The Terribly Awful No Good Very Bad Day (Remix)
Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn-Anonymous
In that moment, I understood that finding the right harness for Sheila was akin to hunting for the perfect bra. You seek one that supports without restricting, one that empowers you to face anything. It was more than a matter of comfort; for a dog like Sheila, the right fit was crucial for survival. Just as the right bra makes all the difference, so does the right harness. What had happened was…
Well Fitted Bra vs. Well Fitted Harness
Support without restricting and is uplifting
I remember the day clearly, as if it were yesterday. It was one of those perfect fall days in Pittsburgh, where the air is crisp, the sky is that deep, endless blue, and the leaves are painting the world in vibrant hues of yellow, red, and orange. The kind of day that makes you feel alive, that fills you with a sense of possibility. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that with dogs, possibility often means potential for chaos.
Our mission that day was simple—or so I thought. Sheila, our lovable yet completely unhinged cattle dog, needed a routine vet checkup and her shots. No big deal, right? Wrong. You see, Sheila’s a bit of a Houdini when it comes to harnesses, and this day would prove to be her most daring escape yet.
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My youngest, who had spent years training to be a vet before abruptly deciding that she liked people after all and switching to geriatric psychology, was off in Canada on a missionary assignment. That left just me and my oldest, to wrangle this furry whirlwind. We’d done this before, and with a little teamwork, we were confident we could handle it. After all, how hard could it be? Famous last words.
The first sign of trouble was the harness itself. I’d warned them this one was too big, but no one listened. The old one was a bit snug, so we opted for the larger size. Big mistake. We hadn’t even made it to the front door of Penn Animal, when Sheila, in all her hyperactive glory, decided that today would be the day to showcase her escape artistry.
Like a scene from a WWE Smackdown, Sheila launched herself at another dog who was also there for a visit, she wriggled and twisted until—voila! —she was out. There was no stopping her. The other dog wasn’t having it, she did NOT want to play. So, there was an entanglement. My oldest and I, in a panic, dove on her, desperately trying to get the harness back on before she bolted down the street or, worse, found another dog to “play” with. But Sheila, with the agility of a seasoned wrestler, dodged, ducked, and rolled, leaving us gasping for breath and wondering what on earth we’d gotten ourselves into.
At one point, there we were—My oldest and I, both on the ground, wrestling this 40-pound bundle of energy while Sheila did everything in her power to escape our grasp. It was like trying to hold onto a greased pig at the county fair, and I could feel my energy draining by the second.
Meanwhile, Sheila, thinking this was all part of some grand game, had a look of sheer joy on her face. For her, this was the best day ever. For us, it was a nightmare. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of rolling, twisting, and cursing our decision to get a bigger harness, we managed to secure it back on her. Breathing heavily, we sat on the sidewalk, defeated but victorious, as Sheila wagged her tail, ready for round two.
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And that’s when it hit me—can a pet cause PTSD? Because if they can, Sheila was well on her way to doing just that.
In the end, we got Sheila into the vet’s office—through the back door, which we still use to this day—though not without a few new bruises and a renewed sense of humility. I glanced at my daughter as we drove home, both of us too tired to speak, and thought about how much we do for the ones we love—even when they drive us to the brink of insanity.
Although, like Houdini in fur, Sheila slipped out of her harness, but she never slipped out of our hearts. And on that beautiful fall day, we learned that love, much like a well-fitted harness or a good bra, is all about the support you find—even in the most chaotic moments.
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To be continued… Will be comparing and reviewing harnesses. Like a lot of us, my first harness was a recommendation by a fellow dog walker who noticed her pulling a lot. So, this incidental influencer helped us make a excellent buying decision.