The Strength Card and the Lessons of Puppy Ownership

Taming chaos that comes with the puppy blues with companionship!

Chewie looking for a treat.

If you have ever owned a puppy, you know that puppy ownership is idealized as all cuddles, playful moments, and unconditional love.

Sure, that may be part of it, but the reality is far more complex. You wouldn't know unless you had a puppy.

And you know that true companionship with pets requires patience, resilience, and emotional strength, represented by the Strength card in the tarot.

This card shows us endurance is not about force but about calm, persistence, and compassionate guidance.

My journey with Chewie, the energetic cockapoo, really tested these qualities.

What was to be an exciting new chapter of my life soon turned out to be an exercise in patience.

Challenges and doubts taught me true strength lies in patience, trust, and unwavering love.

The Strength Card: A Symbol of Patience and Endurance

A depiction of the Strength tarot card generated by DALL-E.

The Strength card in the tarot perhaps holds one of the deepest manifestations of inner strength.

Unlike The Chariot's raw force or The Emperor's commanding power, Strength is about gentle control.

It speaks to patience, emotional fortitude, and the ability to navigate adversity through love and perseverance rather than brute will.

The image on this card, Strength, is that of a woman peacefully taming a lion. She does not brutalize the beast but tames him with compassion, understanding, and confidence.

This card reminds us that our true strength is not about overpowering obstacles but about working in harmony with them.

The card represents the ability to navigate challenges with grace, understanding that patience and perseverance yield far better results than aggression or frustration.

In life, we have those moments that test our emotional strength.

It does not matter if it's tending to personal struggles, interacting with people, or even housebreaking a boisterous puppy.

The messages of Strength apply to all of that.

To stay calm, find a balance between firm yet compassionate, and finally trust in the process.

The Strength card can be said to guide you in approaching any new undertaking that requires consistent effort.

It conveys the lesson of endurance - that it is not simply a matter of making one's way through hardship but rather of adopting a disposition that renders struggle non-destructive.

This is made particularly clear in the journey of owning puppies, where patience is truly a virtue and often a requirement. It is not easy!

The Real Highs and Lows of Puppy Ownership

I finally welcomed Chewie home in September 2023, a fluffy bundle of joy I'd wanted to bring into my home for quite some time.

My desire for a puppy started in the spring of 2023 as my family and I ventured to the UK and Ireland sans any pet responsibilities.

We had lost our dearly beloved Bichon Frise, Brady, to oral cancer and heart failure in December 2022.

RIP sweet Brady.

That was a very painful period. Only a month earlier, one of my close friends and writing clients, my age, passed away suddenly due to RSV.

I was diagnosed with diabetes simultaneously. The times were turbulent and not very easy, at least.

And then on September 16th, 2023, Chewie the cockapoo puppy, joined the family.

The house was immediately filled with the cute sounds of tiny paws and playful yips, and I was overjoyed - at first.

I had envisioned just such a perfect scenario: snuggles, playtime, and bonding from day one.

Well, it didn't take very long for reality to kick in.

The non-stop energy of that little puppy, which had initially overwhelmed me, soon turned into exhaustion.

Ugh! The continuous barking, accidents on the floor, and ripped furniture quickly changed my home into a battlefield.

Of course, things really took a turn for the worse when Chewie resisted crate training. And his nightly howls kept us awake.

After advice from a dog trainer, we jettisoned the crate, and he gradually started sleeping through the night with my husband.

That was a big relief. However, doubt and frustration had me wondering whether I'd made the right decision.

I found myself missing Brady even more, and sometimes, I felt so disconnected from Chewie.

I feel so bad when I think about that now. But, I was really struggling to embrace this new chapter in pet ownership.

However, things are great now as he is no longer a puppy and has turned into a great dog!

Chewie ready to play!

Strength and Puppy Ownership: A Perfect Parallel

The experience of rearing a puppy is so akin to what the Strength card has to teach us.

In the same way that the female of the card does not violently overpower the lion, she patiently endures him.

Similarly, one cannot train a puppy by yelling at him nor by displays of anger.

Success will involve a mix of discipline and affection.

Therefore, you are firm yet gentle, correcting yet not breaking his spirit, rhythm between structure and understanding.

But like the lion in the Strength card, a puppy is not to be conquered.

They have their own instincts, their own fears, and their own emotions. They need guidance, not domination.

This then becomes a lesson in real strength being a matter of patience and perseverance.

And that is only then can true strength be found.

Just as the Strength card urges us to handle life's difficulties with grace, puppy ownership teaches us to remain steady in the face of challenges.

The emotional endurance required to raise a puppy is no different from the kind we need in many other aspects of life.

Whether it be personal hardships, difficult relationships, or even creative blocks, the principles remain the same.

Strength is about showing up every day, even when things are hard. It's about choosing patience when frustration seems like the easier option.

It's about maintaining composure and trusting that the hard work will eventually pay off.

Raising a puppy is so much a journey of growth and self-discovery in many ways.

These challenges force you to be more present, flexible, and compassionate.

They teach you that just as frustrating moments may be joyful, progress comes slowly and is rewarding.

Just as the Strength card reminds us to approach challenges with love and patience, so too does the journey of puppy ownership.

It remind us that endurance is best paired with kindness.

Conclusion

The Strength card and ownership of a puppy share a deep core in driving home lessons.

Both require you to be patient, resilient, and to understand that true power comes from within.

Remaining stable in tough times, leading without domination, and believing that progress is made through small steps are essential themes shared by both experiences.

Whether this be a wild lion or a misbehaving puppy, the message is loud and clear: strength does not lie in overpowering but in loving guidance.

In embracing this lesson, we come to be far better companions for our pets. We also can become just more patient in general in life.

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