It's lonely at home........

Rosie's been gone for over a week now. Freddie was pretty good for the first week even though he was spoilt rotten by us. Let inside at all hours of the day by the hubby. Plenty of cuddles from me, and lots of long walks from both of us.

The other morning I noticed that the jasmine plant I had planted post Rosie had been dug up. Roots scattered all over the footpath.

! ! !

Since I didn't catch Freddie doing it, and there's no other culprit, I couldn't do anything other than replant it, hope it survives and put a little fence around it.

Now that Rosie is gone, the true Fred can shine through. He *does* dig - just not as big gaping moonscape holes as Rosie.

He also started going off his breakfast. Which is quite worrying. I had used Rosie's old food bowl to water the jasmine plant in the morning before work and forgot to put it back inside.

I wonder if Freddie spotted the bowl and remembered/wondered she has gone, and is getting a bit antsy.

He eventually eats everything, but he doesn't gulp it down like he used to =(

When we come home there's a lot more whining too. He's always been a quiet dog. Usually he'll open his mouth while he stretches and I think that activates his voice box. But when we used to come home you'd probably hear one whine from him and a few howls of protest or excitement (however you want to look at it) from Rosie.

Last night when I came home, there was a constant whine coming from the back of the house. *shakes head*

These little things are making me think that he must be getting pretty lonely at home when no one is around. He's only ever been alone for a few days in a row - when we first got him. Otherwise he's always had Rosie for company.

I have found that having one dog is much more relaxing. You can heap your attentions on the dog, and not worry about the other dog feeling left out, or making an effort to share your affection around.
Having one dog certainly works better for us. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to work better for Fred.
I came home last night to see that he had done some landscape gardening.

Freddie's Friend

The branch is one that was cut down a while ago that Hubby had never got around to removing. Here Freddie's dragged it inside the verandah so he can chew on it. I watched him circle it last night trying to decide on the best method of attack.
Poor boy. He's so excited to see us when we come home. I try to give him as much attention as I can, but I get the distinct feeling that giving him company during the day might be the best cure.
I'm not sure I'm ready for another dog again. But it's not all about us either. We need to take Fred's feelings into consideration, and the vibe I get from him is that he needs company. Spending the evening with us is super and all that, but we don't really give him that much stimuli. I think another dog for company would be best to keep him occupied and happy.