Today, The Big Guy fell flat on his belly during our afternoon walk. I don't know why he did: he was on relatively flat ground with nothing to trip over or on. The poor guy was clearly frightened. I had a hard time picking him up and getting him going.
This evening he kept circling behind my desk chair, then stand, his head hanging down. Then, he'd circle again. It was clear he wanted to lie down but was dreading the discomfort of doing so. I put him out for our late evening routine, and gave him his pre-sleep snack. It's the dog equivalent of a warm glass of milk.
When he headed back to his blanket, I sat next to him on the floor and pulled him into a sit on my lap. He appeared surprised that sitting was so easy. After that I picked up his front end & put him in a down position. He was clearly nervous -- he breaths in a distinctive 'huffff, huffff, huffff' pattern when he's uncertain.
I just held him, petting him and scratching behind his ears until he relaxed. Within 5 minutes, he was sound asleep. He is sleeping more comfortably than he has in days.
I'm happy to help him. It breaks my heart that I have to.
No comments:
Post a Comment