Dog's best friend

Written last night:

Dear Friends,

Many of you have asked me how Zing responded to my recent trip to Miami. I was worried about the separation too.  Here’s the report I sent this morning to Dr. Karen, Zing’s behavioral medicine vet at UC-Davis:

Dear Karen,

Zing and I are calmer and pretty settled now — even after he spent Christmas week at Grateful Dog while I was in Miami. 

After I returned, there was some back-tracking, when he would whimper at the door after about 2 minutes of me being out in the hallway, instead of the 10 min. before the holiday. I got pretty discouraged, thinking this may never be settled. I want my freedom to take classes, have coffee with friends, go out to dinner on the spur of the moment ...

I decided to read some dog books and so far have only read “I’ll be Home Soon: How to Prevent and Treat Separation Anxiety” by Patricia B. McConnell. I used to listen to her on NPR. McConnell mirrors your advice. 

Crucially,  thanks to you, I’ve discovered Zing’s irresistible treat: wet dog food frozen in toilet paper tubes, which I cut in half.  Until this, he either scarfed treats down too quickly, or lost interest; either way, he was not distracted. 

So far I go out the door and come right back in. I’ll move along to staying out in the hall longer and then pushing the elevator so he hears it open and close and then go down, and stay away longer and longer. We were farther ahead before Christmas, but with a bit of whimpering or a couple of short barks — so now I’m going to move slower to avoid those anxious sounds. 

And I’ll be in Miami again (to meet with my sisters) for another week starting Wednesday. I’m hoping we transition back to normal as smoothly as we did last week. 

The effective treat (I hope it continues to be!), plus exercise beforehand and making sure Zing is hungry are giving me hope. Also, Grateful Dog and a (not always available) dog-sitter are great supports. I may need an additional dog-sitter. 

 If things progress smoothly, then great -- I’ll send you an invitation to Zing’s graduation! But earlier this week I almost lost hope. If I do need more support, I assume that I should call and make an appointment. Right? I’m not sure what that support might be — other than listening and encouraging. You’ve explained and demonstrated and suggested adjustments to the program very clearly. I suspect the hardest work now for me is patience, remembering how Zing makes me smile and laugh and introduces me to new friends. He’s worth the trouble. 

Meanwhile, I think of you every day, with gratitude!

Kathleen

So, there’s the Zing update. We’re going back to go forward. Say some dog prayers!

Love,

k