Don’t know about you but it really makes me mad for someone to mistreat an animal. Why do people even get pets in the first place if they are not going to take care of them and let them have babies that they drop off at some unsuspecting house? And don’t get me started on brutally harming a sweet, loving animal. I just don’t get it and never will.
Our furbabies are like our children and we would fight for them if it came down to that. Our boxer, Roxie, is one spoiled rotten dog and she knows it.
There have been so many changes going on at our house and she is not liking it and has become a little more clingy lately. She doesn’t understand the moving out of things since our daughter now has her own house. When she takes her dog and cat, I’m kind of worried how Roxie will react. She has separation anxiety of sorts. She doesn’t tear things up when we leave her but when we get home, we can’t move without her.
Though she weighs 55 pounds, she thinks she is a lap dog and that is where she likes to be most of the time. Her favorite place is outdoors though and there are times she gets frustrated when we won’t go out with her. Even if she doesn’t hang right with us when outside, she wants us to be outside somewhere nearby.
I’ve seen a meme somewhere that said first they steal your hearts and then they steal your bed. That is so very true at our house. Some nights she sleeps at the foot and is fine , but there are some nights when she has to sleep almost on top of one of us. On these nights she also goes in and out from under the cover.
Perhaps she has had a bad day or something. I know I am more restless after a bad day.
With the warm days we have been enjoying the past few days, she has spent a great deal of time outdoors and it has worn her out. She comes in and goes to bed early and doesn’t hardly move at all. She spent most of one night on the couch because that is where she passed out.
She is like a child in that she does not like shut doors. She will pound on them until you open the door for her.
Oh, to lead the life of a dog!
It’s funny to watch her and Lady, who weighs about 20 pounds and is small. Roxie tries to play with her but Lady usually is leery of playing with a dog more than twice her size. Occasionally she will run back and forth as if playing with her.
If one wants to go outside and we haven’t noticed yet, Roxie will come and let us know by nudging us. This morning Lady stayed out longer than Roxie and when I asked her to find Lady, she went out and they both came back. Roxie acted as if she was chastising Lady for not coming back in right away though by giving her one of her “looks”.
She loves to ride and I try to take her with me on short trips every now and then. Sometimes she even wants to drive, as she will get in the driver’s seat and refuse to move for a few minutes.
I agreed to check on a friend’s dog over the weekend as she was going to be gone for an eight hour span and her dog’s separation anxiety includes eating things and tearing things up that he shouldn’t. Boomer loves me. Minds me better than he does his owner. She said I would have trouble getting him back in his crate unless I used a treat. After walking him and giving him water and holding him for a few minutes, I told him it was time to get back in the crate. He went in without any trouble and without me using a treat. I did give him one though.
When I came home Roxie knew I had been with another dog. She sniffed me up and down and gave me this funny look. She also wanted extra attention.
Animals are so much comfort and bring you joy. If you can’t love them like a family member, you shouldn’t have a pet. It’s that simple.©2016

VICTORIA SIMMONS is an author, columnist, motivational speaker, minister and publisher of The Georgia Post/Byron Buzz. Contact her at: vsimmons54@gmail.com