A dog is supposed to be man’s best friend, as the saying
goes.
Whoever said those famous words never met my German
shepherd. Tall, lean, beautiful and loyal, Luger is a good boy. He rarely
barks, he’s great with my kid and I don’t have to worry about him running away.
And he’s ruining our family.
OK, that might be a bit of an overstatement, but in the past
three month alone, he has escaped from his kennel in a desperate attempt to
find his pack. He has jumped a fence, ripped chain-link off the frame, tunneled
under a gate and hopped through a window into our pole barn.
Every time I turn into the driveway, I hold my breath as to
what canine carnage awaits me.
The past four weekends have been spent repairing the kennel
fencing over and over, installing an electric fence that subsequently got
ripped down and filling a massive hole with concrete.
My husband has been traveling again for his job, as the
summer season is the busy time for construction, and my job is demanding as
well. So the precious family moments I look forward to on these weekends has
been largely diverted to home-improvement store visits.
I’ve been doing my best in the hubby’s absence to exercise
our dog. He loves chasing a tennis ball and a Frisbee, but it’s a challenge
when you’re on your own to feed and bathe a toddler and still meet his bedtime.
We’ve bemoaned our troubles to just about anyone who will
listen. They’ve suggested new fencing alternatives and behavior modification,
but nothing seemed to work.
Finally we took Luger to the veterinarian. She explained to
us that German shepherds are pack animals, and that he is experiencing
separation anxiety because he is lonely — and the incident rate spiked since
our other dog died last fall. The vet suggested trying a mild medication that
would help with the agitation, but that it could take a month to build up in
his system.
In the meantime, I am nervous myself as my husband packs up
to head back out on the road this week. And the biggest suggestion I’ve heard
from everyone — the vet included — starts to needle me: Get another dog.
— Sarah Leach is content editor of The Holland Sentinel.
Contact her at (616) 546- 4278 or sarah.leach@hollandsentinel.com.
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