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I need some feedback. I'm about to move back into a home I've owned but rented out for the past 9 years. It's all equally exciting and nerve-wracking. For the past nine years, I've lived in a variety of situations...with a long-term boyfriend, on a horse farm running a non-profit to most recently renting an apartment in the house of good friends. All good settings for owning a dog.
Well, as an avid animal lover, in mid 2013, after fleeing an abusive relationship, I rescued an older jack russell mix who was on the verge of going to a shelter. She's probably 12 now...and absolutely precious. When I first got her she would routinely go to the barn with me to see my horse. She was even energetic enough to follow along on trail rides. Then an incident left her spooked and taking her to the barn was no longer a good idea. Anyway, when I got her the friends I live with were more than happy to have her. She loves them and they love her. Over the winter, literally overnight, my little ball of joy went deaf...completely and utterly no hearing at all. Now, in three weeks, I'm about to uproot her from a household she loves with three adults and another dog, to a household with just me and her....and me going to work 9 hours a day. Of course, I'm making arrangements for a dog walker to take her out during the work day so that she's not forced to "hold it" for nine hours. My concern is I've never done this before with a dog and my little pup has no idea what's coming.
Ok, what am I looking for? I guess I want to hear from others with pets, particularly dogs. What should I expect with this change? How can I make this transition easy or less traumatic for my dog? She doesn't seem to really care about having company, except for human company. So a cat or another dog is not going to help I don't believe. Am I being cruel? I don't want to give her up nor do I believe it would be able to place her at her age. Ugh, this piece of the move is really stressing me out. I can handle organizing the move, hiring painters and other contractors, but I'm really worried about how this big change is going to affect my dog. Silly some may say. But in my little world, its a big deal. Anyway, any advice or words of experience would be welcome.
Well, as an avid animal lover, in mid 2013, after fleeing an abusive relationship, I rescued an older jack russell mix who was on the verge of going to a shelter. She's probably 12 now...and absolutely precious. When I first got her she would routinely go to the barn with me to see my horse. She was even energetic enough to follow along on trail rides. Then an incident left her spooked and taking her to the barn was no longer a good idea. Anyway, when I got her the friends I live with were more than happy to have her. She loves them and they love her. Over the winter, literally overnight, my little ball of joy went deaf...completely and utterly no hearing at all. Now, in three weeks, I'm about to uproot her from a household she loves with three adults and another dog, to a household with just me and her....and me going to work 9 hours a day. Of course, I'm making arrangements for a dog walker to take her out during the work day so that she's not forced to "hold it" for nine hours. My concern is I've never done this before with a dog and my little pup has no idea what's coming.
Ok, what am I looking for? I guess I want to hear from others with pets, particularly dogs. What should I expect with this change? How can I make this transition easy or less traumatic for my dog? She doesn't seem to really care about having company, except for human company. So a cat or another dog is not going to help I don't believe. Am I being cruel? I don't want to give her up nor do I believe it would be able to place her at her age. Ugh, this piece of the move is really stressing me out. I can handle organizing the move, hiring painters and other contractors, but I'm really worried about how this big change is going to affect my dog. Silly some may say. But in my little world, its a big deal. Anyway, any advice or words of experience would be welcome.
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Hey all, i know its been quite awhile since i posted on here. Its been a summer all right. Its been something else........... You know how they say not to open the can of worms? Well a few months ago i decided to find out what my due date would have been for my first baby, the one conceived by r***. My baby would have been due on March 4th of 2006. They would be 20 years old. I was R**** on June...
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Hey All...I hope that you have a lovely, peaceful beginning of your weekI have a bunch of chores that need doing but may put them off til tomorrow and just hang out with my landlord/roomie todayWhat about you?...Anything special going on?Have a great day and take good care of you!!..Xo
I moved with my baby several times. The only thing that he cared about was being with me. The hardest part was getting him away from the car so that he could "do his business" before the long car ride.
It was after our last move, but mine lost his hearing too. It helped that I had taught him commands to hand signals from the time he was a puppy. But it's not hard to do at any age. In fact I think dogs pick up on hand signals much faster than verbal commands.
I think how they may react may just depend on their general disposition. You could consult with a vet for some guidance.
My current dog is not deaf but I taught him a couple of hand commands because he seemed to respond more consistently than to some verbal commands. They really do want to please us.
I think it says a lot about you that you are concerned about her. We just want the best for them!
hmmmm.....
Perhaps some good toys (something interactive) to keep her occupied?
Geez, I am not really sure.
Definitely keep her though. She sounds like a sweetie!
I would go with her and the dog walker for the first couple walks to help her to understand she has nothing to fear ... They usually have a few dogs so she'll have new little pals
Animals endure and live in the moment so much more then people... She will get used to her new surroundings... She'll have many of your things I imagine that were at the other home... She'll 'get it' before long and settle in I would imagine without a problem...
My last wee dog... The one that I'm holding in the photo had to move with me when he as 11 and had a serious chronic illness ( a brain tumor) and he did well with it... We were still together
Trying that once or twice a week could be worth it. They have interactive toys for dogs that toss balls and treats. If she enjoys the outdoors, you could set her up outside and have the dog walker bring hey in after her walk to change the scenery. Does the family your living with want to keep her? That's a thought too. Like shared custody. Take her from Friday evening until Monday or Tuesday mornings.
Lots of ways to try to make it work.
If I had my way she'd come to work with me as my "comfort" dog. That's what the universities are doing these days...all you need is a doc note. Ha!
Money is a bit of an issue. Dog walkers in my neck of the woods run $20 for a 20 minute walk. Hopefully, there's a discount of some sort for multiple walks a week. Not sure I could afford day care, but maybe for a couple of days a week is an interesting thought.
And, yea Koolman, one of my goals is to avoid tootsie roll gifts.
Aw, I really hope this goes smoothly.
As for what to look for. You'll know the signs and see a difference in behavior.
What I do is give a treat for distraction in the morning when I leave. When I get home he gets a treat right away for being a good boy. I spend as much time as he needs right when I get home. Give her some attention right away. Then of course, they want to eat and go potty. play time is all the time at first. Unless of course as someone else said, her being older, she may be just chillin and ok. Mine isn't as old and is full of energy all the time. So I need to spend that time with him. he is such a me-me-me attention hog. :)
One other thing, dont feel so bad that you go overboard with being guilty. She will pick up on that and react to it. Most likely she will sense you being upset and then relate you leaving as a bad thing. Thus maybe causing her stress when you leave.
Dogs feed off what their owners feel and do. So if any change, check your own behavior before trying to correct hers.
If you notice she needs companionship, a day care for dogs is a great idea. Some are fairly cheap. Even cheaper then a walker.
Good luck.