Poo

 

Lockdown has brought the worst out of the anxiety ridden Dorothy 
as the neurotic bulldog hates change and now follows me everywhere I go 
This is her when I went to the loo
At least she Is looking in the opposite direction. 
She’s a brittle girl

65 comments:

  1. You (or someone) follows her outside and watches when she poos. She is well trained that is how it works. She is so lucky to have someone understanding of her fobiles.

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    1. Yes u are right, but in her mind I’m protecting her when she is vulnerable

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  2. I know the feeling - I have a rescue dog that has Separation Anxiety and lockdown has made him much worse. Having had me to himself for all these months, he cannot be left at all. A friend looked after him while I went for an eye test and he whined and whinged the whole time. And yes, he tries to follow me into the toilet! sigh

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    1. Ideally dogs without separation anxiety should not be left any longer than 4 hours

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  3. If Dorothy had turned her head at that moment what terrible sight would she have beheld?

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  4. My pets have also become extremely needy. I don't know what they will do when I do go back to the office. Right now my entire department is working from home. They all sit with me in the office. And they have become use to me being at home almost all day.
    They do need a respite from me though, because when the partner comes home, all three of them are right by his side for the remainder of the day...and even after he's home and I offer to take the dog out, she crawls into the partner's lap and asks him to do it. During the day, she happily bugs me to take her out.

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    1. Funny when the sexy bearded dog walker picks up Dorothy when I’m at work she goes without problem on a walk , if I am in when he comes, she collapses

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    2. Dotty is that kid that is an angel when Mom and Dad aren't around and as soon as the parents do show up ... then it's all show and no go! LOL

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  5. Anonymous12:08 pm

    I don't think you ever told us Dorothy's back story and how you came to give her a home. She has definitely found the very best in you.
    Hugs - socially distanced of course, Susan

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    1. And I think I will leave things there

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  6. My Labrador wants to be in the bathroom too. She can use her big head to butt the door open. Thankfully we have a second one upstairs, behind a gate.

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    1. Usually it is a sign of then feeling they should be alpha and look after you ...but there is something natural in a pack to protect the weakest when one of their number is vulnerable ( ie going to toilet)

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  7. John, have you noticed the white patch on Dorothy's back is the outline of a male dog? How hilarious!
    Hugs

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  8. the cats go to the loo with us also. guess they want to make sure we don't flush ourselves down the drain!

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    1. Can all the bums fit on the loo?

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    2. bwhahahahaha! they sit on the floor/sink. spouse and I have fat asses that take up the entire seat!

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  9. My heart breaks for Dorothy and her neuroses. Glad she's got you... and the rest of the family. So polite of her to not watch you. It took years for me to get used to cats joining me in the bathroom!

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    1. Yes my next dog , I am hoping , will be like William
      I never had a moment of worry with him, he had the personality of a benign grandad

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  10. Our friends don't understand change. Miss pops often frets when the bathroom door is closed while I shower, something I have done each day of her 14 years.

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  11. countrygal2:01 pm

    After losing my beloved Jack Russell 'Tilly' in March I have a new dog 'Rufus'(another JRT), he follows me everywhere whilst he is settling in - a week now - he's a 'keeper'.
    He is absolutely lovely.

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  12. Lucky she doesn't want to sit on your lap in there too.

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  13. Ha! Well, yes, at least she's respecting your privacy -- sort of!

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    1. Yes thank god im single gawd knows if anything saucy happened in her presence

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  14. Poor li'l gal. Goodness knows what emotional baggage she's carrying around in her dear little head as a result of ill treatment and traumas in her earlier life. Needs someone with a lorra patience to help her get over it, if she ever does - and looks like you're just the fella to assist her, for which we thank you greatly.

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    1. She has very sad eyes when sat unobserved Raymondo,
      My heart aches for her sometimes

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  15. Poor Dorothy her nerves seem to get the best of her. I'm glad she is safe and loved at home with you. In time, do you think she will become more at ease?

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    1. Susan she has already
      Her accidents have reduced
      There are no more weeks on the duvet
      She sleeps better
      Walks better
      But I’m an owner not a psychologist x

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  16. I have a dog with a similar temperament to dear Dottie. We knew that Sophie's breed (Chinese Crested Powderpuff) were called velcro dogs and that they form a strong bond with their owners and will not let them out of their sight, so we were somwehat prepared. But yes, like Dorothy, she won't tolerate any minute change of routine and has a nervous tummy and even gets herself in a tizz because we may turn left at the end of the street instead of the usual right.

    We call her the more formal "Miss Sophie" after the character in the famous comedy sketch "Dinner For One" as that Miss Sophie allowed no deviation from procedure. I love her dearly, but sometimes it can be wearing pandering to that level of anxiety. Especially when she is almost 11 now and we've shown her nothing but love and never left her alone or tried to pull a fast one over her.

    Such a bundle of nerves. We've made strides in some areas eg she isn't terrified of the car anymore - that took 5 years. I wish you luck with Dottie and hope that she isn't as stubbornly fixed in her ways as Miss Sophie. Your heart really goes out to them - I can't imagine living with that level of insecurity within myself. Poor things - all we can offer them is love, protection and understanding.

