A Sleepless Night, 9-29-21

Here is how I arranged our sleeping quarters last night.

Here is where Blanche laid.

I don’t know why I thought I could sleep on the couch but by 3 am I left Blanche to figure things out on her own and I went upstairs to bed. This morning I see she chewed up my red and white afghan- grrrr – sigh.

So today is a new day – I cancelled Molly’s play date today because I think Blanche needs to rest – at least not pull her incision open.

So glad the pictures posted at regular size – on my end they are TINY!

23 thoughts on “A Sleepless Night, 9-29-21

  1. Holly Woodyatt

    I know you know this but Blanche is anxious. After all she came from a place where someone planned to shoot her. We rescued our Scarlet from the local shelter-17 mos old and already a litter of 7 puppies. She chewed a large hole in the back of the couch as well as the corner on 3 quilts, the edge of the sheets on the bed, the edge of the bed spread, and several pillows. We never punished her, just scolded. Today at 4 yrs of age we are grateful to have her and she never chews anything but her toys. Hang in there, Blanch needs you.

    1. Mary Etherington Post author

      Holly – you’re right and the stuff is meaningless really. We are having a slow and quiet day today. I need it as much as Blanche!

  2. Launa

    Well, poor Blanche may have been in some post surgery pain and with you gone and not there to comfort her she used your blanket. You are her favorite person now. Lucky dog for certain!
    34o out up here, but colder earlier. Sun is coming over the mountains and sky is Idaho Blue! The wood stove fire sure feels so good 😊!

    1. Mary Etherington Post author

      Launa – we are having such warm weather it’s almost startling when you say it’s 34 degrees and colder earlier! It’s coming.

  3. Jo in Wyoming

    Must be the cold felt good.
    Boy those puppies can chew. Moms dog chewed up the Bible!
    Blanche is inside, that’s a step in the right direction.
    It’s cooler today and sprinkling outside. YEAH

  4. Diane Bauer

    Oh, no, I’m sorry!! I’m guessing, too, that Blanche is anxious. Poor girl. And yes, probably uncertain as to why there is pain from the incision. I wonder about CBD calming treats. I use Zesty Paws Calming Bites with Akira when her anxiety amps up.

    1. Mary Etherington Post author

      Diane Bauer – OMG! I forgot about those and I still have some left from Jo so that’s next!

  5. Dee Winter

    too many new things at once for this baby. She doesn’t know that it’s for her own good, look how big she is as a puppy. You’ll need a saddle soon. Red and white has been marked as hers, it’s a comfort to her. And being inside probably makes her nervous. She probably has never been inside or it was a traumatic experience. I’m so glad you took her in.

    1. Mary Etherington Post author

      Dee Winter – I agree with everything you said! I am now going to the store and she has to learn she can’t run out the gate when it opens. Such a steep learning curve!

  6. Jean

    Oh dear Mary. Poor little Blanche is so anxious. She needs lots and lots of TLC to feel secure. I feel so bad for the poor little thing. She knows nothing. I’m very thankful she has YOU.

  7. Kathy in western NY

    I can see we are all on the same path having dealt with rescued, abused, and left to fend for themselves doggies. It takes patience and love to see them through these adjustments to their new owners worlds. You gotta feel so sorry for them. And not knowing what happened to them with the pain they are experiencing so their limits have to be set by you. Thanks for bringing us up to date on such a beautiful dog.

  8. Kathy Hanson

    Thinking of you – and Blanche and all the adjustments for both of you. Blanche is such a lucky dog – you are an amazing dog whisperer and she will be fine with some time and love. You have both for her and you are both lucky! Hang in there and keep loving her – love always wins!!

  9. Susan K in Texas

    I hope you both get some rest today. Getting used to each other and expectations takes some time. I’ve been known to sleep (try to sleep) on the sofa with my son’s dog, Sally. When they visit Texas he goes to visit with friends for dinner and I dogsit. Sally is very anxious when he’s not home at night. So we snuggle up on the sofa and she sleeps

    1. Mary Etherington Post author

      Susan K – my first dog when I moved to this farm was a stray puppy that settled in at my garage in town and when I moved, what else could I do but being her along? And her name was Sally!

  10. Sherrill

    Oh yeah, no way could I have slept on the couch! Gotta be the bed. Does Blanche not have to wear a cone of shame? LOL Usually they do after a spay/neuter. Hopefully she’ll be feeling up to snuff in a few days.

    1. Mary Etherington Post author

      Sherrill – hmmm – I’m glad she’s not but this was a new vet and he was pretty ho-hum and unconcerned about everything. Blanche hasn’t touched the incision, I don’t think, and the stitches stay in for two weeks! Why didn’t he use dissolvable stitches???? Argh!

      1. Sherrill

        Does she go back to have stitches out? If not, maybe he did. Or I know some of them use glue. Who knows…. I think those CBD chews sound awesome, never heard of them.

  11. Jan in NW WI

    Sounds like the red and white afghan is hers now. The CBD chews just might be the ticket to a calmer very large puppy. Many years ago I rescued a black cat and her 5 kittens. It was in October, they were all black and polydactyl. We kept them all. The tiny runt was petrified of everything and hid under the bed for the better part of 2 years. But eventually he did come out to join the others. By the way, he weighed 30 pounds full grown, and was large (not fat), sleek and friendly. Who knows what trauma they go thru, before we meet them. Keep up the good work Mary.

  12. Julie D.

    I haven’t been doing a very good job of keeping up on your blog lately and I apologize. This dog is absolutely beautiful and I’m so glad that you rescued her. She will bounce back, it will just take a little bit of time. Will try and post my September project today–working on the binding.

  13. Kim

    Chew toys might be a good idea for Blanche. Does she have all of her teeth in? Chewing fabric feels so good on sore mouths. I hope she didn’t swallow any of that Afghan. Have you considered offering her a cozy covered dog crate for a place of her own to sleep and to withdraw to when she feels anxious? It’s also a safe place to keep her out of trouble during the night and until she acclimates to safely being indoors on her own. If she’s completely fearful of a crate it could be she experienced tough times in connection to a crate or cage. 😕 The good news is she was indoors and that’s a big step to accomplish. Those surgery meds and post surgery pain meds really foul things up. It’s seems their balance is off for several days and muddled thinking happens the same as we can experience. She looks like a sweet girl and I hope she soon trusts completely and settles in now that she’s had the vet experience and a poor beginning in life behind her. 🙂

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