It Doesn’t “Just Happen”: Solving Problems Early - a podcast by Ty Brown

Tomorrow, I’m going to the dentist for a root canal. I’ve never had one before. I feel lucky that, in my entire life, I’ve only had one cavity. All those years ago, when I was eighteen, I got the cavity filled and then I didn’t think about it for the next fifteen or twenty years. As time has gone on, around that filling in the back of my mouth, the tooth has started to decay.

This is perfectly normal. In fact, it’s probably been going on for a long time without my awareness. I go back in my mind, I’ve been wondering when I started to notice the pain. I have brief memories from as long as a year ago of drinking a cold or warm drink, or eating something sugary, and noticing that it hurt. But then it went away, and I didn't think about it. Then one day, out of the blue, I was in enormous pain! I realized I had to act right then because it was hurting like crazy. So of course I went to the dentist, who told me that I needed a root canal. I’m a little terrified at the idea of needles on my gums, so I’m not looking forward to it at all!

Here’s where I’m going with this: I see that this pattern a lot in the way that people approach their dog ownership endeavors. They often notice small things occurring with their dog, but don’t recognize their significance. I didn't register a bit of tooth pain every now and then, and if I did notice it I just didn't attach any meaning to it. Many dog owners are the same. They believe that their dog is doing fine—he’s not destroying things, chewing on stuff, or peeing in the house—but maybe he pulls on the leash. Or the dog seems fine most of the time, but loses control every time someone rings the doorbell. The owners don't like it, but they don't do anything about it. It’s just something they deal with when it happens.

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