. No exceptions!

A couple of days later Ted “wrote” an apology to me. It was on a post-it note attached to the top of his paw. His ghost writer, Guitar Girl, delivered Ted to me, giggling over what a genius he was to have taken paw to paper. I didn’t at first accept Ted’s apology. Oh, I continued to feed him chicken and hamburger and put down fresh water. I washed his bowls, gave him a bath and took him for walks to the mailbox and beyond. But my heart was not in it because I was hurt.

Soon, however, Ted’s puppy dog eyes and wagging tail proved irresistible and I was back to loving Ted.

Since that incident I have considered how often I react like Ted and my “love bites.” Sometimes I protect my heart from the very ones I love the most. I would die for them. But some days it seems like too much work to be kind when I am dog-tired. Some days my love is snappish and short and I wonder do they feel the bared teeth in my service to them? I wash, cook, drive, assist, clean, listen, take up the slack…In my service to those I love, where is my heart? Does my love bite? So I take pen to paper and offer an apology. “I’m sorry I bit you. Please forgive me. I love you.”