We're Still Here!

This photo was actually taken a month ago (Mabel was more interested in licking my face than posing with me), but you can pretend it's Mabel kissing me goodbye as I prepare to leave for my weeklong trip.

Not a single Mabel update in almost 3 weeks? How awful am I?!

Both of Mabel's foster moms have entered into the World of All Work and Deadlines and Vet Appointments and No Fun in the last few weeks, so work with Mabel and blogging about Mabel has been harder to fit in. But Mabel is still here, happy and silly and clumsy as ever. Her newest joy is chasing tennis balls and trying her hardest to eat them.

We have made baby steps in helping her overcome her fear of other people, but we're not nearly where we should be, again because of the difficulty of getting in as much practice and training and exposure as she needs. We are currently considering putting her--temporarily--on antianxiety medication to help with the process. We absolutely hate the idea of medicating her and have looked at it as a last resort from the beginning, but in doing some thinking and researching the last couple weeks, we realized that this may be what she needs. If medication can help calm her nerves and fears enough that she can start interacting more normally with other people more quickly, it could be worth a shot. And then once she's finally had a chance to learn, while on the antianxiety medication, that people really are OK after all, we can start weaning her off the meds. We're just waiting for a call back from Mabel's vet, who has been on vacation for the last week, so that we can decide if this is a good option and then get her started.

This is probably a good time for her to have some help relaxing anyway. Because I work at home, she's used to having someone around practically all the time right now, and I'm getting ready to leave for a conference for a week, which means that while her other foster mom is at work, Mabel will have to stay in her crate (don't worry--she'll be let out to run around and do her business at lunchtime). Her separation anxiety is much, much better now than it was in the beginning, and she quiets down a few minutes after we leave (she's never been destructive or tried to get out of her crate--she just barks and cries), but she still doesn't like being left, and she's never been left for almost the whole day multiple days in a row.

And to clarify--we're not just going to medicate her and hope that does the trick. Once I'm back from my trip, and especially once we get through August, we're going to rededicate ourselves to working with her as well. We are also trying to get some time with a behaviorist, which we consider far more important than the medication, but we're waiting to hear back from someone on that too.

Because I'll be gone for most of the next week--and not with Mabel--it's unlikely that I'll be able to update this blog again for about a week. But Mabel and I will see you when I return. :)