When Dogs Cry

I know it is supposed to be doves, but in this story it is dogs.  Specifically one dog.

Everyone who knows me is fully aware of my love for animals.  I have always been this way since I was very little and, by nature, I cannot help but love them.  They melt my heart! 

It does not stop at dogs, it is pretty much all animals - with the exception of small cats, actually.  I am really not fond of house cats....Lions, Tigers and Bears Cheetahs, however.  ABSOLUTELY!

I have a soft spot for animals, I guess.  I really feel like if we are not here to protect their well being, who will?  They cannot help themselves.  Yea, yea....spoken like a true animal lover nut case, I know.....

I have mentioned her before, but my dog fur child is a little female boxer named Bailey....and I love her to pieces.  Meet The Bailey Boo:

I am not a "crazy" dog lady per se, but I do love her a lot.  In our household, we have a rule that she is not allowed to sleep in the bed with us; however, this rule goes right out the window when my husband is traveling.....and also on the weekends when we let her come lay with us, briefly, in the morning.  She is a total snuggle bug:

...what can I say?  We pretty much have a 55 pound lap dog.  She loves us a lot too!

Ever since she was a puppy, whenever she sees the suitcases come out and my husband and I packing, she gets very loving and will stand in between my legs, following me throughout the room or wherever I go.  She completely understands what the suitcases mean and that we are going to be leaving her shortly thereafter.  It makes me feel like a terrible dog owner!

That said, it usually does not take long for her to bounce back as she is always very excited to see her dog-sitter.  We have a wonderful dog walker/watcher who is crazy about Bailey and vise versa.  You can tell that they truly take great responsibility for the dogs and making them comfortable is a top priority.  Bailey even has a "friend" when she stays with the sitter, a little beagle named Patches. 

So by the time we return from out of town, the Bailey Boo is back to her old, playful self and is excited to see us - but is almost always exhausted from all of the fun.........except for when we returned from Houston last Saturday. 

OK she was still very much exhausted, and you could tell she had been playing a lot (they went to the dog beach, etc.); however, she would not leave my side from the moment I walked in the door until last night (Wednesday), when she must have finally come to terms with the fact that I was not leaving her again any time soon.  She refused to leave my side from the moment I would walk in the door from work to the moment I would leave again the next morning.  She would whine if I was not paying attention to her while I was cooking dinner, or if I was on a phone call for work, or if she was not sitting/laying close enough to me.....you get the idea. 

Separation anxiety much?!?!?!

As much as I love it when she is extra cuddly and loving (which she very much is a lot of the time already), I am glad to have her little personality back to normal.

Go ahead....everyone comment about how crazy I am and that she is only a dog....  Trust me, I get it.  But look at this face: