Maybe the Dog Needs Prozac

– Posted in: Depression, Dogs, Illustrated by Me, Jasper, Tammy Thinks

While it’s true I often wallow in a pit of despair rivaled only by that underground torture chamber occupied by the consumptive albino in The Princess Bride, I think it’s possible that this week, I may have outdone myself.

I actually depressed the dog.

Jasper is perhaps the happiest being on earth. We joke that if Dementors (those creepy dead things from Harry Potter that destroy all your joy and suck out your soul) ever encountered Jasper, they’d just keep sucking and sucking because they’d never be able to absorb all of his “happy.”

cartoon of Jasper and the Dementor

Newt drew this.

But the last couple of days, Jasper was positively sullen. I practically had to drag him out of bed in the morning. He laid in the back seat of the car while I went into Target and didn’t even bother to look up when I clicked the doors open. And when the lady at the drive thru gave him a dog biscuit, I could almost hear him say, “Meh.”

I’ve had several theories about his shift from bowl half full to bowl half empty.

  1. He’s been living with us for more than a year, and like our children, we’ve managed to take an energetic, go-getting morning lover and mold him into a sluggish, cranky night owl.
  2. He suffers from seasonal affective disorder and our one overcast day threw him into a deep depression. He is half Finnish* — I hear the Finns are pretty dark people.
  3. All the energy from his body was going toward digesting the chicken carcass he’d swiped from the garbage can. My husband came downstairs in the morning to find trash everywhere and thought raccoons had gotten in. Unfortunately for Jasper, he left behind some fur. Clearly he needs to watch more CSI.

I want to believe it’s all about the chicken. I’d hate to think that my karmic footprint is so strong that it could actually stomp down the world’s happiest dog. Especially when on most days, he’s the one that fills me up with so much joy.

And I haven’t even tried to suck out his soul.

Jasper the World's Happiest Dog

And, yeah, I drew this one.

*Jasper is half yellow Lab and half Finnish Lapphund. We’re partial to mixed breeds in our house.

10 Comments… add one

Cheryl S. October 11, 2013, 5:05 pm

LOVE the drawings!! Very good! I couldn’t do that. I would have stick dogs.

Maybe his tummy was upset? I don’t think you have more negativity than a dementor.

Tammy October 12, 2013, 12:28 am

Aw! Thanks. The mark of a good friend is one who thinks you rise above dementors…

Verity October 11, 2013, 10:45 pm

Oh my gosh – he got in the trash can! What a stinker. I think it was the carcass. Or, if have had suitcases out, he probably thinks you will be abandoning him. That happened with me with Lucky, when I was just organizing the closets. He moped around, getting underfoot, all needy and shit. As soon as I put the suitcases back, he was fine. Dogs are awesome, really: they get to act the way we want to act if we didn’t sensor ourselves.

Tammy October 12, 2013, 12:29 am

Damn! I forgot about the suitcases. That could actually be it. You’re a dog genius whisperer person!

Andrea October 27, 2013, 2:48 pm

Oh, no! I hope he’s okay. 🙂
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Tammy October 28, 2013, 12:17 pm

He’s recovered just fine. Although he apparently has some trouble sleeping — he likes to wake me up in the middle of the night, just to say hello. So considerate.

Cher November 15, 2013, 5:05 pm

Oh my gosh, our dog gets sad on rainy, overcast days also. He mopes around and it is all he can do to get out of bed!! He would be much happier in a place where it is always sunny and warm!
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Tammy November 21, 2013, 11:45 am

You should move to Nevada! We have mostly sunny days. Good thing for Jasper, right?

Elle November 15, 2013, 7:08 pm

You might have had a sad dog for a day Tammy but you have a very happy reader, if that helps remove all ideas of dementors. Love your sense of humour and those drawings are so special.

I thought I might have to confirm I am not a dementor as opposed to a spammer before posting this!
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Tammy November 21, 2013, 11:46 am

Thanks Elle!

Yeah, that’s what I need — an anti-dementor filter. I think that would keep the spammers out too.

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