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Kitchen Table Kibitzing: Training an Old Dog [1]

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Date: 2023-03-02

It’s a good thing I checked this afternoon because the diary I had queued in KTK for today disappeared. It was something I had written about dealing with clutter and as I only have limited time today to research, I’m just going to write some filler about the highlights of my past week. News not too good.

Last Thursday, I came home from having lunch in San Francisco at Pier 23 Cafe with two old friends to a message from my upstairs neighbor complaining about how my dog had been barking for hours. Uncontrollable. Really loud. And that this wasn’t the first time, he informed me, that this has happened lately.

It turned out that on Thursday while I was gone some people from the property management company were in the backyard looking at a tree they plan to take down, which explained that day’s occurrence but what about the other times? I’ve had Aggie for almost 11 years and she’s hardly ever barked when I was away. She barks in the car, barks when company arrives, and barks when strangers are in her yard. That she didn’t bark when I was gone is something I have been so grateful for.

I decided to tackle the problem by giving her more exercise, giving her dog treats with l’theanine to calm her down before I leave, and investing in a new bark collar. (I tried out an old collar that no longer works and she stopped barking in the car when I put it on her.)

So I ordered a new collar which I thought worked tonally and then with vibration but when it arrived it was only vibration and I felt the vibration was too powerful a current. I ordered a second collar which is a citronella dispenser. I don’t want to shock the dog. She’s can be fear-aggressive and shock collars are not suggested for any dog who displays aggression.

In the past week, I’ve pretty much taken her with me when I go out, with two exceptions and both times she’s been quiet wearing the old collar and having the treats before I leave. I’ve also increased our walk times.

In other news, my friend who started drinking again last month is now in her third detox center. She left two after two days and finally, Monday afternoon pled with the first one to let her come back. They agreed and another friend dropped her off yesterday afternoon. None of us are very hopeful about her chances of maintaining sobriety. She will be released from detox in 3-5 days and she really needs to go into rehab for a month or two to stabilize. We have not been able to find a rehab that accepts Medicare and there’s no way she can come up with the $20,000 minimum for rehab.

I honestly fear for her life. All these years of drinking and this time she says she doesn’t think she can go on anymore. She’s lost the will to live.

We are all in varying states of shock because we just can’t see a way out of this situation this time. She is 71 and has only a handful of friends as her support base. Her family has refused to help out in the past. She lives on social security after her partner of 30 years kicked her out of the house and ended the relationship 1 ½ years ago after her last binge.

So that’s my story today.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/3/2/2155686/-Kitchen-Table-Kibitzing-Training-an-Old-Dog

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