Missing You

All snuggled up on the sofa with Shaker and Mikki; thinking about Blondie, Stormy and Owl. I feel like such a canine chippie.



Running a kennel is not rocket science, but it is a million details. I’ve been back in Illinois handling all the little things that make a place run well or not. It’s been cold and crappy.


Carrvilla is exquisite in spring, summer and fall. I just don’t appreciate winter anymore. Dogs frolicking in snow leave me cold.


How dogs respond to their human’s absence is an issue I’ve been exploring. My last trip to Puerto Rico was the second time I’ve been away from Shaker for a couple of months. When I came back he was very clingy. My goal is to minimize the negative impact on him.


Shaker and Mikki love to be in the kennel for day care, so they go to day care all week. I have the staff feed them out there. The relationship isn’t all about food, but I felt the consistency of being feed in the kennel gave them one less thing to stress about.


Mikki has been through a few homes, so she seems less affected. In fact when she’s ready to go back inside, she goes to the kennel door. When I want her to come to the house, I have to call her. Shaker still heads to the house.


We become so important to our dogs that they miss us intensely. Dr. Dodman’s book about The Dog Who Loved Too Much shows us the extreme of separation anxiety. While it’s nice to be missed, I prefer my dogs to be well adjusted and happy.


I am way less important in the lives of the street dogs, still they each show how much they miss me in their individual ways.


Stormy holds a grudge, so we’ll see how he reacts my next return. The last time, it took six weeks for him to open up to me.