There are three sentences Jon and I speak to each other that always send Chuck moping out of the room because he’s worried about the implications:
“What’s wrong?”
“Are you okay?”
“Oh God, that feels so good.”
My next piece about “The Dog Whisperer” is up at Alpha mom:
“It is in a dog’s nature to follow, and when they feel that their leader is weak or anxious they will inevitably develop problems. At the height of my postpartum depression I often yelled violently and threw things in frustration — keys, bottles of water, burning candles — and Chuck was always nearby to see me breaking down. He saw his leader being weak, and because of this he often feels like it is his responsibility, his burden to watch out for everybody else. That stress changed him and explains why he frequently escapes to the basement to listen to Bauhaus.”