Hanging with Gracy!

Gracy has always had a little bit of separation anxiety.  However, as she grew older, the episodes were fewer and farther between.  While walking out of my visit with her on day 9 of her 10 day stay in ICU this past July, I heard a dog crying.  I asked her student if that was Gracy.  She said yes, she does that after you leave everyday.  My heart sank.  As I walked out that evening, tears filled my eyes.  All evening, all I could do was think of ways to get her home.  We both had separation anxiety.  No matter what, she would come home with me for at least one night, even if I had to break her out!  Luckily, by the next day, she had improved enough for me to bring her home honestly!

Needless to say, she still needed time to recover, and by the end of August, she was slowly getting back to her old self.  She was eating better, the vomiting had and has become a thing of the past (knock on wood), and she was bouncing around the house again. 

However, the separation anxiety returned.  The first major destruction was the screen door.  Apparently, she needed to go out.  Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed in her and posted her misbehaving on her facebook page.  Yes, Gracy has a facebook page.  It really just started out as a test page one evening and before I could delete it, a few of my friends saw it and friended her.  So, now I just use it to update those who care on her medical status.  A friend commented on that post, "at least she is feeling better".  BAM!  How quickly I lost site of that.  Not that I really cared about the screen door.  I can tape it up (I watched a lot of MacGyver growing up) and move on or just buy a new one.  It was just a screen door.  However, the silver lining (apparently there is a silver lining on every cloud according to her Aunt Sandra) was that she was feeling better!  She was feeling better!!!

So, to help with the anxiety, I started taking her with me again on my morning visits.  She LOVES to "go to work" with me.  When I ask her if she wants to go with me, her tail wags and she gets excited.  She rides up in the front seat with me and just watches me drive.  She does get jealous if my free hand does something other than pet her and I occasionally get that dew claw in my arm!

Honestly, I decided last fall that I wanted to spend more time with her.  I was also having separation anxiety.  Having a dog with lymphoma, even though they are in remission, you know your time with them is limited.  Even though there was a good chance for her to have a long remission, there was always a chance that is wouldn't be.  She could be fine today and have a lump tomorrow.  It is stressful.  Very stressful.

The hardest part is that she senses these emotions and I have had, from the beginning last March, to suck it up.  I just turn my stresses into jokes and try to keep the mood light and airy!  We have become a pretty good team in her fight with cancer.  She needed me to be strong and not a blubbering fool, and I sensed that.   There is no time to be sad while she still makes me smile!