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Location: Suffolk, England
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 10,529
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Hello Larry,
Really sorry to read about Trish, you have always shown us how well she and Mouse have 'bonded' and I have always found that so wonderful and a true reflection on how dogs can be so loyal.
How will Mouse react to some new person comming in and touching Trish ?
I don't know the answer to that but it needs a lot of thought.
Please don't take this as 'lecturing' but I firmly believe dogs
don't see the world as we humans do. They can't possibly know that a visiting 'home carer' is there to help Trish in much the same way as they can't possibly know that when you go out the room will you be one minute one hour one day or one year.
Precedent helps, for example Mouse will have learned that when you go to work in the morning
you always come home in the evening, he's programmed that into his brain.
Yes, you
must be around for the first few visits from the home carer. She (The home carer) should try to bond with Mouse which means she must be a dog lover and it may take more than one visit before Mouse accepts her. She must also be confident around big dogs, like our (Now departed) Baruska he could so easily do some damage if he didn't see the home carer as 'part of the pack'
These are my thoughts based on how our Baruska became very protective of my wife. Hope it's not seen as 'lecturing' just wanted to
try to help. Mouse & Trish represent a true example of the loyalty and trust between man and dog.