Last week was the first time I have left Luna for a long period of time. I had to travel to a conference and was gone for five days. Mike reported that she was a pain the first day (which we expected) but quickly adjusted to only having Mike around. She got a little clingy with him which helped them bond but made doing chores difficult.
After years to dog sitting, I have seen the many different reactions dogs have when their owners return. Some forgive and forget easily while others punish their owners for abandoning them. My favorite was a greyhound named Cleo who enthusiastically greeted her owners for about 30 seconds and then ran off to her pillow and refused to move. The owners literally carried her out of the house because she would not walk.
I experienced my own punishment last night and this morning. After happily greeting me when I walked through the door, Luna followed Mike around from room to room. When I called her over, she just stared at me as if to say, "Why? So you can leave me again?" I was sad to see her giving me the cold shoulder, but I knew that this would pass and soon all would be forgiven.
Apparently, Luna still had some mixed feelings this morning. On one hand she was happy to have me back evident by her asking for pets, offering me play bows, and following me around. On the other hand, she seemed to need to show me that my actions would not go unchecked. She took to placing herself in ways that would cause me some harm. Just something subtle. This morning she body slammed my knee causing me to nearly fall down and stepped on my foot as I went up the stairs causing me to trip. I'm sensing a little residual annoyance towards me. Hopefully, I can remedy this by spending the day with her and taking her on some errands. Still, I'd better watch my step for the next few days.
1 comment:
Aren't they funny. Beryl did the same thing to me when she spent a few hours at the GAP kennels while I helped out on a working bee. She stood by the gate and sulked the whole time while Frankie tore around playing with the other dogs. And when we got home she stayed sulky for hours. Little divas:)
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