Life with Sam Dogger: Separation Anxiety

Tomorrow I leave for a three-day stint of theme parks in Orlando with the family visiting from Texas. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to go--especially since I'll get to visit the new Harry Potter world--but this will be the first time I've been away from Sam overnight.

You know, in a lot of separation anxiety cases, the owner's just as anxious as the dog, and I'm definitely guilty of this. Sam usually handles my absence well if he can't see where I've gone, and he only makes trouble left on his own if he's shut out of the garage. Leave the garage cracked for him, and he's fine. Close it, and he starts digging holes like a 75-pound gopher.

The only time he's shown any anxiety at my absence is when he knows where I've gone and can't reach me. If he's left in the kitchen while I go in my room or out to the pool, he whines and barks like crazy. If he's left in the yard while I walk around the neighborhood, I can hear his pitiful crying all the way to the next street. But if I sneak away without his notice, he's fine.

I think Sam should be okay over the next couple of days. He'll have Dad with him to distract him, after all. Honestly, between the two of us, I have the feeling that I'll be the one dealing with separation anxiety, not him.As a final hurrah before my mini-vacation, I took Sam on another car ride today, this time to the bank and the pharmacy drive-thrus. As usual, Sam had a great time.