Barking Up the Wrong Tree

Squirrel hunting is serious business on our off-leash adventures. Perhaps it is because squirrels have the upper hand (or paw) in our encased yards and leashed environments. They have an uncanny ability to dash just behond the trajectory of a dog's reach, tormenting him or her with taunting chirps from the safety of their geometrically calculated position. Leashless adventures level the playing field, and the dogs know it!

Such was the case the other day when Lizzy flushed out a squirrel from its oblivious foraging activities. "Sqog!" was the battle cry, (my alert for Squirrel on Ground!). A bugle blast wouldn't have rallied the troops any faster! All six dogs materialized instantly at Lizzy's side to aid in the acquisition of this rare find. (I wouldn't assist in this fox-hunt-like activity except I know my dogs. Passionate but incompetent. No squirrel is ever hurt by their frantic efforts. Once a squirrel even fell out of a tree onto their heads and they were so shocked that they froze with indecision of what to do!) All bark but no bite. Literally.

With seven dogs barking at the base of the tree, to which the squirrel had scurried, you'd think one of them would have noticed that the squirrel had jumped ship for a better branch on another tree. It was long gone. The dogs' frenzied barking continued as if convinced that their frothing demands would induce a surrender. I tried to tell them that they were now "barking up the wrong tree," but to no avail. That squirrel must be there somewhere, intimidated by their bluster.

The scene transported me to my counseling couch where much 'barking' also took place over the years. Identifying many "Sqogs" with my clients, we did a lot of treeing of tormenting squirrels. Flushing out a squirrel was always exciting, and some degree of expressing anger, frustration, hurt and desire for revenge was very healing. The problem came, like with my dogs, when the squirrel was long gone, but the barking continued. The had moved on, but the compulsive need to keep up the vigil had shifted from productive to destructive. Convincing a canine, or a client of this futility was often, in itself, futile.

So let's ask ourselves this question. What am I barking at? Sqogs that need treeing, or squirrels that have long since exited the scene? Is it treeing time, or time to move on? I can't answer that question for you. I know I've wasted time at the base of the wrong tree for long stretches in my life, so who am I to sort that out for you? I do direct you to God for those answers though. He's seen the squirrels' tormenting activities and knows the hurts in your heart. There is a time for barking and a time to cease barking. Learn to listen to Him as you discern between the two in your life. He loves you and doesn't want you to waste the time and trauma of barking up the wrong tree.