Mocha has been a bit of a difficult dog ever since we left him in a kennel. We’re not entirely sure if it’s the kennel’s fault – they have a good reputation amongst other dog owners in the area and I doubt they mistreated Mocha in any way – though the act of leaving Mocha alone for a while may have triggered his anxieties. Since we rescued him from an animal shelter, it’s possible he was abandoned by his previous owners and started to worry when he felt we were abandoning him too.
However, Mia and I are both busy working professionals with busy schedules. At least once a month, we have to travel or leave Mocha alone for most of the day. We hate doing it, but it’s not always possible to bring Mocha along with us, especially when we’re staying with friends who are not comfortable with dogs either.
So for long trips, we leave him with Melvin & Cabbie’s parents, who take great care of him. Every time I watch them wrestle, I see a great big smile on Mocha. It’s so obvious that he loves being with other dogs.
Which leads us to conclude that his recent behavioral problems may be solvable by getting a second dog. Another solution would be more exercise and activity, which we’ve been trying. A second dog, however, could play with Mocha and give him the social interaction that he craves. Also, we’re not always able to give Mocha the exercise and activity he needs because of our aforementioned schedule. Perhaps a second dog could.
Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done. A second dog presents its own challenges, such as increased costs, time to find the right companion, additional training needs, etc. We also know of a few more long trips we’ll need to take. We can’t expect Melvin & Cabbie’s parents to take care of four dogs. Placing two dogs in a kennel for weeks would be damn expensive too. And we couldn’t bring our dogs along on a trip to another country either.
So what do we do? Sigh. We don’t know yet. We’re hoping more exercise, training, patience, and love can help the little guy. Hopefully that will be enough.
I don’t think Mocha is ready to go home yet. He’s happy to see us and everything, but the little fellah had so much fun that he just can’t bare to leave his bestest buddies now.
C’mon boy, don’t you miss us? Maybe one day we’ll get you a buddy of your own too… Wink wink. Maaaybe…
This just in: Mocha & Cabbie slumber after an epic battle of gigantic proportions, the likes of which haven’t been witnessed since Tyson and Holyfield, sans the ear chomp.
In doggie terms, that means they played, wrestled, and got dog tired.
Mocha is a fierce little fighter. Even when a bigger dog pins him down (or against a couch in this case), he doesn’t give up. He’ll keep on fighting & wrestling until the other guy goes down. I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing, but it can be entertaining as hell.
