Thanks to all of you for the responses. I truly appreciate it.
Yes, we have some odd dynamics going on. Jilly is the dominant dog; she's younger by one year and I've worked with her to control her bullying, but I've given up on them ever being friends. I just cuddle and kiss them, and whisper lovingly to each of them individually as much as they'll let me. Jill doesn't like to be touched; she gets all "hot" and moans, so I put her down.
Scooter will let me pet her, but she won't stay with me very long. She likes to come up on my lap and have her eyes wiped and drops put in her ears. She does like that attention. I do that every day. But then she goes back into hiding again.
Scooter is the alarm clock; she comes to me and does a dance when it's time to eat and she appears in front of us to tell daddy when it's time for bed. Then, Jilly starts hopping around, too. BUT - Jilly bumps Scooter to make sure she's in line after daddy and to make sure Scooter's in the rear.
My heart breaks for Scooter; I love her so much and she just let
Jill take over. I check on her all day to make sure she's all right. While I take a shower, she likes to sit up on the bed and snuggle into the covers. I wish I could leave her there when I'm done, but I'd be afraid she'd get hurt jumping down, so I put her on the floor when I leave the room.
I have gotten down on the floor to play with them, but as soon as Jilly gets into the act, Scooter withdraws. She won't chase a toy if Jilly is around. They have a ton of toys, many left over from pets who have passed on. Jilly will play with them and has her favorites up on the sofa on her pillow.
I will have them checked out thoroughly when I take them to the vet. They're due for shots, so this will be a good time to do it.
Something happened yesterday that suprised me. After I wrote about my concerns on the board, I fed them and started to take them out to pee-pee. They both ran like hell. That fast, Jilly had already peed on the kitchen rug and Scooter let loose on the pee-pads lined up in front of the porch door. I put the pads there because here in Phoenix, it's just too hot to go out in the afternoon. That's the place they should go, and I don't know why they ran. Anyway, I guess they knew I was feeling badly, because they both wanted to sit on my lap or with me, which is rare! They sit on daddy's lap occasionally, but rarely sit with me. My husband thinks it's because they knew I was upset because they ran when I wanted them to go out, but Scooter always comes to me and lets me cuddle her when I'm feeling down.
I think Jilly is afraid when she leave the house. She pants and moans and groans. She gets hot and stinks! She won't go for a walk. She used to let me take her if I carried her in a soft carry bag. Maybe it's because at home Jilly can control her environment and when she's out, she's at the mercy of others.
Scooter sees it as an adventure; she likes other people and other dogs. She loves going for a walk, but it's way too hot here to walk her. When she's out, she never meets a person or another dog who isn't her friend. Except Jilly.
When she was younger, she loved having the company of my two friends, Carol and Jean. When I told her someone was coming for dinner, she'd get excited -- her ears perked up and her eyes got wide. When they got here, she'd come running and climb on them, giving them kisses. She doesn't do that any more. Now, after I call her a few times, she comes to say hello and just goes back into hiding.
I just want them to be happy! How can a dog who's hiding all day in a dark bathroom, or sleeping in a closet be happy? She seems demoralized. I love them both so much and I want to do whatever will make them happy. |