Dogs get blues when youngsters go back to school

[Judi Lynn]

Dogs get blues when youngsters go back to school
By SUE MANNING, Associated Press | August 27, 2014 | Updated: August 27, 2014 6:22pm

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Young people aren't the only ones who get back-to-school blues. Pooches used to months of constant playtime can get upset when their best buddies disappear with the dog days of summer.

Many dogs whine and wait eagerly at the front door but eventually adjust to the absence of their young owners when they are in class. But millions of dogs can feel abandoned, sad and unable to cope — and they look for ways to lash out.

Many of the nation's 80 million dogs have separation anxiety, Dr. Nick Dodman, of Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in Massachusetts, said citing studies.

Dogs with separation anxiety will bark, howl or whine; destroy something, leaving behind scratched doors, damaged blinds or torn curtains; or have accidents, Dodman said.

Dianne Larson of Santa Clarita, California, has seen it firsthand. School started two weeks ago, and year-old Ruby, a black Lab, still searches for Larson's son Tanner, 14, when he's gone.

"She stays in his room. If his door is closed, she will whine to get in," Dianne Larson said. If the dog isn't in Tanner's room, she's at the front window watching for him.

More:
http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Dogs-get-blues-when-youngsters-go-back-to-school-5715926.php

[Smarmie Doofus]

1. True. I'm seeing it already. n/t

[shenmue]

2. Awwwww

[Granny M]

3. Awwwww x 2

So strongly attached to their pack, it will take a few weeks to adjust to the new schedule.

[Behind the Aegis]

4. Unsurprising to me.

We don't have children (thankfully), but we did have a cat. Tony passed away almost two months ago. One of our Chihuahuas, Marigny, loved, I mean, loved that cat! Tony acted like he "tolerated" her, but I think he really loved her too. Marigny sat at my side as Tony passed away. She whimpered and shook. I think she knew something was wrong. She spent the better part of three weeks trying to find Tony by going to his hidey-holes and then crying when she couldn't find him. She finally stopped, or so it seemed. Every now and again, she will look for him, grab his toys or sleep on his pillow. Last week, while coming back in from an early morning potty break, she absolutely refused to go back upstairs. She kept running to Tony's favorite spots. I grabbed a tuft of Tony's hair to let her smell it. She snatched it out of my hands and kept in her mouth. She didn't try to eat it, swallow it, or spit it out. I had to take it out of her mouth. She barked. I have had this dog for almost 5 years, and she has never barked. I put the tuft of hair back on the mantle, and she went right back to bed. She was just missing her friend. Of course, it made me cry.

Dogs are complex creatures and should always be treated as such. They feel loss, even temporary loss such as kids going to school. Hell, my dogs get upset when my partner is gone for two days!

[NaturalHigh]

5. My daughter went off to college a few weeks ago.

Our little Cairn is really confused about it. The daughter has been home this weekend, though, so everyone is happy!