Push Thru It! Pet Peeves

Our peaceful abode was hijacked by the licks and frantic scratches of our dog Emmet over the past couple weeks.  He licks himself like a soft serve ice cream cone in places that surely don't taste as sweet.  He jerks to frantically scratch himself or chew a chunk of black fur from his back, nose diving for the target with great precision and frenzy.  He is without social graces, an unwelcome guest of licks and scratches during dinner, and consideration, a slurping 2A wake-up call from my slumber.  

I am grossed out!  My bionic ear hones in on the slow "nkluuuupppp, nkluuuupppp"  of his spit.  His paw unpredictably ricochetes at 50 times a minute behind his ear startling me beyond my riveting book.  Our home is a war zone, shrapnel of black fur mounting on our carpet, and my more frequently emptying the fur-filled vacuum canister and likely inhalation of dust mites.  I put a pink fuzzy, band aid measure blanket over the carpet hoping salmon treats will train Emmet to lick and scratch in a smaller perimeter of our house.      

"EMMET.  STOP IT!" from me begins to rival the frequency of his slurps and jerks.    I have lost my ability to be empathetic.   My daughter remarks on my growing impatience;  she gently scratches her arm and says "Mommy, if I did this would it bother you?" knowing that I am typically quick with TLC, band aids and hydrocortisone cream.  My Mom reminds me to think about how "the poor dog feels."  This from the woman who still won't call him by name after he threw up green organic dog bone on her new carpet several years ago.  Clearly, I am now more consumed than Emmet by what is under my skin.  Realizing the insensitivity of my ways, I schedule the first appointment I can with the vet.                     

What is your pet peeve?
What gets in your way of compassion? 
How can greater empathy help others in your life? 

P.S. Dedicated to Dr. Tucker who combed 6 fleas from Emmet, educated me that 1 flea lays 12 eggs a day, saved us a from a "flea disaster"and trimmed Emmet's nails.  I am comforted by my happier, calmer dog, monthly Trifexis and my ability (a bit late) to step outside of myself to help our buddy, who was far more inconvenienced than me.