I’m sad right now. My dog suffered a set-back last night, and I just don’t know how to help him. It’s not health-related. It’s mental.
Some of you may remember Sirius, my Jack Russel Terrier. He was abused by his first family and had a host of problems when we got him, including excessive timidity and submissive urination.
It’s been a long struggle to try to help him recover and be the best dog he can be. I didn’t even realize how much progress had been made until it vanished last night. He had gotten bolder over the last year, brave enough to bark at strangers at the door and investigate guests when they came over. He’d even made tentative overatures of friendship to my housekeeper, which I thought was an enormous sign of progress. He tussled and played with the other dogs, and no longer clung to my side.
Then, last night, something happened. I don’t know what it was. I was in the office. Sirius and Polaris were playing in the library. I heard a commotion: Polaris gave an angry snarl and Sirius let out a yipe. I wasn’t alarmed-- occasionally, the “kids” get into a squabble over a toy. But this was no ordinary squabble, it seems. He ran into the room where I saw shaking like a leaf. He didn’t stop shaking for hours. He jumped up on my lap, and buried his face in my sleeve. After a while, he dozed off, still trembling.
Still no big deal, I thought. He’s had frights before, and usually, he’ll tremble and cower for a while then get over it and go back to playing in a couple of hours. I tried not to “baby” him, but it’s really hard to look at a frightened animal (especially one as small and adorable as he is) and cheerfully ignore it.
This morning, I realized it wasn’t just a temporary scare-- it’s actually a setback. He didn’t get over it. He’s sticking to my side like glue, walking around with that hunched, ears-flattened posture he used to have. He freezes whenever Polaris comes into the room. She has no idea, of course, that she somehow traumatized him. She spent about half an hour licking his ears this afternoon, during which he sat stock-still, eyes wide as if he was almost afraid to breathe.
Right now, he’s under my feet, his face tunneled up into my pants leg. If I go to the bathroom, he waits by the door for me to emerge, hunched and frightened-looking, as if expecting I’ll growl at him for following me. I saw him munching on a leaf that one of the dogs tracked in the back door from the yard. He didn’t even try to dash away when he saw me coming to take it from him as he sometimes does. He dropped it instantly and cowered. I almost prefer the naughty run-off-and-try-to-hide-it.
I’m really sad. I hate seeing him so frightened and unhappy and knowing that there’s nothing I can do about it.
And although I’ve nothing to add, I just wanted to say that I’m so sorry y’all are going through this and I hope things improve drastically, and quickly, and dear Sirius finds some peace. I bet he’s so glad though that you’re his mommy.