Abandonment issues.

I have left Melvin for a week before.  It’s the same every time: he sees the suitcase come out and I get ‘the look’.  Upon return he is super happy to see me followed quickly by distance.  If I invite him on the couch, he will move two feet farther from me.  I give him time to warm back up, it usually takes 3-4 days.  We understand each other.

I have never left Jake for this long before.  I wasn’t sure how he would respond.  I left detailed instructions so that the dog watcher could make their days as normal as possible but obviously it would be different, if not only for my absence.

The boys slept in the guest room with V.  Jake in his crate and Melvin in bed with her.  The day that I was to return, Jake went into my room and pee’d on Melvin’s bed. I have always believed that, if at all possible, dogs will avoid peeing where they sleep.  Jake LOVES Melvin’s bed, he occupies it every chance he gets.  I have no idea why he chose to pee in it.  Perhaps after just one week, he no longer felt like my room was where he slept.

When I walked in the door, as Melvin was wiggling and happy to see me, Jake gave me a look as if to say ‘don’t you ever leave me again or your bed is next’.  I’m sure I imagined that.  Right?

Here are the boys giving me their best ‘you abandoned us’ looks and one of Jake on Melvin’s old bed that I had to drag out until I can get the other one cleaned.  He quickly hopped in, no leg lifting required.

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12 thoughts on “Abandonment issues.

  1. Oh Jake, he reminds me so much of our Miss M. When we were looking for a second dog to adopt, the dog walked in our house and decided to pee in Miss M’s bed (the funniest part was later when Miss M went to her bed, smelled pee, and looked at us with that face). Our trainer said it was because the dog was trying to claim Miss M’s bed. Could Jake be planning a takeover?

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