[NAGDU] Leaving my dog for several days

Sat May 1 22:23:45 UTC 2021

I agree with all that has been said here. With children and dog, those of us who are in charge of them are way more stressed about the situation than the dog/child are. Of course the dog will miss you, but she is with people who know her. I pray all will be well with your family member, and I am confident your parents will take very good care of your dog.
Cindy Lou Ray
Cindyray at gmail.com

Cindy Lou
Sent from my iPad

> On Apr 29, 2021, at 2:44 PM, Mike Hingson via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Absolutely true.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione via NAGDU
> Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2021 11:23 AM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users' <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Tracy Carcione <carcione at access.net>
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Leaving my dog for several days
> 
> And if you can't manage joy, go for ho-hum.  Tra-la, just another ordinary day.
> Tracy
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Mike Hingson via NAGDU
> Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2021 2:13 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Cc: mike at michaelhingson.com
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Leaving my dog for several days
> 
> Agree with Susan. Also, you need to get past your own worries. The more nervous you are the more your dog will pick up on that emotion. When you drop off your guide do so with joy and fun in your heart. That is the most significant thing you can do to communicate that all is well.
> 
> 
> Best Regards,
> 
> 
> Michael Hingson
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU On Behalf Of Susan Jones via NAGDU
> Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2021 9:46 AM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users' <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: sblanjones11 at sbcglobal.net
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Leaving my dog for several days
> 
> Carmella,
> 
> Sounds like you've thought of everything to help your dog be comfortable, safe and well cared-for.
> As I heard you say many times in your message, she'll be fine.
> Our dogs usually benefit from having some "time off" now and then, kind of like you'd think of a vacation, a break from the normal routine.
> I have no doubt she'll be fine, and when you return, both of you will pick up pretty much where you left off.
> Now, concentrate on what you're going to do, being with your family member, and let your parents worry about your dog.
> 
> Kind regards,
> Susan
> 
> sblanjones11 at sbcglobal.net
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Carmella Broome via NAGDU
> Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2021 10:45 AM
> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Carmella Broome <cdbroome at att.net>
> Subject: [NAGDU] Leaving my dog for several days
> 
> Hi everyone, next week I will be leaving my dog with my parents for several days while I accompany another family member during a hospital stay. I know this is going to be confusing and stressful for her and I’m trying to think of ways to make it easier and to anticipate any possible problems. 
> We visit my parents often and there is already a preferred sleeping place for her at their house. Our plan is to go there on Saturday and be with her there until we have to be at the hospital Monday morning. We were there a couple weeks ago and I had Mom give her her food in my presence and accompany us on a couple of walks. She also took her out a couple of times herself. Mom is very familiar with how I do things as I have been working dogs since 1996 and my first dog went to live with her after she retired. Brooklyn loves my parents and always enjoys visiting them. 
> One thing I am planning to do is to have a couple of shirts that my husband and I have been wearing to leave in her bed at their home. I assume the scent would be comforting and familiar to her. I read about doing this with a cat wants and I figure it’s a good idea in the situation as well. She will always have a couple of familiar toys with her also.
> I don’t anticipate that she will be left alone in their home much, if at all. My parents are both retired so usually someone is there. I already know one or the other of them is planning to sleep in the room where she sleeps. We are usually in that room with her when we visit, so it will be nice for her to have the company. She is obviously not accustomed to sleeping in a room by herself, as she is near me at night in her crate or somewhere else close by. She is not accustomed to being anywhere by herself actually. I rarely leave her. When I do, it is for brief periods of time and has not happened in a long time due to the pandemic.
> The actual leaving part is something I have put thought into. We do leave her for a few minutes when we visit my parents sometimes to go riding on the golf cart. They talk about how she mopes and stares out the window looking for us after we leave. What I think I will do this time is to have Mom take her for a walk and then we will leave with my dad to be driven to the hospital. That way, she will not actually see us leaving and can just return with Mom to the house. I know that she might look for us and be a little confused but it just seems less dramatic to have her distracted and and off doing something else when we actually make our departure.
> I am sending any meds that she may need and there is a vet my parents take their dog to. He is actually the vet who came out to their house and euthanized my last dog in the comfort of their home simply because he was asked to do this. This is not normally part of his practice but he was willing due to understanding that she was a service dog and that I did not want her fearful at a vets office during her last moments. I don’t know him well but that makes him special to me. They actually call him the dog whisperer. He has taken good care of the puppy they have had for a year and a half now. The medical event that is most likely is that she will develop another urinary tract infection. I am going to let them know of the signs to look out for that this might be happening. They will have all instructions for her feeding and walking schedule obviously. I am also available to them by phone at all times and I’m sure we will be checking in frequently.
> She does not get along with their puppy as he is way too enthusiastic for her and bounces around way too much. This will not be a problem as his domain is there very large enclosed porch. He actually injured his leg recently so is on antibiotics and can only engage in limited activity.
> The main behaviors I would expect from her would be pacing and some whining, sitting next to their door, and possibly refusing to eat a meal or two. She actually really likes the food she was prescribed for urinary tract issues and I have had no problems with her eating since she started that food last summer. If she does skip a meal, it certainly will not be world ending. I am sending some medication for diarrhea in case that happens as a stress response but I do not expect it. She just does not have a history of any significant gastrointestinal issues. I also would not expect her to be destructive in anyway. She has not done that in years under any circumstances. We went through a brief period of her chewing up things a lot when I first brought her home, but she has done well since then and has very good manners. That was in June 2014 so obviously her patterns of behavior are well established at this point. The same goes for all of these relationships, including mine and hers. I am not worried about her over bonding with my parents or that my bond with her will be disrupted in anyway.
> I expect she will be extremely excited when she sees us after those few days and that it will take some time to actually calm her down. I also expect that, after we come home, she might be fairly reclusive for a day or so. She is normally like this after we have been in a different environment for several days. I also know she might be a little more clingy. That is fine.
> This is going to be hard and strange for me and my husband also. It is vulnerable to not have her with me and is just very different. This is temporary however and I fully expect that everyone and everything will be fine.
> These have just been some random thoughts in no particular order. I would be interested in any thoughts any of you have about this or any suggestions you may have from your own prior experiences. Apologies for any dictation errors. Normally I type out posts on my computer. I thought this would be shorter so that it would not take very long to dictate but various thoughts occurred to me as I was writing it.
> Carmella in South Carolina
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
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