My dog has separation anxiety. People laugh at her quirks and special needs because "she is a dog!!" but her anxiety is very real and her quirks make her that much more special (and annoying) but I know what each one of her mannerisms mean and I know what to do for her most of the time.
I got Roxy when she was 4 months old. Not a new puppy but not an old dog either. She has always been timid and at first, she was afraid of men. I am very certain she was abused before I got her.
So let's talk about her separation anxiety. Roxy does not like to be left behind and she takes whatever means necessary to escape. She has ripped through almost every screen in our house and jumped out of the corresponding window or door. She has made a 15 foot drop out of my In-Laws' bathroom window. She has jumped up on a chest freezer and ripped up the screen to the window behind it and leaped a good 10-12 feet to her freedom. When we leave we have to make sure that all windows are closed because if one is open even a crack, she will find it, open it, claw the screen and jump.
Roxy has been known to open the heavy patio door, locked or unlocked. She is also very well known to wrap her leash around anything and wiggle herself out of her collar and then she's off to explore the neighborhood. People will comment that her collar is too tight when they pet her but in reality it is not tight enough because she can still get out of it. You cannot fit a finger between her skin and the collar but she still manages to Houdini her way out of it.
The screens are replaceable, it's a royal pain in the ass to have to do them several times a summer but they are replaceable. The carpet she has decided to rip to shreds little by little will be a bit more costly and a new floor is just not in our budget right now.
The big problem is that we can't leave her with other people because she tears their house apart too and not only does it get expensive for us but it's embarrassing and you feel to blame. Leaving her in a kennel is absolutely out of the question, she wouldn't eat or drink in a strange place with people and other dogs she doesn't know. And she would have a constant whine on.
What I need is someone at my disposal to come over to our house and watch her while we are away. Then she is in her own house and more comfortable. We have tried every tip there is out there to help her with this, including medication. Nothing seems to work.
So what? She is going blind, has a terrible case of anxiety and separation anxiety and rips apart my house as she sees fit (it is not every time), she is always happy to see me when I get home, she escapes from her collar and explores the neighborhood loose, she is afraid of toys that squeak, she doesn't like to play, she is afraid of small animals, she rarely barks, she growls at small kids if they get in her space, she loves to play hide n seek, she loves to cuddle, she needs to be near you or touching you at all times, she doesn't beg for food and listens well, she is a bed hog, she loves to sleep in and be lazy.
She is my baby and I love her.
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