Adjustments for Winnie

A few months ago my husband Houston and I made the decision to move from our farm back to downtown Corsicana. After almost three years of living full-time on our 21 acre property, I have realized the importance of finding an environment where I can thrive. My happy place is in our small town, connecting with friends and collaborating with other creatives. As much as I love our farm and hosting guests, for my mental health, home base needs to be in town. 

Both Houston and I have been excited about this upcoming move. I think I in particular have been looking so forward to it that I haven’t stopped to think about the adjustments that will have to be made. Sure, we’ve calculated the physical and financial costs of driving back and forth twice a day to the farm until we have someone living on the property helping us with chores and projects. But beyond that, I haven’t thought much. After all, we’ve lived downtown before, and so has our oldest pup Dewey. But Winnie, our one and a half year old Boxer mix has not. 

Life has been so busy lately that I haven’t stopped to think about the enormous change that is in store for Winnie. Besides a brief stint with a foster family prior to adopting her, all Winnie has ever known is the farm. In preparation for our move, I’ve begun to acclimate our dogs to walking on leash, on the sidewalk. Sounds simple enough, right? And Dewey is doing great. But for Winnie it’s proving to be especially challenging. There are so many new things to get used to and situations to experience. 

Statues - Winnie is not a fan. She’s great with live people, but those life size bronze statues wielding a football or an ax or other tool?  She barks like crazy and pulls at the leash trying to get away from them. 

Potty spots - Winnie is proving to be a potty diva and won’t go just anywhere. She waits until we get to a grassy area, which takes a while. She’s searching for the scent of where she previously went, but not finding it.

I’ve always believed that we can learn so much from dogs. They intuitively know when to work, rest and play. But when it comes to new experiences, they need us as humans to calm, reassure and train. Even though I know the statues around town pose no threat and there are new and unexplored, safe areas for pottying, she doesn’t. But with a little patience and training, I’m hoping I can get that message across to Winnie. 

This piece first appeared in Sherry’s column, Finding Myself in a Small Town, in the April 27, 2024 edition of the Corsicana Daily Sun.