Chubby Dog Masters Return-Slither

Our little dog, Elsa, is not as little as she was when we got her.

I knew she was chunkier.  I had a feeling you know.

And of course, some signs are clear.

It was a very stormy night here in Virginia, and Elsa is terrified of storms.

My first clue that she had gained weight was the “thunder shirt” I got her didn’t fit anymore.  I couldn’t get the velcro closure to close around her tummy.

Thunder shirts are supposed to feel like swaddling and hopefully calm the jitters.

When Elsa is really frightened she looks for a close covered shelter where she can go to shake and shiver.

During one previous storm I had to laugh when she literally flattened herself out and slithered under our bed.  That was when we first got her.  After the storm of course, she slithered herself back out.  I called that acrobatic maneuver The Return-Slither.

Well,  last night, when I was all tucked in and ready for a long sweet sleep, there was a thunderstorm. And this time, sans Thunder Shirt, she needed an escape cave – fast! 

Once again Elsa slithered under the bed.  Unfortunately, I never saw or heard her emerge, even when the storm was over.

There were subtle movements like maybe she was trying though, like the bed kind of heaved.  And then I thought I could feel her trying to turn around under there.

Was Our Dog Stuck Under the Bed?

• Oh No!  Had Elsa gained so much weight she couldn’t slither back out?
• I agonized over what to do.  
• Would Elsa have to spend the night in the dark?
• I lay there imagining.  Was she frightened?  Could she breathe under there?  Did she feel abandoned?
• And I lay Sleepless in Virginia, imagining the worst,  and plagued by worry for hours and hours..
• I couldn’t call to her or I would wake Bill.
• I dozed and woke and dozed and woke.

Finally at 3AM I thought I heard a little cry so I jumped up, got a flashlight, and determined to wake Bill to help me lift the bed off our poor littlechubby Elsa.

But she was up and out.

Elsa had managed the Return-Slither.

It must have been a struggle though.

And Elsa is now on a diet.

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I Will Cry for You

Another Dog Story

Our new dog, Elsa – the one with the split personality – has already generated another blog post.

I never met a dog who didn’t want to play with a squeaky toy but Elsa is the first.

Elsa is different.

Elsa has empathy.

Impossible you say?

Today I purchased four plush toys for our new canine pal and couldn’t wait to get home to retrieve them from the bag and surprise her.

Squeak Squeak! 

Look Elsa! 

Look what I brought you! 

Come and Get It!

Elsa’s response?

She whined!

And she whines every time I squeak a toy.

She also walks away and looks back (sorrowfully).

I think this is a rare sign of Canine Empathy.  Elsa feels so sorry for the poor squealing toys that she will not even touch them, but simply cries for them (or with them).

I may be seeking a Canine Psychiatrist to analyze this.

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