A Pet Owner's Journey (Pt. 14)

Dogs are "man's" best friend. They are a companion. They are meant to love you, be loyal to you, and be by your side. But any pet owner will know that dogs aren't actually always by your side. They aren't quite as aloof as cats can be, but dogs can be standoffish and they can need their space.

It is completely normal for a dog to spend the entire day in a separate room from you. It is completely normal for a dog to not really want to engage with you. Dogs, much like humans, get into moods. And it's best to just let them have their mood. They'll come out of it.

Roxy is like this. She'll have days where she just lounges around and doesn't care if you exist. She'll have days where she wants to be right next to you. And she has days somewhere in the middle.

Recently she has been rather clingy. Now, this likely has to do with the fact that I'm pregnant and she's being protective. But it is quite the level of clinginess that she has escalated to.

She doesn't particularly like when I leave the house without her. She actually chewed through a doorframe when we were staying at a rental cottage. She didn't like that my friend and I went kayaking and left her inside. She also put some dents in the door handle.

She's done a fair bit of carving into the wood door at my house as well. I think she believes that she can slowly dig a hole through it. And if she could just manage that then she might be able to get to the second door. It would likely take her a bit longer to claw through that one. But she is tenacious.

She will also follow me in the house everywhere. No longer am I allowed to go to the bathroom without her close supervision. Travelling from one room to the next, I must be escorted by her in case something happens. And if I am in the kitchen cooking, she is sitting on top of my feet.

It doesn't matter how many times you send her away. It doesn't matter how much attention and love you give her. She has to tail me wherever I go.

The only break she gives me is when she goes outside into the yard. Then she couldn't care less if I existed because there are other dogs to bark at. Roxy does still have her priorities.

I'm hoping that she will be fine when we go away for the holidays. I am hoping that after a day or two she will adjust to my absence. I would hate to think that she would be upset the entire time I am away.

But dogs have a strange perception of time. They don't seem to think in minutes, hours, and days. They just know that you left and that you came back. So I am hopeful for a fairly smooth transition.

Roxy will be surrounded by other people who will give her attention and love. She will have half of a king-sized bed to sleep in every night. She won't have a yard to run around in while we are away, but she will still get walks and outdoor time.

I have no doubt that she'll be happy to see us when we come back, but I am optimistic that she will be fine in my absence. Despite her level of clinginess, I think she will find herself distracted enough by other things while I am gone.

We shall see as this is something that we've never done before. It will set the groundwork for any future travel.

Roxy is a great dog, and I'm sure her super charged attachment will pass. It's just a phase, a result of my current state. And when she is back to her regular, lazy self everything should be just fine.

Thanks, as always, for reading another Roxy adventure. I hope you'll find us next time as we continue on "A Pet Owner's Journey."