I hesitated to write about this, but I think now it’s ok, since I see a clearer path.
Sweet Tammy has cancer. We’ve decided that taking her to Gulf Coast (don’t get me started about them) for daily anesthesia and radiation for three weeks is not an option. We’re going to go with weekly chemo in the form of an injection at our vet and see how it goes. If it makes her too sick or changes her quality of life too much, we’ll just let her live her life. Her time here with us is limited either way. We want it to be as happy as possible.
The week of separation that Tammy needed because of her stitches from the biopsies had some very negative consequences. When Tammy first came to us she was happy and healthy — without a collar — and we told her to go home. She came back about a month later much worse for the wear. I put her in the backyard, and unfortunately a neighbors’ dog got in and attacked her. I got bit in the process of separating them and Tammy and the neighbors’ doge went to the pound. That’s when I got a tetnus shot.
Tammy stayed in the backyard and Dora in the house and front yard for a while after that. My good friend Anne-Marie convinced me that they should be friends. We worked at it and through walks and short meetings, Dora and Tammy became friends. They stayed in the house together, went out in the yard together for years.
When we got Tammy’s diagnosis, I decided to keep Murphy. Murphy and Dora get along ok, not perfectly, but well enough for everything to be ok.
On Friday night, Tammy’s stitches had fallen out and her biopsy incisions healed, so I let her out in the front yard with Murphy and Dora. A few seconds later I let them all back in and Dora attacked Tammy. I tried to separate them, but Dora bit me on first my right, then my left elbow as I tried to keep them separated. Dora went crazy.
My elbows are badly bruised, but I’m ok. I’ve kept the pups segregated — Dora in one space, Tammy and Murphy in another. We called the vet and got a referral to an animal behaviorist. Dora and I will make an appointment next week.
When Dora is in the living room, Murphy’s barks don’t bother her. When she’s in her new room, that barking makes her absolutely crazy.
Bottom line is, I think I have to have Dora separated from now on. She’s damaged — something that happened to her before I got her — I just didn’t know the extent until now.
What happened on Friday smashes all of those together photos that I took of the three of them. It smashes my hope for these pups living together.
And don’t even get me started on the visit I got from BARC this morning.
calle viena 
Ola! Check this website, k?:
http://www.anxietywrap.com/
It was suggested to B by some of her workmates who’ve had pup-related issues similar to Doree’s
r
That’s a really good link.
It reminded me of Temple Grandin. She created a “Hug Box” to help her with her autism and designs humane shoots for animals going to slaughter — which sounds weird, but isn’t really.
I’m so sorry for your troubles. Hope everything goes well for Tammy with the chemo. The hard part of having pets is outliving them. I think you are wise to separate Dora – I’m not much of a dog person, but I know they sometimes turn on sick or elderly pack members- happened to a friend of mine with dogs that had been togeather peacefully for years. I’ll look for relevant links.
This is all I found that looked like your problem- looks like the behaviorist is your best bet.
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Canine-Behavior-3553/2008/5/dog-family-aggresion-toward.htm
D@R, thanks for that input — I hadn’t thought of that. It looks like I will have to fill out a long form about Dora and I will make sure to include that.
I’m going to see if I can make an appointment for her next week. The behaviorist does make house calls, but I think I will take her in to the office first.
And thanks for the link — I’m checking it out now.
And I got your pic in my email. I’ll put it up on the blog tomorrow!
Ok, it didn’t work. My dail up is too slow. I’ll capture it tomorrow and then get it together to post.
Dora is even growling at Tam through the window.