A Doggie Day Afternoon

This afternoon was centered around my doggie, Sasha . Ever since the fourth of July she just hasn't been the same. She's terrified to go outside even if I offer to escort her. She pokes her little doggie head out the sliding glass door, takes a quick peek and then quickly turns to go back inside, practically running, as if she is being chased by some horrible monster. Sasha has experienced many anxiety causing holidays and has survived all of the explosive celebrations with mild after effects. But this year, she is a different dog. She's scared and it seems she has regressed into puppyhood. The photo to the left is a picture of Sasha as a puppy, circa 1996, Bakersfield, California.



As a puppy, we never had to potty train Sasha. It was as if she knew instinctively that she was supposed to do her thing outdoors. I can't remember a time when she ever had an accident inside the house. We were lucky in that respect. She was quite rambunctious though. She looks so sweet and innocent, but she was quite a wild and aggressive little doggie. She wasn't scared of anything. We lived in a neighborhood that was abundant with horses, cows, goats, chickens, sheep, squirrels, lizards, and rabbits. Sasha ruled the hood. She liked to roam the the streets and chase the critters. (my husband allowed her to run wild even though I constantly nagged him about that.) On more than one occasion I'd find myself chasing Sasha to put her back in the yard and keep her from getting shot. I'd be out of breath, huffing and puffing and she was so fast. She would zig zag and criss cross her movements avoiding my efforts t catch her. I swear she was mocking me, thinking what an idiot of a human I was. She definitley was able to outwit me with her tactical moves. Oh, did I mention that she liked to swim and chase ducks as well? The ducks were always too fast for her and she would give up chase. This is her swimming with the ducks at Lake Selmac in Oregon. Circa, 1997.


Well, I digress. I got all caught up in the memory of her as a puppy. I just couldn't help myself. She is just so darn cute. Anyway, this fourth of July has really put a damper on her mood, and adampness in our carpet and all over the rest of the house. Sasha is so scared to go outside that she is holding her pee, and then she urinates all over herself while she's sleeping and/or just sitting. She gets up to walk to her bowl or to pace the rest of the house and she leaves a big puddle behind. It's not like she has to rely on me and/or my husband to let her outside, as she is quite capable of using the doggie door. She just doesn't want to. So, as you can tell by now, we are quite concerned. Is she having anxiety from all the fireworks from the fourth or is the problem more serious? This could be a sign of old age, it could be a bladder problem or something much worse or anxiety. We are flabbergasted. So, to find out for sure what is going on with her, I took her to the vet today. The doctor did a hands on physical exam, and an extensive blood panel. We won't get the blood results back until tomorrow so as of now we are still in the dark about the whole pissing thing. The doctor told me that she might possibly have something called Cushings disease. I'll have to do some research on that. I haven't noticed any wet spots around the house this afternoon or evening, but we'll see what happens through the night. I just hope that she will be okay. I'm not mentally ready to face anything too serious at the moment. Here's a more recent picture of Sasha. She is 13 1/2 years old. When she's feeling good, she's almost like a puppy again. Ah, I love my dog.

With eye upraised his master's look to scan,The joy, the solace, and the aid of man:The rich man's guardian and the poor man's friend,The only creature faithful to the end.

~George Crabbe