Amazing what 1 1/2 hours of private time can do for a girl and her dog.

[HopeHoops]

My eldest left for college on the 19th (freshman). Her dog had started to show what I would call signs of depression. I know my daughter missed her. This morning, I took the dog down (only a 90 minute drive) and turned her over for 90 minutes for some private time. I picked the dog up after that and came back home and she slept the entire way. She's been calm and back to her normal self since we got home.

Simple solution to a complex problem.

[livetohike]

1. Awwww, separation anxiety can be a hard thing to cure

Sounds like you found a good fix for now though :-).

[ThomCat]

2. That is really cool that your daughter is so close, and this was an

option. I'm glad your dog is now happy again. I'm sure your daughter loved that time together too. :)

This was a really good thing that you did, and it's really wonderful that you would think of this, and be willing to drive 90 minutes each way to make your dog happy. That is a sign of a really good person. (Though I'm sure you had other motives for this trip too, like wanting to see your daughter yourself. :P)

Too many people would just ignore the dog and expect her to adjust and get over it, or go to the vet and get doggy tranquilizers. I like your solution much, much better.

[hedgehog]

3. We got a puppy halfway though my oldest daughter's senior year

of high school. (Someone left him on the front seat of my car while I was teaching religious ed on a frigid January night.)
He belonged to all of us and went for walks with me and my husband. The next September my daughter was off to school. I never noticed that Jack was upset, but boy, for the rest of his life, whenever my daughter showed up he just lit up.

[kayakjohnny]

4. Whew...

Didn't know what to expect when I clicked. I feel much better now.

[HopeHoops]

5. Naughty, naughty, naughty!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[NJmaverick]

6. awww... I am reminded of these lyrics

A dragon lives forever,
But not little girls and boys.
Painted wings and giant rings
Make way for other toys.
One grey night it happened,
Jackie Paper came no more
And Puff that mighty dragon,
He ceased his fearless roar.
His head now bent in sorrow,
Green scales fell like rain,
And Puff no longer went to play
Along that cheery lane.
Without his life-long friend,
He could not be brave,
So Puff that mighty dragon
Sadly slipped into his cave

[HopeHoops]

7. Yep, that is it.

The dog is happy now, and I'm sure my daughter is as well. They use Skype and the dog is intelligent enough to recognize my daughter and react to what she says. Still, now she knows where she is and that seems to have brought her comfort.

PP&M produced a wealth of wonderful songs. If you haven't seen it yet, there is a claymation of the Christmas Evening song that you can't watch without shedding a few tears. Here is a link to the DVD: http://www.guidinglightvideo.com/shop/claymation.html but you can get it on eBay for less. The other videos on the DVD are extremely well done. I bought it for that one short story.