A Sad Susie

We have a sad Susie.

Susie is a lovely little Labrador and she owns my grandchildren, Andy and I.

Susie misses Patch - she's never lived in a household without another dog before. She is forlorn without him.

Earlier in the week her former housemate, my daughter's dog came to visit and it was lovely to see the two of them together. It did Susie good.

Her behaviour has changed back to what it was when she first arrived: barking at everyone who comes to the door or is walking anywhere near us in the street or indeed passing the house. Her senses are all heightened. It's as if she thinks she now has to guard the house and me in the absence of Patch and it's all a bit too much responsibility for her and she is very stressed.

It's difficult to know what to do for the best with her. I thought a good long walk at the farm to blow away some cobwebs might help earlier this week but from the minute she got into the back of the car to the minute she got out again she cried. She's never done that. Whining, stressed and not wanting to sit in her usual place in the back. I believe it's because Patch wasn't there with her but maybe she could still smell him.

I keep seeing her sniffing the air in the house and looking around. I find this strangely comforting because I feel Patch is still there with us - just that I can't see him. Maybe it's because he's been there so long - I don't know - but what I do know is that I don't want to lose this sense of him being with us.

Susie is giving the most amazing cuddles since we lost Patch.

We are helping each other.

One step, one day, one week at a time we are learning to live without him.