Were you built for this?

Recently a discussion came up about a mobility service dog's requirements. A mobility service dog must be strong, tall, have a genetic history of good hips, eyes, etc. so dogs typically used would be labs, golden retrievers, poodles, etc. lots of large breed dogs with good temperaments come up. But when it was mentioned "maybe a smaller dog" the idea of a dachshund came up. 

Picture this with me..... A dachshund trying to be a mobility service dog to complete a task like helping a person up off the floor? Unless you're a foot tall, it'd be useless. Even then, a risky choice. During the discussion, I bent down and acted how silly it would be for a dachshund to be a mobility service animal. A dachshund isn't made for this job. They wouldn't be of much help to their human in this specific job.  

A dachshund was bred to be low to the ground to hunt small prey and get in burrows. A dachshund can be fierce and it had to be for its job of hunting badgers. But a mobility service dog? Not among its likely job titles. They're known for a bad back, and trying to stand with the assistance of one? You'd hurt yourself and the dog at the same time. But a family dog? Elderly companion? Hunting ground prey? A dachshund would be a wonderful match. 

It got me thinking, we are all built for certain things, sometimes many jobs, sometimes a select few, but we're built with a purpose. I'm not geared toward hard sciences, I enjoyed them, but there's nothing about biology or chemistry that makes me want to wake up in the morning. I think the people who want to make medicines, vaccines, cures for cancer, etc. are amazing, I'm glad they were built for that purpose. But finding me in a lab coat? Not likely. I wake up and want to help people, I often do that through being a listening ear, baking, and cooking while problems seem to melt away. 

I know in a time of "you can do and be anything" you can be, but should you be? Are you built for it? You might be able to do aspects of the job, but, is it your best fit? Are you a dachshund trying to be a lab qualifying for being a service dog? 

I know that I'm overwhelmed with the prospects of what might be my "next" chapter. I've had passions for lots of things in life, and when the first career path didn't pan out like I thought, I've been slowly building pressure on myself for the past 3 years since I've not done what I got a whole degree for. 

I don't want this to come off as dismissive and discouraging, but I know recently I've felt the undue pressure of "I have to be able to do it all and do it all to a perfect standard." I'm finding my way in a new role as a wife, re-learning my job, dog parent, and dealing with the crazy life throws at us all. Now, I know some of it (okay all of it) is pressure I've put on myself to rise to this unknown standard of perfection I've set for myself. I have two supportive families, a supportive husband, and friends, all of whom would do anything if I asked. But I've not been asking for help, and I normally don't until a breakdown and feeling backed into a corner come into play. 

To come back to my original analogy, I'm a puppy in training, I feel like I've failed out of my job. I've gone back to get re-evaluated for a new job. A "mobility service dog" I am not, but I could still be a bomb dog, an emotional support animal, therapy dog, or so many other jobs, just because I've found a no, doesn't mean there's not a yes somewhere in the future. It doesn't even mean that it's a forever no. Technology could change and dachshunds could be the future of service animals by operating robots that help, who knows.

I write this to hopefully encourage someone else. Your friend might be the best, most apt labrador that passed their training and was matched with the perfect handler right out the gate (for those not in service dog circles, they've got it all together first round). It's easy to play the comparison game in a world where the highlight reels of everyone's lives are the only thing we see. We don't see the failure, getting sent back to the training center to try and figure out what else we can do because it's not the glamorous side of life. That's okay, but just remember, just because it's not for you, doesn't mean that it equals your failure as an overall being, the two are not mutually exclusive. In a world where you can be anything, it'd be a travesty to box yourself into thinking you can only be one thing that you just weren't built for. (I'm preaching to the choir here)

So if you're a dachshund, don't be sad when they say that a mobility service dog isn't for you, it might've been your dream, but maybe the death of one dream gives way for a new dream to rise.