[dezertblu]

My dog of 3 years Teddy is going in for surgery tomorrow,and I am so very nervous for him.I know the most likely out come is he will be fine physically, I am more worried about the mental aspect of it.I will explain. When Teddy was born he lived with some very undesireable sorts, drug dealers ect.....hard care folks...they wanted this puppy to be a mean dog, so from being only small they beat him mercilessly, starved him, nearly to death, and kept him out back in a dirt yard with nothing to entertain him.I am also quite sure they used cats to bait him, as now when he sees a cat it goes beyond the normal dog chsing cat out of yard reaction.Anyways.....he spent an entire winter in these conditions, his only companion his brother from same litter.When the RSPCA finally rescued the 2 at 8months old they weren't sure wether they should put them down or not, as they were physically pretty far gone.They decided to give them a chance, and shipped them off to a luxury doggy kennel/hospital, a place they use only for the very worst cases.We wanted to get Sassy also 8 months old , a friend cause being a border collie she had to have something to focus her sheeping instincts on, and it was becoming a very un healthy obsession with hubby..beyond just adoration.So we went to look at the dogs...and took Sassy.....she had no interrest in any of them and told them so with growls and snaps if they got too close.Then the kennel handler brought Teddy out....she saw him from accross the field....and we noticed a look of interrest in her eye.....she wagged her tail, it was like someone she already knew was coming.Her and Teddy musta been soul mates cause they got on like they had always been together! Teddy was still weak, as muscles still needed to rebuild, especially in his hind quarters.Sassy , ussually a very heavy footed rough dog seemed to know this and adjusted her play accordingly.What I am worried about with Teddy is he has never had to go overnight away from us ever since that day......that was 3 years ago....I am worried he will think we are taking him back to the kennels...you know returning him.He will be gone all of tomorrow and part of the next day.....I don't want to scar his fragile mind any more than it already is, as he does have abandonment issues, which are plain to see when I leave the house or leave him in the car......do you think there is anything I can do or leave with him to let him know I am comming back, that were not leaving him at the kennels again? I love my Teddy boy and just want the hard work we have done to make him feel secure stick..not regress.