CONSTANCE RIVERA | Grievances | CONTACT
A local woman has taken her human-canine companionship to new heights after discovering that she takes the same anti-anxiety medication as her dog.
Maddie Reynolds (26) has been on Fluoxetine for the past year, a small yet crucial step in keeping her daily spirals in check. She’s also the proud dog mum to Penny, a rescue golden retriever corgi mix with an anxiety disorder of her own.
“Penny’s got trauma, poor thing. As for me… well, let’s not get into it,” Maddie shrugged.
With Penny now officially on the same medication, Maddie has developed a new morning routine.
“The vet said she’s got generalised anxiety and separation issues,” Maddie explained as Penny let out a mournful cry at the sound of a bird outside. “So now we both take our little happy pills every morning. It’s actually kind of nice, like our shared mental health ritual.”
“One for me and one for you,” she sings, hiding Penny’s Fluoxetine into her kibble.
“I just gotta make sure I don’t mix up our doses.” Maddie laughed.
Though Maddie insists Penny has made “significant progress” since starting her meds, her housemates claim that Maddie has also been noticeably easier to live with.
“She’s stopped catastrophising about whether their landlord might barge in at any moment, it’s beautiful to see,” said housemate Sarah, watching Maddie play with Penny.
More to come.
