Today I left Ziggy out of her crate when I went to work. Granted, I only worked for four hours before rushing home, but still - this is a big step.
The reason for keeping her in her crate is that she seems to feel safe there. When I get home at the end of the day, she doesn't seem upset at all. She loves going into it because she gets chicken. No drama.
But I worry about things like "What if something happens to me?" If something were to happen to me and she were in her crate, that would be awful. If she is out, she can bark at my tenant (studio apartment) or in the backyard at the neighbors who would recognize (hopefully!) that she has been abandoned. I can leave her with more food and water. All that. By the time I would wake in a hospital bed, I could call somebody to pick up the dog - and while it would not be nice to leave her unattended for long, she could survive. She could not if she were trapped in a kennel.
So, she was super happy to see me when I got home. She met me at the door and jumped and happy danced. We are going to take that down a notch, but she seems fine. She's here beside me on the couch, her head resting on my leg.
She is a good dog. I don't want to develop separation anxiety or anything such. I'll go slow.
The reason for keeping her in her crate is that she seems to feel safe there. When I get home at the end of the day, she doesn't seem upset at all. She loves going into it because she gets chicken. No drama.
But I worry about things like "What if something happens to me?" If something were to happen to me and she were in her crate, that would be awful. If she is out, she can bark at my tenant (studio apartment) or in the backyard at the neighbors who would recognize (hopefully!) that she has been abandoned. I can leave her with more food and water. All that. By the time I would wake in a hospital bed, I could call somebody to pick up the dog - and while it would not be nice to leave her unattended for long, she could survive. She could not if she were trapped in a kennel.
So, she was super happy to see me when I got home. She met me at the door and jumped and happy danced. We are going to take that down a notch, but she seems fine. She's here beside me on the couch, her head resting on my leg.
She is a good dog. I don't want to develop separation anxiety or anything such. I'll go slow.
I have a laminated card in my wallet, next to my drivers license that has the names and phone numbers of who to call to take care of Maggie if I'm sick or injured.
ReplyDeleteYes I plan to do that. Need to copy keys and tell the people. It's still not foolproof, especially in this city.
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