photo by me

“My little dog – a heartbeat at my feet.”
~ Edith Wharton ~

Dakota and I are working through some issues right now.

In recent months, he has become unmanageable. He has started getting into the garbage when I’m gone. He has never done this before. He tears the entire trash apart and drags it all over the house.

He has begun peeing and pooping in the house, as well. In the same place over and over again.

He drinks and drinks and drinks until he makes himself sick and he throws up.

I have spent hours scrubbing floors, picking up garbage, soaking up vomited water, vacuuming, and going around to find where his mess is.

I’m not sure if he is upset with me being gone so much or if he’s just getting old or what.

So, I have made him a nice little hovel in the laundry room. He has soft bedding, toys, bones, food, and water. I even set up a radio.

He refuses to go in. Yesterday I had to physically put him in there and he howled like I was killing him. It was breaking my heart. I had trouble not crying over it.

This morning, I took his pig’s ear in with me and sat down on his bedding. He came in and crawled into my lap. I talked to him and loved on him and told him that it was a good place for him. I closed the door and stayed in there with him for a few minutes so he could see it wasn’t such a bad place to be.

He curled up on the bedding with his pig’s ear.

Let’s hope it’s a good day for him.

We both need that.