Most analysts will experience some degree of crisis in the course of their working life. This paper explores the complex interplay between the analyst's affect during a crisis in her life and the affective dynamics of the patient. The central question is “who or what holds the analyst”—especially in times of crisis. Symbolization of affect, facilitated by the analyst's self-created holding environment, is seen as a vital process in order for containment to take place. In the clinical case presented, the analyst's dog was an integral part of the analyst's self-righting through this difficult period; the dog functioned as an “analytic object” within the analysis.