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    1. Dorothy has come on leaps and bounds in many aspects of her life. On the quiet, boundary lined walkway she is off the lead and returns instantly to call. On that respect #he has been my best trained dog.
      She is less aggressive to other dogs ( a product of me finally becoming alpha male )

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    2. Anonymous11:05 pm

      Funny you should say that, John. My own dog (a Border Terrier) lost a lot of his dog aggressiveness, not due to distracting with treats and other ploys suggested by the University level behaviorists, but after I started grabbing him by the scruff and (verbally) putting the fear of God in him. I always suspected his improved behavior was due to deciding I was alpha (and protector), so he didn't have to be. Carol in Philadelphia

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  17. Have you tried a Thundercoat? My sister had a neurotic mini dachshund. It helped a bit during thunderstorms. With that being said, I think he was just a nervous Nellie.
    Have a good weekend.

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    1. I think the Tellington touch technique may be similar and crepe bandages can be used for similar effect but dogs can never be left unsupervised because of strangulation x

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    2. She has a harness on, so I may try the coat

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  18. Elsie has got more clingy as she's gotten older (10 in January). She's in constant danger of being run over by the castors on my office chair.

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    1. Sometimes when the senses are failing the more clingy they get

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  19. both of my rescue dogs snort under the door checking I am in the loo and not run off. the worst was when I didnt shut the door properly and they both got in the bath with me, but when I need to bath them, they struggle? Dogs are hard work sometimes

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    1. But like L’oriel says
      Theyre worth it

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  20. We all have our little eccentricities, darling Dorothy.

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  21. My dog, Rick, and I have a problem with separation anxiety. I can't bear being away from him.

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  22. Did you order the calming treats for Dorothy? Do you think she picks up on your own tensions and anxiety about isolation or it is simply the change in her daily routine that upsets her?

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    1. No lizzy she cannot cope with change of routine. Our routine re car trips and walks have been curtailed totally

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    2. Please consider the calming treats, I m sure you can get them on Amazon UK. I'd send you and D some,, but I'm in the US and right now cannot go to the post office to do international mail.

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  23. i have a tiny loo on my first floor and you should see two chow chows packed in there every time i have a pee.

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    1. My cat has to escort me, and what is really ridiculous, lays down near the tub while I take a shower - major trip hazard, I might add! Have never, ever been able to figure out why.

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  24. My dogs aren't the easiest and the dog home that I adopted my boy from said most would have returned him but I could never be without my thatch.Teddy bear doesn't like old men and since lockdown newest has got very spooked and even lovely lily has become very determined-they rule my world-but I love them x

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    1. I just keep reminding of that blog mantra
      Smile and glide

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    2. I forgot, what blog did the smile and glide from?

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  25. Our poor little rescues need so much assurance. Ours is emotionally damaged but thank heaven, she doesn't like vinyl flooring so refuses to go anywhere near the bathrooms (and isn't that wild about the dining room floor either.) You are a good, patient carer for that little one.

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    1. I slipped, only very slightly, putting her dinner bowl down yesterday and she refused to eat

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  26. She is very lucky she has you, John.

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    1. Jumbo, I do find her inconsistent traits very tiring sometimes

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  27. My dog was also a neurotic rescue dog who could not be separated from me at all. It nearly drove me mad! I would go out once a week to visit my mother and, if he had been left alone, the wall and door to the garage would be chewed up and a huge pile of slobber had to be mopped up. If I left him with anyone, he was inconsolable, howling and barking for me. My daughter called it "summoning ritual" and recorded him on her phone for me to see what they all went through when I was not there. Poor baby. I wish he could have told me all that he had been through and could have understood that I would never leave him forever.

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    1. I guess dogs can be like people in so much some are more robust mentally than others

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  28. Try swaddling? A thunder jacket? Oh... I just saw your pic of Matt on the right side of your column. Love that song. Back to your bully... Calmatron is something my mother tried with her anxiety ridden jack russell - worked miracles. Poor thing. Hugs and kisses. Happy Frankenstein Friday.

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  29. Anonymous9:29 pm

    baby boomers are already getting treated like crap in retirement homes. A couple months ago there was a video of a black guy punching a 75 year old boomer repeatedly in the face in a retirement home. Hey, maybe you boomers shouldn't have favored blacks and minorities over your own white children with your political correctness, multiculturalism bullshit? You boomers are getting exactly what you fucking deserve. Enjoy those retirement homes, boomer scum!

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  30. I've even tried the animal herbal remedy but no difference so administered it on myself x

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  31. My little 17 year old Pomeranian firmly believes it is his duty to escort me to the bathroom every time. He will wake out of a deep sleep to escort me safely there. He is arthritic now so he is very weebly wobbly when he wakes from a deep sleep, but it seems he feels duty bound. Of course, he comes in to be petted, I believe that he feels that the toilet is a petting podium, made for the purpose of making it very convenient for him to be petted while I am there. When it is time to leave, he is generally able to do a slow old Pomeranian pirouette to leave the room with a flourish.

    Years ago when we had a Sheltie and a Collie, they would always walk around the back yard and do their business kind of together, like a pack activity. Maybe our dogs follow us to the bathroom as part of a pack activity. They have made us honorary members of their pack.

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  32. Like having a toddler. It's nice being able to go to the loo with a good book or your phone after yrs of small people asking what you are doing

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