XPost: alt.animals.dog, alt.animals.dogs, alt.pets.dogs   
   From: NOPSAMmm2005@bigfoot.com   
      
   Hi,   
      
   I've been dogsitting for this dog 5 or 10 years, maybe 2 weeks a year,   
   or a little more, split into 2, maybe 3 parts, and for the last year   
   or so, she has gotten less and less "normal"   
      
   She used to obey me pretty well when I took her for a walk, but now   
   sometimes she really fights when I want to go back. She almost never   
   shows what I would have called real obedience, like I think she used   
   to. I don't care about that from an emotional pov, but sometimes I   
   want to go home, or I can't even start to walk her if I don't have   
   enough time for her prima donna attitude. But that is not the big   
   problem.   
      
   She was here last week for a day and a half, and didn't drink or eat a   
   thing, afaict, during that time.  She went up to look at the food,   
   once each day, and may have taken a bite each time, but I'm not sure,   
   and the food level didn't change much.  The water level seemed to stay   
   the same also.   The same food and water that she gets at home.   
      
   When she didn't drink the water in the kitchen, I moved it upstairs to   
   the bathroom, where it has been for a few years.  But before that it   
   was in the kitchen, and she drank it and when I moved it to the   
   bathroom she also didn't complain.  I only moved it upstairs so it   
   would be easier for her to find it in the night.  (Do I need to leave   
   a light on for her to find the water?  In the upstairs bathroom, and   
   what if it is downstairs in the kitchen?)   
      
   She's a golden retriever, so when she drinks, it's usually almost a   
   bowelful.   
      
   Finally, just as I was getting ready to take her home last week, she   
   ate a whole bowl of food. This started as I was going into the fridge   
   to get the rest of her food to put in the car, but I think she started   
   eating before she could have figured that out.  She might have seen me   
   pick up her water bowl upstairs, and because that was up already,   
   there was nothing for her to drink until she got to her home 5 minutes   
   away, where she promptly drank a whole bowl of water.   
      
   That was last Friday. Today is Wednesday, and her family is on   
   vacation again and she has been here since 10:30 this morning and it   
   is 8:30 PM now and afaict she hasn't eaten or drunk a thing, and shows   
   no interest in going out.  She ate, and went out twice this morning   
   before she arrived, but that was 10 hours ago.   
      
   Last visit, just last week, once when she heard the door open or shut,   
   she was at the door and trying to get through my legs to get out.   
   She'd been walked and I had to leave right away, so I ended up picking   
   her up by her collar and turning her to face into the house, so I   
   could escape.  She didn't seem angry at me for this, at the time or   
   when I got home, and she was ready to go out when I was taking her to   
   the car.   But this time I call her, and she doesn't even come to eat.   
   It's dry food but I would think she could smell it, even when she is   
   upstairs.  After all, I can smell it when I"m pouring it out, in the   
   kitchen0  So I go upstairs and show her the leash, so there is no   
   question about what I have in mind.   
      
   She'll walk to the top of the stairs, and she used to follow me down   
   the stairs, but not tonight.  When I stood behind her and said Go, she   
   wouldn't move**. So I went first and she used to follow me, but now   
   she stood there for a while and then went back to my office where she   
   spends all her time on the floor.   
      
   **That's also been getting worse over the years.  IIRC, she would walk   
   to the stairs and start down.  Then she paused at the top, and I would   
   have to say Go.  Then I would have to say Go three times, and now I   
   can say go over and over and over and she won't go.   
      
   This time I was especially in a hurry for her to go out (although it   
   has been 10 hours since she arrived and she used to be willing to go   
   out any time I was willing, like every 4 hours.) because a tree fell   
   on my fence last month, and I haven't had time to repair it well. I   
   repaired it poorly today, and wanted to see if she would try to make a   
   break for it at the damaged fence, and if she could knock it down.   
      
   Could all of my problems be caused because 2 or 3 years ago, I   
   replaced the last missing pickets and now I only walk her on a leash   
   every 2 to 4 days.  The rest of the time, I just open the door and let   
   her do what she wants.  I do that about 5 times a day, maybe every 4   
   hours or so.  I was hoping she would claw at the door or bark when she   
   was ready to come back in.  I didn't want to open the door looking for   
   her, because I thought she would think that meant she HAD to come back   
   in.  At least once she played in the back yard when she was out there,   
   but I can't see my side yard or even my little front yard, and now   
   when I open the door she's always there waiting to come in, even after   
   only 5 minutes.   
      
   Her family gives me a couple toys to play with with her or for her to   
   play with alone, a rope, a tennis ball, a rubber bone, but she's never   
   been interested in these things at my house.  So that doesn't bother   
   me except that now it looks like the start of some autistic trend at   
   my house.   
      
   She used to get a doggy treat after going out, but they decided she   
   was over weight, and now I'm supposed to give her salad.  In the two   
   visits last year, sometimes I didn't have any, but I thought she went   
   out mostly because she had to.   
      
   She has to take a Bufferin twice a day, and 2 pills for arthritis   
   twice a day.  I've just mixed them in with the food, and until last   
   week, she just gobbled it all down.  And last week they forgot the   
   pills so that was not why she wouldn't eat the food.   
      
   It was one thing for her to go a day and a half without eating,   
   butthey won't be back for 4 1/2 days this time.   
      
   Help, please.   
      
   If you are inclined to email me   
   for some reason, remove NOPSAM  :-)   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)