Leaving Wilson home for the first time...

Wilson dozes off in the sun.

DAY 3
Yesterday, we went to Target for an hour. This meant leaving Wilson in his crate, with only Jolene to keep him company, for the first time.

When we drove away, we could hear him barking through the upstairs window. Our big test was, when we come back, if he's silent, then he gave up and will adjust to being left home alone eventually. If he was still barking, we had trouble on our hands.

We had trouble.

When he got back, we pulled up to the house nice and slow. We had our windows down so we could hear if he was still making noise. Sure enough, you could still hear him whining loudly through the upstairs window. Which means two things. One, he may have separation anxiety. Two, Jolene didn't get an ounce of rest while we were gone.

The separation anxiety is scary for me personally because, back in 2002, I fostered a basset hound named Casey. She couldn't be left at home alone without being destructive. Even in a crate. The first time I left her home alone in her crate, she ended up trying to get out of the crate so hard that she bloodied herself. She never bloodied herself again but it never get much better. So, having that experience stained on my brain for a decade now, the idea of another basset hound with separation anxiety scares me to death.

So while we feel very blessed that Wilson isn't anxious to that extent, it worries us about our own dog. Jolene spends over half the day asleep. That's what she likes to do. Whether it be in her crate or on the couch, she loves sleeping. So, to have a dog in the house who keeps her awake during all daylight hours, it's very troubling.

Don't get us wrong, we're working with Wilson on this. We think we can help him. We honestly believe he'll adjust. After all, it took Jolene about two weeks to accept the crate and get a routine when she first got home. But she was a puppy. Wilson is a four year old boy. He's gotten used to a certain way of life and one of those may have been always having a human around. According to his previous family, he apparently had a golden lab that was always with him so we're hoping Jolene can fill that void until we find him a home.

A home with another dog, of course.

Wilson (left) and Jolene waiting for their dad to come home.