On Our Own Again

Trey Smith

Della is now in Ocean Shores beginning the process of putting away all the stuff we spent the last ten days packing. So, she's there and I'm here in South Bend -- both of us are on our own again (temporarily). But this post is not a lament about the current situation we face; it's about the situation our two dogs face.

Ever since Lily (the hairless dachshund) came to live with us, she and Jaz have been inseparable. Generally speaking, where one goes, the other goes. Now, however, they are separated by more than 50 miles and both of them are a bit discombobulated.

When we arrived home yesterday evening from the trip to Ocean Shores, Lily scampered into the house and checked every single room for her sister. When that search proved fruitless, she ran down the steps of the deck into the back yard and again there was no Jaz. When she made her way back into the kitchen, she looked at me as if to say, "What in the hell is going on here? Where is my buddy?"

Della phoned to say that Jaz is behaving in much the same way. She keeps going from room to room to room looking for Lily. Each time her search comes up empty, she plops down in front of the couch looking dejected.

Moving -- regardless of the reason or circumstances -- is stressful. Whether human or dog, we get used to the familiarity of where we are and become a bit out of sorts when that familiarity is gone. Most of the time, we learn to adapt, but the learning period is often fraught with varying degrees of anxiety.