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Recently, when walking our dog Maggie, I noticed several new dogs in the neighborhood. I guess staying-at-home families decided it was an excellent time to adopt a new pet. I hope they’ve also thought of how to cope with a pet when they return to a more regular schedule. Many of these new dog owners want to socialize their dogs with other dogs they meet when out walking. For most dogs, this works out well, but I’ve seen it place the owners much closer than the six feet social-distancing recommendations.
It’s not a problem I’m going to have. Maggie is the perfect pandemic social distancing support dog. She doesn’t care for 99% of other dogs. She barks ferociously and exhibits anti-social behavior if another dog crosses her invisible boundary, which is about 40-50 feet out. Her rule is the larger the dog, the greater the distance radius. Most long time dog owners in the neighborhood know Maggie and me and will give me a friendly wave as they or us take a side street or reverse course to avoid meeting. I am having to “train” some of these new owners by letting them experience the “full-Maggie” and they seem to be taking rather well to avoidance training. 😆
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We are well into spring. I know it’s spring because the calendar on my phone tells me it’s May and each day I can feel the warmth and sunshine when walking Maggie. I am also aware it’s spring because I’ve been taking a daily dose of OTC allergy medicine for months. But somehow, it doesn’t seem like spring to me and I’m not excited about the coming summer. Perhaps I’ve mentally transitioned to a longterm survival mode to conserve energies.
Then there’s this image…more fruit from my digital explorative learnings and yearnings. The image is umm, different. In any case, I thought I’d toss it on the blog wall and see if it sticks or stinks. 👀
I hope everyone’s having a good week.
Our daughter in law recently adopted a puppy, and is quickly realizing that having a puppy and a 4-year old in the house is a lot more than she bargained for. And as you suggest, it is going to be a real challenge when work and school start up again. It will be interesting to see how it turns out, but be assured Kathy & I haven’t volunteered to assist with either!
Many of our neighbors have dogs, and I understand they provide companionship to older folks, especially those living alone. I’ve never had a dog and have been closely acquainted with very few, so I’ve never felt the appeal. I can see the challenges of having different personalities to deal with, especially in Maggie’s case when she is not as friendly toward other dogs. Definitely an advantage during times of social distancing!
I’ve not had too many issues with allergies this spring, but Kathy is going crazy. She has strange side effects from some OTC medications but seems to be tolerating Allegra well so far with reasonably good results.
Your photo has a bit of a watercolor feel to it. I like the muted tones and feel like it gives an overall tropical tendancy rather than the cooler feel that the blues might suggest. It’s sticking to my wall, we’ll see how others feel about it!
Tom, I never truly owned a dog until late in life. When I write about Maggie, it’s usually about her issues. While she is and has been a dog with significant needs, I seldom do justice to the positive things she’s brought and brings into my life. If you ever want to sample true unconditional love and devotion, adopt a dog. They will teach you things about yourself, both things you like and things you may want to change. They will humble you by their example. It’s an experience I’m glad I’ve had.
I appreciate your feedback on the image.
I really like the muted tones in this photo Earl. I think it has a great feel, inviting but not too forceful.
Perhaps not quite the match with Maggie’s acceptance with other dogs. :-) I walk Cosmo twice a day, usually seeing more people and other dogs in the afternoon. While he hasn’t shown aggression – he is a bit overly anxious to meet other dogs, especially new ones – barking, whining, pulling to get closer for a sniff.
But I don’t let him. Too many unknowns with other dogs, especially new ones – then add on social isolating where I don’t want anyone petting Cosmo, it just adds another dimension to the whole thing.
My biggest beef lately is that it is lawn chemical season. Walking down my block is like walking down chemical alley and Cosmo likes to munch grass. Seems it is coming at us from all directions these days.
Sometimes when working on an image, especially one that’s at least in some part interpretative, I begin to question my viewpoint, how I see it, or if my “lens” is askew. I sometimes post an image on here I’m uncertain about in the hope of getting helpful feedback. So I sincerely appreciate those making an effort to tell me their feelings on the image.
I would like Maggie to be a little more favorable towards other dogs, or even totally indifferent, but I wouldn’t want it to go the other way and be too friendly either. Maybe it’s my problem! :-) Maggie has gotten better with her anxiety and fear issues, which is part of her reaction to other dogs.
I did take Maggie off Xanax over about three weeks and then slowly begin her on Trazodone. For the first few days to a week on Trazodone, she was acting pretty goofy. But she adjusted, and we’ve reached a steady dosage level (300mg/day given in 3 doses) that’s leveling her out better on her noise and general fear/anxiety issues. It’s a superior result to the Xanax experience. I remember we’d shared some experiences with Trazodone in one of my previous posts about Maggie, and so I wanted to provide an update.
I’m with you on the lawn chemicals as Maggie is also a grass muncher. But, we’re lucky because an HOA service takes care of all the lawns in the neighborhood where we walk, and they keep them mowed relatively short and treat them all at one time, so it’s not something we experience or have to worry about very often.
Thanks for the update on the Trazodone and what dosages you are using. I’ve had to use use 50 mg on Cosmo just to get Him to settle down at times. A full 100 mg pill makes him pretty groggy.
I tried the Solliquin you mentioned previously, zero effect for us (unless I am supposed to take it – ha). Tried Theanine, also zero. So Trazodone may be the go-to now when we need it. Good old big-pharma! :-)
Strange, there doesn’t seem to be hardly any sedative effect with Trazodone and Maggie. Of course, that may be our judgment in comparison to Xanax which was a strong sedative. Wow, I guess Maggie’s dosage sounds like a lot. Knock her out! LOL
Well a 50 mg dose only gives us perhaps 4 hours of calming effect, so I understand the need for multiple doses per day.
The image sticks for me. It does have that watercolor look. This is one of those images I’d like to see printed.
I’m no longer a pet person. When the kids were younger we had two dogs and three cats at one time, never again. I say that because I was the one cleaning up after and feeding, when the pets were theirs. Not having a pet for me now gives me much more freedom in my retirement. I have friends who could not live without a pet.
Thanks, Monte. We probably won’t have another pet after Maggie. I wouldn’t want to take on responsibility for a living creature we may not be able to see through to the end. Some days I think Maggie just might outlive me anyway! Haha
Have a great weekend!