Nothing to fear but...

We're told that there are self-help books that have been written about fears. Some, we understand, deal with a fear of insects or vermin or lawyers...the last two are the same book, we think. And, there are self-help books that can help you overcome other kinds of anxiety, like stress from your job or financial worries. We also heard about a book that is for people who are afraid to go in airplanes, called "Fear of Flying". What, we're too young to read it? Really?

Anyway, the point is everyone has fears, from the smallest creatures, like squirrels, to the largest ones, like giant squirrels. And, we two, too, have things that make us nervous.

Izzi, for example, gets very scared when the weather turns bad. As we've written about before, when the skies darken and the rain comes, or when there is loud thunder or bright lightening (or all three), Izzi starts to shake and wants to find a quiet place to live until it passes. She has her pretty pink and white jacket that she wears during the bad weather to make her feel a little better (Rozi has tried it on once or twice, and feels that the wide stripes make her look fat, so she doesn't wear it that often).

And, of course, both of us get a little - um - anxious when someone comes into our home, since we're not sure what they will do to us and our family, and plus they might be squirrels in disguise.  So, fears are natural, and reactions to them should be treated with respect, and - if necessary - Valium.

But, there has been a surprising turn of events in our home over the last few days, and it's not something that we saw coming: Rozi is afraid of the stairs!

The scary view from below

And, the most amazing part of it is how suddenly this new phobia developed. Just two days ago, Rozi was going up and down the stairs to the bedroom several times a day. Sometimes to visit whomever was up there, sometimes to see if there was any food left around that she could help clean up (making sure the family's fear of mice was dampened), and sometimes she just wanted to visit the loo (we were watching an Animal Planet about Old English sheepdogs and our speech has taken on an affectation).

Then, a near-disaster happened: Rozi slipped going down the stairs! The stairs, which until recently, were nice and comfy on our feet became slippery ice-like hazards a few months ago and it's really remarkable that there haven't been more near-misses. Well, Rozi ended up in a heap at the landing, then bravely limped off to the living room where she began to shake but lick her back leg. She was given immediate care by Dr. Mama, M.D., and seemed to recover well enough. But, what was missed during the d.o.g. scan was not the physical damage done to Rozi, but the psychological damage.

The somewhat less scary view from above

And, it is that psychological damage, we believe that has led to Rozi's new-found fear of the steps. She refused to come up them last night, choosing instead to stay at the bottom of the stairs, singing a song filled with woe (and whines. and barks.) When an attempt was made to bring her up the stairs manually, she ran away, a great sign because she was in high enough spirits to want to play! But, after a short while, she relented, and was carried up the stairs, like a spoiled little princess. Not that Izzi is jealous, mind you, but she was the one who wrote that last sentence.

So, it was hoped that the stair-o-phobia was a short term disorder, and that little Rozi would forget about it come morning. But, when morning came and Rozi waddled her way carefully down the stairs, she found herself stuck at the bottom when she wanted to return. And, again, the only way she was successful was to be carried.

Now, it has been more than 36 hours since she's made it to the top by herself, even though she has been enticed with bones, greenies (a treat, not a drug... and please try to keep you mind out of the gutter as you read this), and cheerios. She has been able to make it part of the way up, but then stops once realizing that she's on the slippery hard surface. This is a tragedy of squirrel-invasion type proportions.

At rest, trying to deal with her fear.

The one hope, the only hope, is that the people we allow to live with us will understand the problems that they have caused with their mean old stairs, and find a way to cushion them. Perhaps (and only "perhaps"), this will make it easier for Rozi to overcome her fear, and return once again to climbing all of the stairs herself.

Then again, it could just be that her little legs can't get her big body moving that well.

Yip, Yip, Yip, Arf.
Izzi and Rozi