What Would Freedom Say?

Honestly, I'm not sure I'd want to know right now. Thankfully, he's finally crashed out by my desk, laid out on his side, rope bone clasped between his front teeth with the other end laid between outstretched paws. It's the first time this evening he's really relaxed because he's worn out, and he's barely touched dinner.

Truth be told, I feel for the little guy. Our house is in upheaval as the move nears (we pack the truck day after tomorrow), and I'm restless and anxious, as I am just before every move. I'm sure Freedom's picking up on that, and it's not helping the anxiety that every animal feels when their family and home goes through this process. He's been whiny and restless himself, and has been off his feed, despite a play date with Sparky and Bella (two actually) this past weekend. While he enjoyed the playtime, he's been more aggressive than usual, and isn't eating as well as he normally does.

Don't worry, he's still gaining weight (he's at over 6 pounds now, give or take a few ounces from day to day), plays for short bursts, drinks, eats, pees and poos as he should). He's just not his normal happy-go-lucky self. He can't stand for me to leave his sight, and even if I am in sight, if I'm packing a box, he's whining and carrying on like the world's coming to an end.

So, it's pack a box, get him to settle down on the floor, then pick him up and love on him for 20 minutes or so, play for a few with him, let him rest for a bit under my desk, sneak off to pack another box (lather, rinse, repeat). Tomorrow, will be the hardest. It'll be the last of the boxes, taking apart the bedroom furniture, and getting things lined up for a speedy exit to the truck. Wednesday is an extremely busy day for us. Our schedule looks something like this:

Wake up, feed entire pack (2 humans plus 1 dog), shower and groom dog. Be out of house no later than 8 a.m.
Hit the bank, get checks for Apartment and breeder.
Drive up to the apartment, drop off deposit, then go to vet's for Freedom's shots and checkup.
Drive back down to old neighborhood, get Uhaul truck and pizza for friends helping with move.
Start loading truck. Do as much as possible, as quickly as possible.
Go to my doctor appointment in the afternoon around 3:30 while hubby finishes with truck.
Finish apartment cleaning, head north to unload truck at storage unit and meet Mom, so we can go back  down south to get our car and the groceries and the stuff that goes to Mom's house for the next 2 weeks.
Turn in keys and head to Mom's.

It makes for a long day, but it'll be worth it to be in a place where Freedom has space to walk safely on a leash, play with other dogs, and be a dog. In addition, we got the great news that Tardis, Brian's diabetic service puppy, will be ready to come home on Friday! We've talked to Mom, and she's okay with having an additional pup in the house, so, here we go!

We were able to pick up some additional supplies for the second puppy this week, so we've got the leash and collar, and a few additional toys and chews for the youngest member of the pack as soon as he arrives. Freedom and Sparky will be heading up with us, and we'll get family photos of the puppies with their moms and dads, and Tardis will have a crate buddy to ride home with.

In mid-August, we'll be looking at putting Freedom into his first puppy class, and working more intensively with him. Our new place has lots of sidewalks to take the pups on, and once they have their rabies shots, and are cleared by the vet, our complex backs up to the trailhead of a state beach. Lots of walking for these guys for strong bodies and strong minds to endure the work that's been laid out for them.

In the meanwhile, we're enduring Freedom's willful attempts to deal with the turmoil in our house. Biting and snarling his way around naptimes has become the norm. Not that he's become aggressive, he's just frustrated and unsure of what's going on, and there's no real way to tell him that it's going to be okay. We just engage him when we can outside with his ball or his rubber bone/barbell and get him worn out the best we can, and try to relax him as well as possible in between box packing sessions. Tomorrow will be difficult, but maybe with some calm energy and calm music, we'll survive.

It'll most likely be a few days before I write again. Thank you to all who are reading and recommending this to friends. Your support is very much appreciated.